The Walking Dead: Betrayal is a strange case of deja vu, a game that is so obviously and admittedly inspired by a similar title that in a sense it almost feels pointless. It’s Project Winter but in name, a social deception multiplayer game that enjoyed some success and is now mixed with the atmosphere and zombies from The Walking Dead. It can be fun, but finding a match may prove just as though as finding the traitors among us.
Survive and Betray
From our brief experience, this early access release can be fun here and there, as the gameplay loop is intrinsically interesting and reaching deep into your anxiety and suspicion is naturally engaging. But as it happens with this genre, games live and die by their player base, and that’s the thing that jumps out at you with the lack of lobbies. Maybe the $19.99 asking price is a bit too much for a game that always requires players, even more accentuated currently by its early access phase and single game mode. It’s early days but this is a worrying sign that the mass appeal factor may be lacking.
In the game, eight players are trying to fend off hordes of walkers and attempting to repair a bridge so they can escape to safety. However, two out of those players are traitors and will do their best to sabotage the survivors and turn them into dead meat, quite literally. There isn’t much in the way of lore, as The Walking Dead: Betrayal goes straight to the crux of the matter, not wasting much time with a narrative that players can create themselves within their heads.
Not every member is the same, with different roles attributed at the start of each match, nine in total: Bereaved, Daredevil, Confidant, Turncoat, Bodyguard, Traitor, Negotiator, Tailor, and Scavenger. These directly affect some aspects of the match, such as the Negotiator’s vote that counting for two, or the Bereaved who is disgruntled for the death of their loved one and is now bent on poisoning other people’s food. Roles are these conflicting game-changers that may seem helpful but also can raise suspicion, as proven with the use of sewer systems by the Turncoat or the traps placed by the Daredevil. Keeping your role close to your chest is the best way to enjoy the game, but teamwork and mic communication are also crucial, so you need a serious group of players to make the most out of the game without spoiling it for others.
Hunting for resources is a big part of survival, but walkers are a constant menace. Initially their threat may look tame and even the shoddiest arsenal is able to deal with them, but large numbers are coming and you will need to craft better weapons. Your limited inventory is a problem, so using a dead drop system to send an important item across the map is important, and so is your stash.
Where it feels more like Among Us is when players get to voting. Exiled players won’t be able to open the safe zone gates from the outside or see mission objectives, while leaders and deputies get a boost to their stats. There’s always the risk of punishing fair survivors, but this is part of the deception theme of the game and great fuel for debate and fun.
Walking Winter
Familiarity with Project Winter might be a plus to some players, but a turn-off for others. The Walking Dead: Betrayal feels too much of a spin-off in more ways than one, and that’s visible not only in the graphics, but also in the UI and the inventory. The appeal of Walking Dead style and the walkers may not be enough to convince a large crowd to play survivor and traitor, and the fact that it’s already so difficult to find a match doesn’t bode well for its future. The lack of a solo mode is another issue that makes the game even more restrictive and hard to dive into, given the current outlook.
Free-to-play could be the move that some would hate but might give The Walking Dead: Betrayal a new lease on life when the official launch comes. It’s a shame that an interesting and occasionally tense gameplay loop may not reach its full potential simply because there aren’t enough players willing to pay the asking price, which sounds a bit steep for the current version, so let’s hope that the game gets the survival odds it deserves.
MP1st was given access to a preview build of The Walking Dead: Betrayal for our hands-on session. The Walking Dead: Betrayal is currently in Early Access for PC, with a full launch planned for Q1 2024.