Overkill’s long-delayed but soon-to-appear cooperative zombie romp has been on the go for long enough so that someone really should have come up with a better name, one that won’t be confused with Telltale’s The Walking Dead. But maybe this is all part of the brand. AMC’s The Walking Dead, Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Overkill’s The Walking Dead. Before long we’ll all own a slice of the pie.
Anyway! There’s a new trailer out, introducing one of the playable survivors, Maya. Her zombie apocalypse origin story is your typical slice of unrelenting misery porn. She gets stuck at work—we’ve all been there—when the undead attack, leading her and another doctor to fight back-to-back, struggling to survive against a tide of pesky cadavers. But oh no! Her friend gets bitten. We know how it goes from there.
Maya’s spotlight is the second of two reveals so far. Her pal Aidan’s trailer is much more upbeat, however. Only kidding! It’s also very bleak.
Two years of delays have tempered my enthusiasm, but unless Valve announces Left 4 Dead 3, Overkill’s The Walking Dead still might fill a big gap. It’s also a 4-player co-op FPS, though it introduces a base camp that can be protected and filled with supplies and survivors, too. And like Overkill’s other co-op FPS, Payday, each character comes with their own skill trees and roles.
The Walking Dead is due out this autumn.