Posted in: Games, Recent Updates, Video Games | Tagged: games, HRL, The Walking Dead

Review: 'The Walking Dead: March To War' Is A Visually Stunning New Mobile Game

Published Thu, 10 Aug 2017 13:45:08 -0500

Will Romine writes:

Howzya, friends!

I'm writing this to a) try out a new greeting and hope it catches on, and b) tell you about a fun new game.

The Walking Dead: March to War, brought to you by Skybound and Disruptor Beam, turns the fan-favorite March to War storyline into a multiplayer mobile strategy game.

Disruptor Beam is going whole hog into the mobile strategy game market. With titles such as Star Trek Timelines and Game of Thrones Ascent in their oeuvre, they seem to be hitting all of the hot geek properties. March to War is their first outing into the world of The Walking Dead.

March to War will be released sometime this year, but the fine folks at Disruptor Beam gave me a peek under the hood. The game, naturally, focuses on the eponymous fan-favorite storyline that expanded the world of The Walking Dead comic, giving us a deeper look into the Sanctuary, Kingdom, and Hilltop communities. This is the same storyline that will form the narrative backbone of the hit AMC series's upcoming season.

The game itself is visually stunning. The playable area, set in DC, spans miles. This ensures a fully immersive environment, where a player can explore and discover new areas with each gaming session.

Players recruit council members and other survivors to take over and secure iconic TWD locations. Hershel, Negan, Gabriel, Carl, and more are playable characters who can lead raids and help your survivor camp kill walkers and thrive. You can work with other teams and players, but be careful! Much like any other iteration of this august franchise, other survivors can and will turn against you.

Unfortunately, the game doesn't get my pulse pounding in the way most every other entry of this franchise does. When attacking a herd of walkers, there is no fanfare or animation to indicate victory or defeat, nor do you play any role in the battle aside from picking your raid party members. Instead, you get a message in your in game inbox telling you the outcome. The gameplay experience felt a lot like a tabletop game, but without the social aspects. It seems to me that a lot of the budget was put into the expansive world building, and less into the game mechanics.

I see lots of potential with this game, especially if they incorporate some augmented reality aspects in further expansions and allow you to slaughter the undead hordes in real time. Can you imagine a Walking Dead Go? If such a thing ever comes into existence, my daughter's college fund would go up in smoke.

Take a look at the gameplay trailer below. And, because you've all been good boys and girls, I'll send out some character cards with codes for exclusive in-game bonuses. Just follow me on Twitter @notacomplainer and tweet me your favorite zombie kill.

I'll pick a winner by August 15th and notify them shortly thereafter!