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“Those gripes aside, when it works there are things to like about Overkill’s The Walking Dead. While the difficulty does scale a bit, most non-wave-based defense missions are still far too overwhelming to realistically complete alone. Instead, you’re forced to go in alone and just try to wing it. There are no bots, as has been pretty much standard in this genre since Left 4 Dead, if you want to fly solo.
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This issue is compounded by the fact that you absolutely have to play with other people if you want to play at all. There aren’t many spots where you can stop, take a break, and type out a message to strangers on the internet asking them to deliver an item to the drop-off point. Communication is a massive focus of Overkill’s The Walking Dead and naturally in-game text chat doesn’t cut it in the heat of battle. Sure, you can talk with friends through Steam or Discord, but there’s no easy way to talk to people you randomly match with without adding them as a friend on Steam. “It’s absolutely baffling that, in a new co-op multiplayer game released in 2018, there is no built-in voice chat. They’ve all got that gritty “I’ve seen some shit” look that anyone who knows zombie fiction is familiar with. The result is a progression system that's deep with choices, but mostly shallow in terms of real changes you see over time. There isn't an assortment of special abilities to set them all apart such as you'd find in a game like Borderlands. But beyond that, the differences between the characters are mostly stat-driven other than a single unique skill. Luckily, loot is plentiful and you’re rewarded with new guns, modifications, and materials at the end of every mission, plus any hidden caches you find in the level.
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For example, Maya specializes in submachine guns, revolvers, and machetes, but if you equip a shotgun, pistol, and baseball bat instead you wouldn’t be playing to her strengths. The difference, though, is that they won’t be able to apply any of their skill upgrades or passive bonuses to enhance a weapon outside their wheelhouse. “Each character is fun in their own way and, despite their specialties, anyone can use any weapon you find, giving them a useful flexibility.
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