It seems like an eternity ago when The Walking Dead was at the top of the world. AMC’s The Walking Dead show catapulted the comic book IP to new heights. The Walkers were everywhere, from TV shows to comics to video games and merchandising. Before the age of binge streaming, TWD had people tuning in each week, impatiently awaiting the next major character death. What a time to be alive, man…Fast forward to 2026, and TWD is a shambler of its former self. The main series clung on to life for a few more seasons than it should have, unceremoniously ending in 2022. The spinoffs keep coming and going, and no one seems to care. It’s rumored that plans are in motion to bring TWD back to its former glory. But I’ll believe it when I see it.
At a time like this, I never expected World War Z, a video game based on another zombie-killing franchise, would have a crossover with The Walking Dead. Aptly titled World War Z x The Walking Dead, the crossover comes in the form of downloadable content. Priced at $9.99, the DLC adds a whole slew of content to the already jam-packed game.
The crossover DLC adds three maps based on iconic episodes from the TV series. The Prison, Alexandria Safe Zone, and Grady Memorial Hospital are now in the world of World War Z and are brilliantly designed with the Horde gameplay system in mind. The DLC doesn’t just add a bunch of maps and expect you to play it the usual WWZ style either. In a stroke of brilliance, the fine folks at Saber have redesigned the relentless, yet squishy zeds into slow but hardy walkers.
The additions don’t stop there. For an authentic TWD recreation, iconic characters from the show, the likes of Rick, Negan, Daryl, and Michonne, make their way to WWZ. They’re not just simple skins but fully voiced characters that you can even play as outside the DLC maps. Lastly, there are two new melee weapons, Michonne’s Katana and Negan’s Lucille, for extra immersion. It helps that the game already includes the Revolver and Crossbow to kit Rick and Daryl with. We now have The Walking Dead at home!
What results is a game that’s still WWZ but does enough to maintain the illusion that you’re on a TWD adventure. The three maps have been beautifully recreated from the show, and extra credit goes to the designers of Alexandria. Extinguishing engulfing flames from the town while repelling a Walker invasion with three of your best buddies is loads of fun. It also helps that the characters verbally interact with each other. Daryl and Rick are once again voiced by Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln, who flawlessly reprise their roles with plenty of sharp quips and memorable one-liners. However, the DLC does not feature the voices of Negan and Michonne, as their actors—Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Danai Gurira—are absent, which is a shame because Negan ftw!
While you’ll be up in arms against lethargic hordes of Walkers most of the time, the odd WWZ special infected show up from time to time and remind you that this isn’t TWD. The DLC’s addition to the zombie roster is the Spiked Walker, a general pain-in-the-ass bullet sponge. I wish there were more TWD-specific special enemies, but hey, something is better than nothing.
TLDR: for $9.99, you’re getting three fun maps, three new characters, two new melee weapons, two weapon skins, and Walkers, a shitload of Walkers. A fair deal, if you ask me. It’s crazy that Saber is doing more for TWD IP than any of its right holders. Rest in peace, The Walking Dead, you will be remembered.
