World War Z x The Walking Dead Crossover Review — The Walking Dead

World War Z x The Walking Dead Review — The Walking Dead

There is a colossal difference between the original fast zombies from World War Z (2019).html) and the slow-moving walkers from The Walking Dead. But the folks at Saber Interactive decided to create a crossover, blending the formula of the game based on the blockbuster starring Brad Pitt with the vibe of one of the most popular series of the 2010s. The result is the full-fledged DLC World War Z x The Walking Dead. We decided to find out how successful this expansion turned out to be.

Familiar Faces and Places

First and foremost, we are presented with a full-fledged story expansion consisting of three iconic locations from the series: the prison, Grady Memorial Hospital, and the fans' beloved Alexandria. In each mission, you need to fight hordes of the undead and complete various tasks. For example, in the Alexandria episode, you have to rescue survivors and put out fires in the suburb, while the prison chapter offers defense of narrow corridors against crowds of walkers. In the hospital episode, it's pitch dark, and only one of the heroes has a flashlight. The others have to make do with the light from the sparks of flying bullets. Fortunately, there are plenty of the latter here.

But the main feature of the DLC is the appearance of four iconic playable heroes from "The Walking Dead." The squad includes Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne Grimes, and Negan. The first trio of characters is recognizable, with Rick and Daryl voiced by the original actors from the series. Each hero has their signature weapon: Michonne's legendary katana and Negan's barbed wire-wrapped bat, "Lucille," have been added to the arsenal. Additionally, two new weapon skins have been added — Rick's revolver and Daryl's crossbow. It's great that their appearance isn't limited to the expansion's missions: each hero can be used in other modes and in the main episodes.

There's a fly in the ointment: somehow, Negan looks more like an alcoholic with anorexia who never leaves a drinking binge than the charismatic Jeffrey Dean Morgan. And this is despite the fact that the other heroes, as mentioned above, look like exact copies of their on-screen prototypes. In short, you can't look at him without laughing — and here everyone decides for themselves whether that's good or bad.

• The Walking Dead — How Zombies Conquered Games

The Walking Dead

But the characters aren't the main bonus of the expansion: the key difference from the original game is what the zombies have become. Instead of the familiar fast runners from World War Z (2019).html), classic slow-moving walkers from The Walking Dead universe spawn on the levels. They are extremely clumsy but attack in numbers and remain deadly up close, knocking players down on contact.

A new special infected has also appeared — a "spiked" zombie with sharp protrusions, whose attacks cause bleeding. Encountering it is a death sentence if you try to fight hand-to-hand, so it's better to eliminate such enemies from a safe distance. The best tactic is to pelt it with grenades or shoot it with a large-caliber weapon, otherwise, it will quickly send a careless team to the grave.

And this creates a noticeable contrast with how World War Z played before. The enemies have become significantly "tankier." Killing them requires precise headshots (especially on higher difficulty), and you go through much more ammo, because the "horde" system, which made the original game famous, is still here: there are still many zombies on the screen, and you still have to shoot them all...