The Walking Dead is a critically acclaimed show produced by AMC, the creators of Breaking Bad. Fans of the show will be excited to learn that a new Walking Dead game has just been announced for Fall 2023. The Walking Dead: Destinies is currently being developed by Flux Games and you can pre-order it now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game appears to be choice-driven, allowing fans to rewrite the biggest moments from The Walking Dead’s first four seasons. With the success of choice-based Walking Dead titles in the past such as the Telltale games, it’s safe to say that the excitement is through the roof.
Below you can watch the official announcement trailer brought to you by IGN.
Gameplay
Judging from the shots in the trailer, it looks like there is going to be a survival mechanic in play. Whether that means combating walkers directly in a manner similar to Dying Light or fighting them in a point-and-click style is yet to be determined. Yet, one thing is for sure, you’ll be playing as our beloved cast from seasons 1 to 4 of the show. Glenn, Daryl, Rick, and Shane are presented as playable characters in the trailer, showcasing a few fight scenes with walkers. While not much information was revealed regarding the combat, one thing is for certain; it sure is bloody!
Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead: Destinies.
At the end of the teaser, it shows the show’s season 2 finale being completely changed. Instead of Shane dying at the hands of Rick, he murders Rick and delivers the democracy speech instead. This is the perfect way to set the tone and give fans a taste of what’s to come. We can expect the ability to change our characters’ fates, but to what extent? Will we be able to decide everything? Or will we be limited to certain chosen scenarios? Regardless, it will be exciting getting to reshape the show into what we want it to be.
Graphics
At first glance, the graphics seem lackluster, however, it is to be expected due to a smaller studio being in charge of the game. Nevertheless, the graphics aren’t too distracting as they still manage to convey the likeness of each character. Besides, this is a narrative-focused journey, therefore, I’m sure fans won’t be too picky when it comes to the graphical content of the game.
The Prison in The Walking Dead: Destinies.
The environments look extremely similar to the ones we see in the show. The Prison, The Farm, and Atlanta Road make appearances in the trailer, all resembling their show counterpart and maintaining that eerie atmosphere. Of course, they’re not perfect copies but they are solid and fit with the overall theme of the game. While I wouldn’t expect too much of a change, we can relax for a bit as there is a disclaimer at the start of the trailer signifying that this is merely just a work in progress. Therefore, we should expect the graphics to improve a bit, albeit not by much.
Sound
The show’s main theme is used predominately in the trailer. Alongside that is music that really captures the essence of the show’s original soundtrack. Violins, strings, and keys all blend together in this wonderful melancholy melody. All of which, puts you right back into the heart of the apocalypse. It seems as though the sound design and OST are in good hands! Not to mention the walkers sound extra frightening.
The Walking Dead: Destinies ‘coming soon’ screen.
One thing to note is that some of the voice actors aren’t the ones from the show. Well, that is the case for Shane. His character is not voiced by the legendary Jon Bernthal. While unfortunate, the new voice actor sounds fairly similar so immersion will not be fully lost. It will be interesting to see if any of the actors we know and love are returning to reprise their roles. Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker both have worked as voice actors for games in the past so maybe it’s possible? Fingers crossed the reason why the graphics aren’t the best is that they spent a chunk of the budget getting us our Rick Grimes!
