Over the years, zombie games have become a tired yet true staple of the medium. Games like The Last of Us and Dying Light show us what can be done in such a crowded genre, while games like Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z and Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler’s Green accomplish the exact opposite. But lately, it’s become more and more apparent that all these rushed and artistically haywire are due to laziness. So when an already acclaimed developer takes the helm yet again, I can’t help but look forward to it, which was exactly the case with the newest Escapists spinoff.

Gameplay:

Just don’t look behind you!

The gameplay of The Escapists mostly relies on a mix of crafting elements and fetch-quests, in order to successfully complete your newly found escapade. In the Escapists: Walking Dead, the crafting elements and mission structures stay the same, with new combat mechanics and of course, zombie adversaries introduced to fit the theme. Missions can vary in entertainment, with some including carrying dirty laundry while others give you the objective to kill zombies. The game also has a community morale system of something like State of Decay, which is implemented really well. However, certain elements are not completely perfect. Shooting and melee objects feel clunky and disproportionate, and a simple mistake can lead to death and a restart. Although this is expected off of a game like this, it feels very cheap because of these particular sloppy controls.

Story & Design:

As shown in this picture, the game can have some really fascinating enviroments

Another skillfully placed aspect of the game is it’s fanservice, which is notably present in missions and story. Characters don’t feel rushed in or placed pointlessly, and there’s a wide variety for newcomers and long time series professionals. The story on the other hand is nothing special, but the game is more centered around your party, which is more important in something like this. I also really appreciated the level design, which makes the game a lot more intense during certain encounters. Unfortunately, this can go against you, but for the most part it manages to be implemented sparingly and accordingly.

Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:

You can also go on missions with your parties

Although, the game’s environments and visual features are immaculately designed, the audio goes the other way. Sound effects are basic, and voice acting doesn’t have members from the cast of the show. I understand this shouldn’t be expected, but it still would have been a well-welcomed addition. Nevertheless, the great design of each level supplemented by a great and diverse color pallet and art style, is something that is decidedly worth biting into.

Conclusion:

The Escapists: Walking Dead is one of the better spinoff games I’ve played this year, and one of the best television themed games in recent memory and probably of this console generation. Not everything is perfect, but most is so well presented and easy to pick up and get into, that it’s hard to look at the bad.

The Escapists: Walking Dead gets an 7/10. (Average)

We’d like to thank Team17 for sending us a code for this one!

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