The Walking Dead has been around for quite some time and has made cameo’s in various games over the years – it is clear that it is a very popular franchise. Have you played The Escapists? Did you have fun with the game? Would you like a brand new game set in The Escapists universe, but this time dedicated to The Walking Dead? Then you’re in for a real treat!.
The Escapists is a retro prisonbreak simulator where you use crafting as a means to escape – this is how the previous game goes. For this new entry you are not escaping from a prison but keeping your friends alive and escaping the clutches of the deadly walkers. Crafting is still as important as before since you need to create various weapons from the components you find on the maps because you better be properly prepared to survive the onslaught of zombies.
Most of the crew from the original The Escapists game are back – Dale, Hershel, Tyreese and Lori. Most of the mechanics are identical to the original: crafting components are completely random so if you die you have to start a new game. In essence, it feels like a roguelike in that sense, but every single run is very fun. You’ll quickly learn you can rush into unknown situations.
If an important survivor dies – say, Hershel for example – then it is game over, and you have to start all over again. Keep everyone alive in order to have a chance to survive as a group, but keep important characters in one piece and craft as many weapons as you can so that everybody is prepared.
As with the original game, quests are back, and they work the same as before. You are perhaps asked to fetch an item and return it to the character that gave you that particular quest, and once you’re successful, you will get paid with some much-needed cash.
There are five levels in the game. Harrison Memorial Hospital is the tutorial level where you get to learn the basic controls like how to craft, how to use weapons, how to lift and place things and so on. It is a very good tutorial, and you will very quickly get a good grasp of how to play the game. New mechanics are introduced at a steady pace, and they’re properly explained.
The main differences between the original game and this new The Walking Dead release is that instead of planning your prison escape, you follow a given set of objectives and build up to a finale for each level. Each objective must be completed in order to progress to the next objective and the finale must be successful in order to finish a level and move on to the next one.
Instead of the twice a day roll call you now have what is called a head count. Also, instead of prison jobs you have group chores. You will not wind up in solitary confinement for missing chores, but you’ll be punished by having your threat level increase, which in turn mean’s there’s a higher risk of one of your friends becoming a walker’s lunch. So be careful and meticulously plan everything and keep an eye on your threat level while maintaining your priority of getting everybody in your camp a weapon so they can defend themselves and win each the level!
Not only can Rick craft weapons he can craft a variety of tools. If you are not sure which items are used to craft which items, a little exploration will earn you crafting recipes – not only that but each level has five collectible comics set in the world of The Walking Dead, so it is worth looking everywhere. This is especially true of Rucksacks, which are pretty tough to miss since they glow.
There is plenty to do and a ton to explore. I liked The Walking Dead edition of The Escapists better than the original game. Why? Because it is so much more fun! The crafting is deeper, the experience is slightly more story-heavy, the quests are better. Also, this is a complete standalone edition – you do not need to have the original The Escapists release to get this one! And trophy hunters will be happy to hear that this release includes a full trophy count with a Platinum!
