The Walking Dead All-Stars: Comics-Inspired
Eager to take on some walkers? The Walking Dead All-Stars from Com2Us is a new role-playing strategy title. There are already a host of The Walking Dead titles on mobile; however, they mainly take inspiration from the hit AMC show. The Walking Dead All-Stars, though, follows the original comics and even features comic-style art. But does the game do the franchise justice?
The first thing you’ll notice when diving into the game is the comic-style aesthetic. The charming 2D graphics resemble artwork from Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comics. Harsh colors emphasize the bleak setting of the game.
The game quickly introduces players to several characters, including Zoey, a former member of the Canadian military, and lifelong Firefighter, Erik. Each original character comes with a short but engaging back story, further drawing you into the game world.
As you progress, you can recruit more survivors to your cause. Each survivor falls into one of six alignments—Ally, Bystander, Neutral, Predator, Overseer or Warlord. Each alignment is strong against a particular alignment. For instance, Predator-aligned survivors deal extra damage to Allies. To dominate in battle, you’ll need to choose your fighters strategically.
Additionally, there are five classes of survivors, which determines how they attack. Tanks utilize their brute strength to pulverize the competition, while Technicians use explosives and handmade weapons to launch attacks from afar.
Lackluster Combat
However, while the mechanics behind survivor bonuses and attacks may be somewhat complex, the actual combat itself is a bit of a letdown. Players choose up to five survivors to pit in battle against Walkers or human rivals. Sadly, the player doesn’t have much control beyond that. Survivors automatically attack, even when auto mode is turned off. The only difference between manual and auto battles is that the player has to tap to unleash a survivor’s special attack once it’s charged. Battling zombies could have been epic if the game gave players a bit more control over their fighters. Even a match-3 style combat system, such as the one featured in Puzzles & Survival, would have made combat more engaging. Unfortunately, most of The Walking Dead All-Stars’ gameplay revolves around the lackluster combat system.
Besides battling rival survivors and taking down Walkers, players will also need to build their base. To unlock buildings, you’ll need to complete certain battles. You can view your base by tapping the Town tab at the bottom of the screen. First, you must build the front gate, after which you’ll unlock the leaderboard and Recruitment RV. However, while the town feature may seem reminiscent of real-time strategy games, it’s far less engaging. Buildings are built instantaneously and since they have to be unlocked in a specific order, there is no way to develop your base strategically.
Painful Paywalls
If the disappointing combat and town-building system weren’t enough to turn you off, the Paywall will. Once you progress far enough, resources become scarce and players begin to feel the pressure to pay to play.
I love the Walking Dead. I really do. I’ll watch Darryl Dixon taking down walkers with his crossbow any day. However, The Walking Dead All-Stars was a complete disappointment. The game’s beautiful comic-like graphics and getting to recruit familiar characters just weren’t enough to make the game feel worthwhile. With an underdeveloped town-building system and boring combat, The Walking Dead All Stars offers all the despair of a dystopian future with none of the thrill.
