The Escapists: The Walking Dead Review

The Walking Dead has been a maelstrom in the entertainment industry from comics to television and even video games. While the comics did it first and purists continually compare them to the TV show you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that stays true to the source material through which The Walking Dead has spawned. Luckily The Escapists takes The Walking Dead straight from the comics and transforms it into a RPG puzzler in all the glory of 8-bit artwork. Can these 2 licenses mix enough to create the perfect Walking Dead game?

As you venture through the game you’ll be put into 5 familiar places from the time Rick wakes up in the abandoned Harrison Memorial Hospital to when his band of survivors seeks shelter and a new life in Alexandria. Sadly the coat of paint of the Escapists does little to make the game feel like you’re actually playing a Walking Dead game and the levels lose the feel of what they actually are as you explore every nook and cranny. While the story lives on through our memories of what happened, all you’re really given is small snippets of captioned pictures between levels that give a brief synopsis of why Rick and the gang have come to the next level. Sure there are zombies and characters that can pass for the roles they play in the comics, but the story is pretty much non-existent.

The Escapists The Walking Dead 3

Where the story falters The Escapists gameplay picks up the slack and provides a deep, sandbox experience players of the first indie game will know and love that combines elements of RPGs and puzzlers that forces you to contemplate your every move and decision to move toward the goal of escaping to the next area. Some may expect more suspenseful gameplay with the Walking Dead in the title focusing on eradicating zombie hordes and despicable humans only to be met with objectives like completing chores, being present for head counts and eating meals with the rest of the group. Even though these seem like meaningless tasks compared to completing your main objectives to advance to the next level they actually keep the morale of the crew high and decreases the chance of a zombie invasion in your safe zone.

The Escapists The Walking Dead 2

Beyond these established times you are free to roam your safe zone and outside of it looking for valuable items or blueprints to build them that will help you solve the next piece of the puzzle to escape the current area. Exploring outside the safe zone is a risk and reward scenario, especially at night (we’ll get to that in a bit). Each item you pick up can be used to craft new tools and weapons to help you in your journey and protect your fellow squad members. Sometimes creating items is hit or miss without the plans to know exactly what you’re building, but at times you just know things combine to make a perfect weapon like a baseball bat and nails. There is also the ability to upgrade Rick’s strength and speed through track and field style button mashing of the controller, and while tedious it does provide you with an extra edge against walkers on the outside that may be blocking your way to hidden treasure. The game saves at night if you choose to go to sleep, but if you decide to stay awake and delve into the darkness you’ll find a whole new side to the gameplay where you don’t have to worry about doing the mundane daily tasks and are free to venture wherever you want. Special vendors come out at night offering goods you can’t find elsewhere allowing you to spend coins you’ve earned through completing primary objectives and missions others have sent you on. However if you die all your progress for that day is lost and you have to start all over.

The Escapists The Walking Dead 1

Visually it is hard to find fault with the charming 8-bit graphics that ooze of an era where top down RPGs kept a player captivated with simplistic, but engaging gameplay. Music plays right along with the pace of the gameplay whether you’re searching a combo object possible or being chased by a dozen zombies. They combine to give the Escapists newest adventure with the Walking Dead a fresh coat of paint and audio that enhances the overall experience. Even though 5 levels doesn’t seem like much in the way of content, the shear amount of area to explore for crafting items, keys to unlock doors, and other hidden articles will keep you busy if not frustrated trying to figure out what to do next.

Overall The Escapists: The Walking Dead presents a solid little game filled with the complexities of time management as a survivor of the zombie apocalypse. With the massive levels it is easy to miss half of the goodies they have hidden about offering great replay value for those completionists who have to find it all. The lack of story that adds a layer of depth to a game becomes a moot issue when you already know the jist of it to begin with, plus escaping to the next level that offers a more intense challenge is all that really matters in the end. Those who rejoice in the grind of micromanaging will love this unique take on a series that has captured the world.

Score – 7/10

Written by: Jake Lyons

Jake is our long standing North American based writer and player of many video game genres. Jake is equally fair and critical in good proportion and tells it like it is.