You would be forgiven at this stage for hearing that another zombie game had been released and initially struggling to muster much excitement. Like superheroes, the zombie genre has been everywhere, across all forms of media for the last several years with seemingly no end in sight. So when I tell you that this game blew my mind, it really had to go over and above to do so.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is a truly exceptional virtual reality experience. You play as a generic protagonist known as the Tourist. Before starting you can choose between having a male or female voice as well as five different skin tones. This may sound like a basic inclusion, but I have found character customisation like this rare in VR titles and given the first person perspective it really did make a difference when it came to immersion.
As the Tourist, you start by heading to a graveyard in New Orleans to meet an acquaintance named Henri who has asked for your help in finding ‘The Reserve’, a military bunker that’s stocked with food, guns, ammunition and medicine. Unfortunately you are not the only one looking for this white whale. Factions are also scattered around the different locations ensuring that the dead are only half the battle.
New Orleans makes a good setting for the game. The zombie apocalypse has taken it’s toll for sure but floods have also ravaged the city, forcing you to use a makeshift boat to access different areas from your central location at the graveyard. The colour palette may be a little dull and gloomy, but it fits the tone perfectly and the graphics are sharp throughout. There is the odd bit of texture pop-in on abandoned cars and some scenery, but nothing that detracts from the excellent experience.
The main narrative is interesting but not overly adventurous. The developers have created a sandbox RPG and they are clearly cognisant of getting in the players way too much. You can do your best to stick to the story if you want, but likewise you can also go off on your own, scavenging supplies and junk that feeds into the really fun crafting system the game has implemented.
Each item you pick up in the world has a small stat screen that appears when you look directly at it in your hand. It will tell you what scrap materials you can get from throwing it in your magic recycle bin back at home base. Once you have recycled the items you want you will be able to go between the various upgrade benches and see what you have available. Maybe it’s a new weapon, or a better food source. Working towards these upgrades is really fun and rewarding.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners has a day/night cycle as well. Each day you start at your base and you head down to the boat and choose where to travel to from the available locations on a map. Returning to your hideout will automatically make it night time and thus too dangerous to venture out again until you have slept and advanced time by one day. With each passing day the undead population grows and the supplies dwindle, so strategy plays a big part in the game.
During the day you head out on location to search for materials, further the story or help some random survivors. Helping these survivors sometimes sometimes results in a tough moral choice which I found really thought provoking and a nice tonal shift from the zombie slaying madness. You’ll quickly learn which items can be broken down into the best material and be filling up your limited backpack with the best quality junk around.
This brings me on to controls. While not quite on the level of the Oculus version due to the limitations of the PlayStation Move controllers; this is about the best free movement we have seen to date on PSVR. Holding down the move stick on the left controller will begin you moving forward but if you pull back on the stick you can also walk backwards. Likewise pulling the controller to the left or right while holding the move stick will let you go in that direction. This allows some quick maneuvering in tight situations.
The backpack you are given is perfect for inventory management. Reach behind your left shoulder to bring it out and grab whatever you need. To quickly add anything to your stash you just pick it up and throw it over the same left shoulder. Reaching over your right shoulder accesses a two handed weapon and you have holsters at both hips for smaller weapons like handguns, knifes etc. The left and right of your chest hold a flashlight and a journal respectively.
Combat itself feels incredible. While aiming and firing a gun doesn’t quite have the ultra polished feel of Gun Club VR, it isn’t far off. Melee weapons on the other hand are in a league by themselves. Grabbing a zombie by the head with one hand and plunging a screwdriver into their skull with the other is something we have seen in zombie moves for years, but feels immensely satisfying. Two handed weapons like axes increase in power and precision when held with two hands instead of one.
To platinum The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners you will not only need to put in some serious hours, but have significant skill. A few of the tougher trophies task you with unlocking all craftables, killing elite walkers in certain ways and some collectibles. It’s a fun and varied list though, which given how good the game is will have players gladly working towards.
Overall, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is probably the most complete experience on PSVR to date. My one criticism is that I wish the stealth was better implemented. Even when crouched and sneaking the undead are razor sharp and spot you from a fair distance. That minor gripe aside this is a must own title and a template for how free movement and combat can work well even with the dated move sticks.
-Craig
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PSVR.
