Later this year players will be able to jump back in the world of The Walking Dead with The Walking Dead Onslaught. This new VR game drops players right in the middle of the popular TV show and allow them to play as iconic characters including Rick, Daryl, and Carol. Last year Screen Rant was able to test out an early version of the game, and it was a great experience. We recently had the chance to sit down with the developer Survios' project lead Andrew Abedian, and he was able to fill us in on some of the details for The Walking Dead Onslaught.
Survios has a long history with working on VR games. The first game that the company developed was Raw Data, which won several awards and was one of the most popular early VR games. Eventually Survios went on to create both Creed: Rise to Glory and Westworld: Awakening. Both of these titles have performed very well with critics and players alike, and Survios has garnered a lot of praise for their work. A couple of years ago though they were then contacted by AMC to begin working on a The Walking Dead game.
Andrew Abedian tells us that AMC has been very involved and helpful with the process of making The Walkibg Dead Onslaught. Survios has access to many of the show's writers, allowing the developers to create something unique that still fits within the show's storyline. Because of this Survios was able to set the game in between the 9th and 10th seasons of the AMC TV series without worrying about any continuity issues. Several of the actors from the show are involved as well, like Norman Reedus returning as the voice of Daryl Dixon in the game.
One of the most interesting aspects of The Walking Dead Onslaught is that the game will be split into two distinct parts. Players will be able to play as Daryl for the game's campaign. Abedian says that during the course of the campaign Daryl is attempting to help save someone, but he is in direct conflict with Rick who is trying to rebuild society as a whole. Players also have the ability to play as Rick, Carol, and few other characters during the game's scavenger runs. These are missions that players can go on to collect supplies in order to rebuild the city of Alexandria.
Rebuilding Alexandria opens up some avenues for unique gameplay for The Walking Dead Onslaught. As players obtain more resources and supplies they can choose to build and upgrade the buildings of the city. This will alter the way that Alexandria looks, but will also give players access to skills and buffs that can increase their combat abilities. This also means that players must decide who to best use limited resources. The example that Abedian gave is having to decide between a combat buff or a building that makes food for the community.
According to Abedian, combat in The Walking Dead Onslaught allows players to experiment with different kinds of weapons to eliminate walkers in unique ways. Players will have many types of weapons at their disposal, and killing walkers can be brutal. Players will be able to slice off limbs, behead enemies, or even skewer them with a sword and other sharp weapons. Abedian believes that this gives the game a level of realism that intentionally feels at home with the TV show.
The Walking Dead video games haven't had the best track record over the years. The TellTale series did very well, but games based specifically on the TV show have tended to lean towards simple cash grabs on the popular series. Abedian stated that Survios has tried to avoid going for the same lackluster attempts at adapting The Walking Dead. Unlike other studios, Survios has a lot of experience with adapting other media into video game format. Additionally, the team has put more than two years worth of work into making sure the game is solid. With the added benefit of Survios having access to some of the same resources that the TV show does, The Walking Dead Onslaught is shaping up to be something special.
That doesn't mean that there haven't been challenges to go along with creating The Walking Dead Onslaught. COVID-19 threw a large wrench in the studios plans. Like most video game studios, Survios had to move to doing work on the game from home. This was a strain on the team at first, but they were able to adjust quickly and get everything finished on schedule. The Walking Dead Onslaught's release date is not yet set, but the game is expected to release sometime in 2020. There should also be a gameplay trailer that releases at some point during over this summer. There will be more information once this trailer releases, but as of right now The Walking Dead Onslaught sounds like a blast.
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