The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

- Reviewed on PS3 -

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct released on March 19th, 2013.

Years after the original TV series released, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct puts you in the world, full of zombies (walkers), and you must do everything in your power to survive. 

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, in my opinion, does an amazing job of focusing on survival management, and is a must play title for The Walking Dead fans. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

You take control of Daryl Dixon, canon TV show character from The Walking Dead, as you experience his story (at least the game's interpretation) from the beginning of the zombie outbreak. 

Daryl (you) serves as the game's main protagonist, but there is also a second protagonist. This being Daryl's brother, Merle Dixon (also from the TV show). 

Thankfully, in The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, Daryl and Merle Dixon are both played (voiced) by their real-life actors, Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker. 

Having the original cast play their video game personas, truly makes this experience more enjoyable as if you're actually playing an episode of the TV show. 

After the beginning, tutorial level (Cabot Ridge) is completed, your game (journey) officially begins, full of walkers, survivors, and of course, survival. 

The gameplay is... let's say, acceptable for the PS3 (at least). My main issue with The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, is the frame rate during the entire game. 

It could be the PS3, or it could be the game in general, but The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is a hard game to control when the frame rate drops during movement, firing a weapon, and during the survivor screen (more on that later). 

There is a plethora of weapons such as Rifles, Handguns, Shotguns, Hammers, Knifes, and more to collect and use in The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. 

The most notable weapon (later in game) is Daryl's iconic crossbow! 

I loved the dedication to the original series Terminal Reality (the developers) nodded to in this game, as it showed their passion for creating this 15–20-hour journey. 

Now to the most useful feature in The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct... the survivors. 

You will come across a vast number of survivors throughout the entire game, and these (sometimes optional) people are a major key to your survival. 

Sometimes you will have to help them first in the level to acquire their services, but some also just require you to complete that level entirely beforehand. 

Each survivor has their unique statistics / characteristics. Some may be weak, others might excel in stealth, and all characters have a preferred weapon type. 

Now, how does this affect us, as the main protagonist? These survivors actually help you collect items before starting a new location. 

Before you enter a location, you are directed to the survivor screen / inventory management. 

Here, you can give your current survivors weapons, health, and jobs to do while you complete the location, you're at. 

These jobs include finding ammo, finding fuel, finding food, or staying at the vehicle. 

There is a caveat to this feature, however. Whenever you give a survivor(s) a job / task, you increase your group risk (represented by a bar at the bottom). The higher the risk, the more likely your survivors will get injured or even die. To decrease and have a stable group, make sure to give everyone the recommended material(s) and try to dispatch large groups at a time. 

This was a very fun mechanic I loved, as it gave me a purpose to sticking around (and searching more) in these short to complete levels. 

The collectibles in The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct are pretty basic and not truly worth your time, if not interested to begin with. 

They consist of a wooden squirrel and a real human (pictured) poster. Some levels won't have both, but the lack of reward is a negative to me as a player.  

One feature I absolutely adore in The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, is the ability (option) to choose what locations to go to. 

Not only does this give the player a reason to replay the story (and go to the other option / location they didn't pick the first time) but it also makes for a different variety of vehicles to use, survivors to take, and weapons to find!

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is a gem of survival horror, in my opinion. 

Yes, it does have its flaws, and some may be turned off to the title because it's The Walking Dead, but, if you love the series like I do (as of writing this blog post), then The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is a must have and must play! 

Pros: 

    - Original Voice Actors

    - Plethora of Weapons, Vehicles, and Survivors

    - Great Music (Sticks to Series)

    - Amazing Inventory Management System

    - Replayability

Cons:

    - Frame Rate Drops (at least on PS3)

    - Uninteresting Collectibles

My Rating for The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (on PS3):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.