Walking Dead: Destinies Review – Licensed Catastrophe

Developed by Flux Games and published by GameMill Entertainment, The Walking Dead: Destinies presents an ambitious premise, allowing players to reshape the destinies of their beloved characters from The Walking Dead franchise.

However, as we dive deeper, it becomes clear that any ambition the team might have stepped out with has become infected and rotten to the core, delivering something that cannot be cured. Join us as we dissect this morbid concoction, assessing how badly it got lost in undead shadows.

Story And Setting

Despite having the potential for an engaging narrative within its rich universe, I believe this game falls short of delivering a compelling plot or a captivating setting.

It covers the TV series’s first three and a half seasons and promised me an opportunity to alter the course of events by making key decisions at pivotal moments. This promise of choosing destinies and influencing character fates is an intriguing concept, especially for fans invested in the show’s plot.

However, its conceptual foundation fails to live up to its potential, resulting in an experience that feels disjointed and lacks meaningful consequences.

The illusion of agency in shaping the story is shattered, and the consequences of player choices are disappointingly superficial.

While the game touts its ability to make impactful decisions, these choices often prove illusory. Major events from the television series unfold regardless of player decisions, leading to a chronicle that feels predetermined.

The illusion of agency in shaping its overall story is shattered, and the majority of the consequences of my choices are disappointingly superficial. This lack of depth diminishes the overall impact of storytelling, leaving me with a sense of unfulfilled potential.

One of the central hooks of Destinies that interested me was the idea that NPCs could die or live based on my decisions. However, this fails to translate into an experience that feels dynamic, and the presence of characters seems arbitrary, lacking any emotional weight or consequences that such decisions should carry.

Despite covering significant events from the TV series, all aspects feel rushed and lack the depth necessary to explore The Walking Dead universe and its intricacies fully.

Crucial sequences are skipped or abbreviated, which left me with a sense of frustration. Pacing issues also contribute to an experience that feels more like a summary of the TV series than an immersive narrative venture.

Its reliance on still images and voiceovers for cutscenes results in a lackluster presentation. The voice acting is embarrassing and detracts from the immersion and emotional engagement this title desperately needs. Cutscenes, instead of enhancing the narration, become awkward and stilted, further disconnecting players.

Altering destinies and reshaping the story had huge potential to breathe new life into The Walking Dead universe. Unfortunately, Destinies misses its mark, failing to capitalize on its unique selling points. Its narrative lacks the depth, emotional resonance, and agency I wanted out of it.

Gameplay

I don’t say this with enthusiasm, but The Walking Dead: Destinies is a disheartening journey into mediocrity and frustration. Its gameplay mechanics and design leave much to be desired. It attempts to blend stealth and combat in its linear missions, but unfortunately, both aspects of gameplay suffer from significant flaws.

Its fundamental mechanics, such as movement and combat controls, feel awkward and unrefined. Characters exhibit a notable lack of dynamism, and the overall responsiveness of the controls is frustratingly subpar. This lack of fluidity contributes to an overall sense of clunkiness during moment-to-moment gameplay.

Melee combat, a central component of the game, is hindered by an overly restrictive stamina system. Even on the default difficulty setting, players can find themselves grappling with a stamina bar that depletes rapidly with each attack.

This design choice forces one to adopt a hit-and-run strategy, disrupting the flow of my gameplay and introducing an unnecessary level of frustration. Melee combat became a tedious affair as I had to continuously wait for stamina to recharge between each encounter, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

Stealth kills, a staple in this genre, are marred by prompts that appear at irregular angles, disrupting the intended flow of gameplay.

Stealth mechanics, another pillar of gameplay, suffer from a myriad of bugs and inconsistencies. Enemy detection is unreliable, with foes either spotting the player when they shouldn’t or failing to notice their presence when they logically should.

Takedowns, a staple in this genre, are marred by prompts that appear at irregular angles, disrupting the intended flow of gameplay. Bugs further exacerbate the stealth experience, diminishing any sense of satisfaction in successfully navigating or eliminating threats undetected.

Destinies’ overall design also contributes to a sense of repetitiveness. I often found myself navigating linear levels with little room for exploration or strategic decision-making. Objectives typically involve progressing from one point to another, dispatching a set number of enemies, and surviving.

Lack of variety in mission design also diminishes the potential for engaging gameplay experiences, contributing to a feeling of monotony throughout their entirety.

Enemy AI, whether human or undead, exhibited erratic behavior throughout my playthrough, frequently breaking immersion. Human enemies may spot players too easily, while the undead exhibit predictable and easily exploitable patterns.

The Walking Dead: Destinies is a disheartening journey into mediocrity and frustration.

Difficulty scaling is implemented in a manner that feels artificial, with challenges often arising from overwhelming enemy numbers rather than thoughtful design. This approach failed to deliver a satisfying gameplay experience, instead making me more and more frustrated if anything.