New 'Walking Dead' game is basically 'Pokémon Go' but with zombies
Pokémon did it. Why not The Walking Dead, too?
The Walking Dead: Our World is an upcoming mobile game that's built around location-based augmented reality. That mouthful of tech jargon basically translates to: it's Pokémon Go, with zombies.
The upcoming game — which will be available for Android and iOS — is based on AMC's TV series, and it features characters like Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and Michonne (as you can see in the trailer above). What's not clear — for now, at least — is how it all works.
Pokémon Go is a natural fit for this kind of location-based gaming because of the way that series emphasizes catching and building a collection of your own fantastical critters.
The Walking Dead, on the other hand, is about people surviving during a zombie apocalypse. The comics and TV series tend to focus on character stories, but it's likely that Our World — based on both the trailer and the nature of video games — is more about combat.
That's going to be the trick for developer Next Games: figuring out how to make a virtual zombie apocalypse fun and engaging in the context of an AR experience. In the trailer, we see first-person hands wielding an assortment of weapons, but how will that translate to whatever you're doing on your phone in the real world?
In other words: What will make this a game?
That's a question Next Games will need to answer as more details come out about Our World. Pokémon Go proved there's an appetite for the right kind of AR experience. Will this be one of them? We'll find out soon.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
