Preview: ‘The Walking Dead’ VR game shows off sequel’s improvements

“The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners” is a rarity. It’s not only one of the better games in the franchise, it has been one of the more successful virtual reality games period. Part of that success should be credited to the compelling survival gameplay and the choices that players make. The idea of hard decisions mirrors some of the challenges that Rick Grimes and company made in the series.

The first game was successful enough that it has spawned a sequel, “The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution.” It follows the events that happened in the previous entry as the Tourist makes hard choices that impact where the character can go in New Orleans.

Interestingly enough Skydance Interactive said the project can be a completely standalone game, but it’s obviously better if players experienced the first one. They’ll know returning characters and the general situation in the city. As the sequel is now, it starts on Day 70. The Tower’s presence has increased, and as players move closer to the enormous building, the enemies in New Orleans become tougher.

In “Retribution,” Skydance Interactive takes players to the French Quarter, and learning from the first game, the developers emphasized larger more vertical maps full of nooks and crannies to explore. The idea for more elaborate environments creates more opportunities to approach encounters.

As for gameplay changes, the team listened to player requests and added a laser sight to help with the aiming. It’s a mod that can be added to different firearms and even a bow. Players will also encounter new weapons such as a submachine gun and a one-handed shotgun. Those arms raise the point that the Tourist can now dual wield weapons.

That’s all fine and good, but the star of the “Retribution” demo was the chainsaw. Yes, the Tourist has access to the effective melee weapon. Skydance Interactive said it incorporated a lot of haptic feedback to make players feel that they have the thrumming machine in hand. Players will also feel the chunk of the weapon tear through zombies.

The chainsaw isn’t infinite and will require fuel to activate, but Skydance is still ironing out the mechanics.

One of the more intriguing parts of what Skydance showed was the higher level of interactivity of mission designs and the environment. Players will come across a speakeasy and while exploring they’ll accidentally turn on the music. That becomes bad news as zombies start swarming the area because they’re attracted to sound. Some even fall out of the ceiling. No place is safe.