The latest video game to be set in The Walking Dead universe is a free-to-play Facebook game, entitled Last Mile.
Debuting yesterday on both the desktop and app versions of Facebook, The Walking Dead: Last Mile is the latest game to come out of the hit zombie franchise. Developed by Pipework Studios and Genvis Technologies, Last Mile is a Massively Interactive Live Event (MILE). As you progress through the game, your and other players’ decisions shape what happens within the story.
Set on a remote Alaskan village, you create your own character who must survive the post-apocalyptic world of the Walking Dead by completing various mini-games. Completion of a mini-game provides you with Influence Points. During live events, players can use those points to vote on how the story of the game will progress.
Celebrities Yvette Nicole Brown and Felicia Day will host live events to discuss the outcomes of the votes and other aspects of the game. Making it a Big Brother meets the Walking Dead of sorts.
It’s interesting that the game is canonical to the rest of the series lore. As players make decisions with their votes, those became part of the larger story of the Walking Dead. Meaning this that first-time fans can have an impact on the wider world of the franchise.
The game’s graphics for the trailer bare a striking resemblance to Telltale’s Walking Dead games. This could bode well for the Facebook game. Telltale’s Walking Dead is many peoples’ favourite iteration of the series, so the more Walking Dead games that draw inspiration from it the better.
IS THIS THE FUTURE OF GAMING?
I personally forgot Facebook games were still a thing. I think the last one I played was Farmville, and that was back in 2009. Oh no, I hope my crops are okay!
The RadioTimes reported that The Walking Dead: Last Mile could “revolutionise gaming”. However, it feels like a clunky mess trying to capitalise on a series that is already heavily saturated in the video game market.
If you’re a big Walking Dead fan I imagine you’d much rather replay the Telltale or Saints and Sinners. Then log in to a social media site to play a bunch of mini-games.
I decided to have a go of the game myself, and despite playing on my gaming PC, Last Mile didn’t run well. You can create and customise a character, but your name is randomly generated. I kept generating mine unless it was close to my actual name.
The mini-games reminded me of old flash games. And it felt bizarre that whilst on a zombie walk, my Facebook profile picture was openly shared with other players of the game. Not something I had been previously prompted about.
If you’re a Walking Dead fan, as it’s free-to-play it could be worth your time. Whether it and MILE games in the future will be the future of gaming, we’ll have to wait and see.
While you’re here, be sure to check out our video of the week. 10 of the scariest horror games of all time are shown off. What is your favourite horror game?
Featured Image Credit: Meta Source: Facebook