Summary
Games that have adaptedThe Walking Deadhave rarely been original takes on the IP, instead electing to portray the AMC show’s iconography for the sake of brand familiarity. That’s a shame considering how the show and its spin-offs are demonstrative of the diversity in different characters and groups, whether they are well-meaning people who aid others selflessly or people desperate to survive and willing to commit heinous acts to accomplish that.
Many ofThe Walking Dead’s antagonistsare purposefully empathetic while still remaining egregious enough for them to be perceived as villains, and others are represented as being purely vile for the sake of having a character anyone could root against. That said, one iconic group lingers somewhere in that grey area and is criminally underutilized in the gaming space: the Whisperers. If fans got to play as a Whisperer in a third-person action-adventureWalking Deadgame, that could change.
How Whisperers Could Flip the Script on Stealth Gameplay
BecauseThe Walking Dead’s Whisperers live among the undead, travel with them in packs, behave similar to them, and wear their skins,a Whisperer protagonistwould instantly possess a lot of intrigue. The narrative itself would be fantastic if it dropped players into this lifestyle without any backstory potentially coloring the experience since players would be tasked with trying to comprehend this lifestyle and behavior without context or judgment.
In gameplay, though, this would makeaWalking Deadgamefeel drastically unique apart from what other experiences have delivered. It would be neat if dialogue was sparse between other Whisperers, if players never got to see theprotagonist’s face beneath the walker mask, and how survival could look when surrounded by murderous nihilists rather than hopeful survivors.
This could alsocreate superb customization optionswith cosmetic walker skins that players could potentially carve from zombies and wear. Still, combat and stealth could be the most enriching part of gameplay when considering how the undead are the Whisperers’ ally.
Having Zombie Hordes as Both an Enemy and an Ally Would Be Dynamic
Walkers don’t readily attack Whisperers because they behave, look, and smell like them, but designing walkers to become aware of any inconsistencies in player actions could make gameplay incredibly immersive.
Whisperers are able to steer hordes of walkers and have them around as ‘guardians’ whom they can blend in with. This could require players to traverse among them with precise movements in order for the walkers to not catch onto them behaving differently and striking, but it would also be excellent to see players amass sieges on unsuspecting groups of survivors this way, too.
Knowing that the walkers wouldn’t always be wholly helpful would keep them dynamic as an NPC and enemy type that could turn on players suddenly if they aren’t careful, and seeing how large of a horde players could command would be exciting as well. Moreover, quiet moments in the woods with only a couple of walkers might be as thrilling and suspenseful withsurvival-horror elements, particularly if the player is ambushed by humans who believe they are another mindless zombie.
Players could then unsheathe a hidden knife and perform stealth kills or engage in regular combat, startling these humans and using nearby walkers to their advantage in any encounter—especially since human enemies killed could result in new walker guardian companions. This way, there would be endless gameplay and narrative threads such a game could follow and still make it the most rareWalking Deadgame yet by a long mile.
The Walking Dead: The Final Season
WHERE TO PLAY
Clementine, now a fierce and capable survivor, has reached the final chapter in her journey. After years on the road facing threats both living and dead, a secluded school might finally be her chance for a home. But protecting it will mean sacrifice. Clem must build a life and become a leader while still watching over AJ, an orphaned boy and the closest thing to family she has left. In this gripping and emotional final season, you will define your relationships, fight the undead, and determine how Clementine’s story ends.Emotional, Gut-Wrenching Story - See Clementine’s journey through to the end. As she builds a new life, you will have to grapple with new types of choices and live with the consequences as AJ looks on, learning from your every move.More Control, More Tension - A new over-the-shoulder camera system, greater freedom to explore detailed environments, and scenes of unscripted combat capture the fear of living in a world overrun by the undead. All this creates the most engaging The Walking Dead game yet.Striking New Visual Style - The all-new Graphic Black art style rips the ink from the pages of the Eisner Award-winning comic book series and brings the world of The Walking Dead to life like never before.
