The Walking Dead: Betrayal

The Walking Dead: Betrayal thrusts players into the zombie apocalypse as up to 8 survivors working together to gather supplies and complete objectives in order to escape approaching walker hordes. However, unknown traitors hiding among the group are sabotaging efforts to escape. Developed by Skybound Entertainment, Betrayal captures the desperate struggle to survive against overwhelming odds that defines The Walking Dead universe.

Fans of the franchise will feel right at home in the gritty, detailed world of Betrayal. The visuals and atmosphere are excellent, with highly detailed character models and environments bringing the walker-filled apocalypse to life. Scavenging supplies, crafting weapons, managing hunger, and cooperating with teammates to progress are core gameplay elements of the gameplay. .

Cooperative Survival Gameplay

The cooperative elements of Betrayal are fantastic when players work together. Escaping the approaching walker hordes requires genuine teamwork, from sharing limited supplies to coordinating objectives. Wandering off alone is basically a death sentence in Betrayal, so sticking together as a group is a must. The desperate struggle to survive against overwhelming odds lies at the heart of The Walking Dead universe, and Betrayal's gameplay captures this feeling beautifully.

Tension and Paranoia from Sabotage

The addition of hidden traitors sabotaging the group's efforts creates outstanding tension and paranoia throughout matches. Suspicious behavior could expose a traitor or just create conflict between innocent teammates. False accusations fly as players desperately try to determine friend from foe before it's too late. The interpersonal drama this paranoia generates will feel familiar to fans of Telltale's Walking Dead series. Getting the balance right between blending in and hindering objectives as the traitors is extremely engaging.

Despite being outnumbered and weak initially, traitors have many creative tools of sabotage at their disposal. They can strategically build up their strength while sowing distrust within the group. Poisoning supplies, luring walkers, setting traps, removing critical objectives parts, and murder when desperate are just some of the options. Striking the optimal balance between blending in and subtle sabotage versus overtly hindering the team's progress provides great strategic depth.

Where It Falls Short

Unfortunately some technical issues do exist, especially with voice chat cutting out at times. Some minor graphical glitches occasionally manifest as well, breaking immersion. The objectives that survivors need to complete also suffer from a lack of variety. Repairing generators, finding gas cans, and searching areas gets repetitive after a while. More diverse objectives could help keep the gameplay feeling fresh. Right now there are only a couple of maps available for play, limiting replay value.

Review: 8/10

Overall though, the strong execution of the core survival and hidden traitor gameplay makes The Walking Dead: Betrayal an easy recommendation for fans of multiplayer survival games and the Walking Dead series. Being immersed in the intense paranoia and desperate cooperation that defines The Walking Dead, albeit in a new multiplayer format, is exciting.

Pros:

• Excellent atmosphere and visuals
• Genuine cooperation required for survival
• Sabotage gameplay creates outstanding paranoia
• Great strategic depth for both teams

Cons:

• Some immersion-breaking technical glitches
• Repetitive objectives
• Only a couple maps so far limits replayability