A New Walking Dead Game Just Released at a Low Price to Solid Reviews
Earlier this summer, a brand new The Walking Dead game was announced, alongside a playable Steam demo, without a whole lot of fanfare. Now, the full title – dubbed The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival – has been released in a similarly under-the-radar fashion.
Available right now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and PC, the game is a retro-inspired, side-scrolling brawler in the vein of recent fist-flying favorites Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
Of course, Streets of Survival separates itself from the pixel-art pack by being based on the iconic TWD television universe that’s continued to keep the undead apocalypse alive via a variety of spin-off shows. More specifically, the game puts players behind the brutal melee strikes and ranged attacks of fan-favorite survivors Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and Michonne, as they face off against the brain-craving hordes, as well as Negan and his ruthless Saviors – including mustachioed meanie Simon.
In addition to the familiar faces, Streets of Survival brings the pain to famed locations from the original series, including Alexandria, Hilltop, and Sanctuary. The game’s story will be similarly familiar to franchise fans, as it serves as a loose retelling of the popular “All-Out War” narrative arc from the original comics and TV series.
A collaboration between AMC Global Media, publisher Trailmark Games, and developer Odaclick Game Studio, the beat ’em up unfolds across 12 levels brimming with combo-fueled, finisher-packed action, epic boss encounters, and enough pixelated blood and gore to earn it a Mature 17+ rating. It also injects plenty of replayability via an arcade challenge mode, as well as an easy difficulty option for those seeking a more casual story-driven experience over a steep challenge.
The brawler’s Walker-obliterating action is also complemented by some light RPG-leaning elements, such as an upgrade system that allows you to evolve your survivors as they wade through the hungry hordes. Resources looted from corpses and scattered around levels can be invested to increase your offensive and defensive skills, as well as help keep your health pool topped off.
While Streets of Survival piles the fast-paced fisticuffs and fan-service high, it sadly doesn’t include local or online cooperative play, a pretty standard feature or the genre. On the plus side, it’s a budget priced entry that asks just $19.99 for the opportunity to carve up endless swarms of ugly undead creeps with style to spare.
More serious Walker-slayers can also pony up for the title’s $30 deluxe edition, which includes extra character and weapon skins, a digital soundtrack, an especially punishing high difficult option, and a dedicated survival mode.
For a low-priced offering released with so little buzz, Streets of Survival is also surprisingly solid. While it doesn’t reinvent the genre – and indeed loses some points for its lack of co-op – it does deliver exactly what it promises and then some. While the new release currently only has a handful of reviews on Metacritic, it’s hovering around a 70 average across all platforms.
If you’re a big Walking Dead fan craving a bit of thumb-numbing, arcade-y action, you could do a lot worse than spend a weekend surviving this new brawler’s zombie-infested streets.