The Escapists: The Walking Dead

The Escapists: The Walking Dead is a fun 8-bit indie puzzle/role-playing/survival simulation hybrid which makes excellent use of the license

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"The Escapists: The Walking Dead" is a prison escape game set in the world of the popular comic series. You'll control Rick Grimes and his group, building, crafting, and fighting your way through various locations from the comic. The goal is to survive and escape, following the story of the original series while dealing with the constant threat of walkers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 373 reviews

story12 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

The game features appealing pixel art graphics that fans of the original Escapists will appreciate.
The crafting mechanics are decent, allowing players to create a variety of items and weapons.
The soundtrack, especially in the first level, is enjoyable and adds to the overall experience.

The gameplay is repetitive and feels like a grind, with tedious tasks that detract from the fun.
Combat mechanics are clunky and often frustrating, making it difficult to engage effectively with enemies.
The story lacks depth and fails to engage players, leaving many feeling disconnected from the characters and plot.

story
95 mentions
13 % positive mentions
76 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for being convoluted, poorly executed, and difficult to follow, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging narrative. While some appreciate its attempt to adapt the original Walking Dead comics, others find it lacking depth and coherence, leading to a disjointed experience. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point, overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and bugs.
- “Man, I love how the developers who worked on this DLC really portrayed the lore, the characters, the backstory, and the general atmosphere and feel of the show as accurately as the writers intended it to be while still keeping the escape out of the jail aspect in. This has to be the best Breaking Bad video game adaptation yet.”
- “This is a clever game that follows the Walking Dead story with a few deviations while still keeping the original spirit of the show alive.”
- “If you are interested in the story of The Walking Dead, this game does follow it to some extent, but I recommend buying and reading the comics.”
- “The main problem with the story is that you can't follow the few incomplete lore pieces that they give you.”
- “The story is lacking a lot and you can't really follow it.”
- “This, hands down, is the worst game I have played, in terms of storyline and gameplay.”
gameplay
78 mentions
21 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Escapists: The Walking Dead" has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its linear structure and repetitive tasks that detract from the fun of the original series. While it retains some pixel art charm and crafting mechanics, the adaptation of prison escape mechanics to a survival setting feels forced and grindy, leading to a tedious experience. Overall, the game struggles to effectively merge the two franchises, resulting in a lack of engaging gameplay that fails to capture the essence of either.
- “The gameplay is really good in this!”
- “In my opinion, this game is a different use of the mechanics and ideas made in the original game as the developers clearly saw extra use of these ideas and delivered in a meaningful way, whilst using a popular license so if you're a fan of the Walking Dead you will like this game too.”
- “Great soundtrack, fun gameplay.”
- “Instead of the open-ended, sandbox-style gameplay where you could plan elaborate escapes, this game forces you down a more linear path with specific objectives that often have only one solution.”
- “The gameplay loop involves a lot of busywork—repeating tasks like gathering supplies, crafting, and adhering to routines—which quickly becomes tiresome.”
- “You get the original Escapists, retexture everything, create some new yet simple game mechanics and plaster the title 'The Escapists' at the front, and you got yourself a cash grab over the success of the original.”
graphics
21 mentions
19 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a pixel art style reminiscent of "The Escapists," with some users noting improvements in resolution and smoothness compared to previous titles. However, opinions are mixed, as some players find the low-resolution graphics to be unappealing and detrimental to the overall experience, leading to frustration with the gameplay. Overall, while the retro aesthetic has its charm, it may not resonate with all players, particularly those seeking a more polished visual experience.
- “The graphics have improved drastically, resulting in smoother and more eye-soothing gameplay.”
- “Nice pixel graphics, a lot like the original Escapists!”
- “I love the visual graphics/design of this game; they really capture the essence of the genre.”
- “Unfortunately, the low resolution pixel graphics are eye-blisteringly bad.”
- “It's a shame to see a good premise ruined by pixel graphics, but that's the state of the indie gaming industry today.”
- “But having tried to play this a whole 2 times, for a total of 9 minutes... I can't get past the bad graphics and clunky controls.”
grinding
17 mentions
6 % positive mentions
6 % neutral mentions
88 % negative mentions
Players overwhelmingly criticize the grinding aspect of the game, describing it as tedious, repetitive, and unfulfilling. Many feel that the grinding mechanics detract from the overall experience, making gameplay feel like a chore rather than an engaging adventure. The combat system further exacerbates this issue, leading to a frustrating cycle of grinding for health and resources without meaningful progress.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Even the crafting, which could have been a highlight, is bogged down by random item placement and tedious repetition every time you start a new level.”
- “Everything feels so tedious and the gameplay does not translate well at all; everything feels grindy and the tasks add little to nothing, which just gives you artificial tasks that only serve to slow down gameplay and make the experience unfun.”
- “While loosely following the story, this entire game feels awfully constructed, convoluted, and mindbogglingly grindy, as literally almost anything out there is out to kill you and the combat mechanics of the escapists aren't that great to begin with.”
music
11 mentions
55 % positive mentions
18 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the energetic and well-crafted soundtrack, particularly in the first level, while others criticize it as terrible. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its 8-bit atmosphere and fun gameplay, earning a score of 7/10 from some players.
- “The amazing soundtrack.”
- “Music is cool, and the 8-bit atmosphere is very well crafted.”
- “Great soundtrack, fun gameplay.”
- “The music is terrible, and so is the gameplay.”
- “More simple than The Escapists soundtrack.”
- “This game looks extremely fun and I thought I would give it a try; sadly, when I tried to load the game, it wouldn't pull up a window. I could hear the music, but the window would be invisible. Please help me fix it if it is a bug.”
stability
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
-22 % neutral mentions
89 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, while others find it relatively stable compared to other titles. While it can be addictive, issues like freezing and save problems are notable concerns, particularly for those using an Xbox One controller. Overall, the experience varies widely among users, with some encountering no glitches at all.
- “I found no glitches so far.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
- “I've experienced consistent performance throughout my playtime.”
- “Very buggy game and honestly not worth it.”
- “I'm a fan of both The Escapists and The Walking Dead, so I thought I might enjoy this, but it's too buggy to play.”
- “As I was past the point of being able to refund, I persisted with the glitches that would normally accompany a free-to-play game or a beta version.”
atmosphere
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, the atmosphere in the game is praised for its faithful representation of the source material, particularly in terms of lore and character portrayal, especially in the DLC related to "Breaking Bad." However, some players feel that certain gameplay mechanics detract from immersion, as they do not align with the thematic elements of survival and tension expected in a zombie setting. Despite these criticisms, the music and 8-bit aesthetic are noted as strong points that enhance the overall atmosphere.
- “Man, I love how the developers who worked on this DLC really portrayed the lore, the characters, the backstory, and the general atmosphere and feel of the show as accurately as the writers intended it to be while still keeping the escape out of the jail aspect in. This has to be the best Breaking Bad video game adaptation yet.”
- “Music is cool, and the 8-bit atmosphere is very well crafted.”
- “This version of the game fails trying to use the game style of the original. It could be great, but it fails in very little things (bugs aside) to be immersive. The tasks you have to complete have nothing to do with the game atmosphere. You should be worried about keeping your fences fixed, controlling the number of walkers nearby, or at least having to do some runs for meds and supplies. Instead, you end up getting punished for skipping meals and bedtime to kill some zombies! If you don't eat or sleep, the 'walker alert' goes higher. What the heck?”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that players feel the monetization strategy is exploitative, characterizing the game as a cash grab rather than a thoughtfully developed experience. This has led to a sense of disrespect among users towards the game's financial practices.
- “I just feel permanently disrespected and cash grabbed; it's such a shame.”
- “This feels more like a cash grab rather than an actual well put together game.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, particularly for its whimsical portrayal of characters and settings that resonate with fans of the show. Players find the comedic elements, especially related to the use of guns, to be a standout feature that enhances the overall experience.
- “It's funny to see everything and everyone in this escapist world, and a delight if you're a fan of the show.”
- “This game has a really good sense of humor with the guns!”