We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

The Escapists: The Walking Dead release date: 30th September, prep your anti-zombie plan

The_Escapists_The_Walking_Dead_Release_Date

Indie prison-exiting game The Escapists probably isn’t the first I’d have expected to partner up with smash hit (but I suppose also indie) comic series The Walking Dead, but unless this is a joke that’s got fully out of control, it will be coming out on September 30th. In the zombie-slaying, item-collecting combo you play through the storyline of the TV show/comic book from a top-down perspective, killing off the undead, helping fellow survivors and generally having a really awful time of it. Here’s the newly released launch trailer.

While all the plot and structure comes from The Walking Dead, it looks like all the gameplay elements are The Escapists. Despite my unfamiliarity with that bit, I’m rather interested to give it a shot, as I’m a big fan of the fiction and there aren’t any games that have tried to retell that story yet. Telltale did their own, very excellent, thing within the world, but base TWD is a good story with the right mix of action and drama to fit this mold. Plus, I’m still a sucker for a nice bit of pixel art.

Here’s the official feature list:

  • 5 levels following the timeline of the award-winning comic including Harrison Memorial Hospital, Greene Family Farm, Meriwether Correctional Facility, Woodbury and Alexandria
  • Comic book panels and dialogue taken from the hit comic series and faithfully recreated in 8bit style
  • Craftable upgrades and iconic weapons.
  • Characters from the hit series. Play as Rick Grimes alongside a cast of iconic survivors from the comic including Carl, Lori, Glenn, Hershel, Maggie, Dale, Tyreese, Michonne, Abraham and Gabriel.
  • Crafting system. Choosing from over 250 materials, you’ll need to craft more than 70 different items to keep your survivors safe including tools like cutters and shovels and weapons such as the modified pistol and rifle.
  • 24 bonus collectibles to find
  • Leaderboards and Achievements

That should take the story up to roughly the same point the show has reached, though the implication in the press release is that they’re more focused on the graphic novel’s timeline than replicating its live action counterpart. Five levels seems a little low for something that’s priced roughly the same as the main game, but each of those areas and scenarios could take a long time to complete individually.

It’ll be out on Steam at the end of the month, priced£12.99/$17.99/€14.99, or you can get it a bit cheaper right now on pre-order. Interested in the original game? While Julian is sadly now dead, you can read his thoughts on the game in his The Escapists review.