The Walking Dead Onslaught

- Reviewed on PSVR -

The Walking Dead Onslaught released on September 29th, 2020.

With lots of The Walking Dead video games being released over the years, The Walking Dead Onslaught takes the survivor experience to a whole other level in VR.

Developed and published by Survios, The Walking Dead Onslaught tests your real-life abilities in the world of "Walkers" and the apocalypse by incorporating real arms movement(s), fast reactions, and much more.

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

I was extremely excited to try this VR title as I adore The Walking Dead universe and love the characters, lore, and overall atmosphere in general.

Quite possibly my favorite zombie related media all together (as of writing this blog post), entering the world in VR (specifically PSVR with its motion controllers) heightens the horror genre / aspect intensively and truly tests your bravery, marksmanship, and passion.

With this being said, my love for The Walking Dead and VR can / could only go so far. The Walking Dead Onslaught is not perfect by any means.

First, Rick Grime's voice acting is atrocious! 

I loved how Norman Reedus reprised his role in this game, but the other characters, including Rick, in this title are absolutely game ruining. 

Another negative aspect is the rifles and their motion tracking. 

Using melee weapons and handguns are perfect and feel so realistic and fun to play with in VR, but the rifles where you must (should but don't have too) use both hands just makes the game spazz out at times and decreases your accuracy (and even enjoyment).

I never even truly dabbled with the rifle selections as they don't work as well as the solo hand weapon choices.

At the end of the day, The Walking Dead Onslaught's VR mechanics are overall... pretty awesome!

You must use the two motion controllers (at least on PSVR), and with full body models in game, you truly feel immersed in this horrifying, yet amazing video game world.

The main gameplay revolves around the aftermath of the Savior war, and although not canon, the game lets you play as three main characters, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Carol.

The campaign is an original story showcasing Rick interrogating Daryl. 

Daryl has been injured, and as you sit by the campfire in VR with Daryl, your then transported to the various different missions with you controlling the crossbow firing survivor. 

The story is essentially Daryl's journey as he was gone from the rest of Alexandria. 

The campaign is the highlight in my opinion as the other game mode (more on that later) gets very repetitive with little location selection available.

As you complete the five-hour (average) campaign, you will learn the basics of the gameplay mechanics, unlock new weapons for the other game mode, and rack up Walker kills (which there is a trophy / achievement for a lot of kills, by the way). 

The other game mode is the Supply Run mode. 

This infinitely long mode is where you go out to various locations and in a time limit, you must kill walkers, survivor, and scavenge for loot. 

As you are looting in the replayable levels, the nonstop noise of the big horde constantly puts you on your toes. 

I always freak out when the horde approaches my location, as the whole point is to stay ahead of them as you scavenge. 

Some locations also make you survive in one battlefield type area where you must wait for Eugene to arrive in the van and complete the Supply Run.

There are also "checkpoints" in Supply Run, and these are Safehouses (with lever doors to open) where you get an actual breather from the horde (time limit) and other Walkers. 

You can play Supply Run as either Rick, Michonne, or Carol. 

This mode again, gets very repetitive, but is also the main source for completing hub world upgrades. 

The hub world is a small section of inside Alexandria. 

You can walk around and even test out unlocked weaponry in the armory section (and make your loadout too in the armory). 

There is a billboard for survivor notes, acquisitions, and credits which updates after Supply Runs. 

These modes and features all intertwine with each other as the campaign requires you to gather more survivors (by completing supply runs) in order to continue Daryl's story.

The workbench area in the center portion of the hub world allows you to use your materials to build / upgrade the popular buildings from the show. These buildings give buffs to your gameplay too!

These materials can also be used to upgrade / mod your desired weapons. 

Materials are gathered in the Campaign and Supply Run modes, and they all have colored variations to identify their rareness and usefulness. 

I was blown away by this VR game from the very start. Every time I pick this game back up, I find myself blown away by the VR all over again.

Yes, there are re-used assets here and there, like building layouts and Walker designs, but the amount of variety in those select assets are amazing and don't take the casual gamer out of the immersive VR experience. 

The Walking Dead Onslaught is again not the greatest game out there, I'm sure other VR games might blow this one out of the water, but as a diehard Walking Dead fan, The Walking Dead Onslaught gave me everything I ever wanted and made me feel like I was really in the world, with my favorite, cannon characters, slaying Walkers and helping the historic Alexandria. 

The game is not too big and yet, not too small. 

The Walking Dead Onslaught offers a great story with an endless Supply Run mode to allow you endless ways of maneuvering and killing walkers. 

Also... it is very scary!

Pros: 

    - Amazing VR Experiences

    - Great Atmosphere, Ambience, and Soundtrack

    - Cannon Characters / Locations

    - Longevity, with Trophies, Achievements, and an Endless Supply Run Mode

    - Good Graphics

    - Plethora of Weapons

Cons:

    - Horrible Voice Acting (besides Norman Reedus)

    - Two Handed Weapon Controls not the Best

    - Reused / Repetitive Assets (Not Too Noticeable Though)

My Rating for The Walking Dead Onslaught (on PSVR):

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.