The Walking Dead: Destinies Rewrites the Zombie Apocalypse - A Must-Watch Beyond the First Four Seasons!
Discover the reasoning behind The Walking Dead: Destinies' focus on the first four seasons as game director Paulo Luis Santos sheds light in a revealing interview with Game Rant Dive into the decision-making process that influenced this adaptation and uncover the secrets that shaped the game's narrative direction
The limited scope of The Walking Dead: Destinies initially puzzled many fans, as it only covered the first four seasons despite the show's extensive runtime. With Season 11 concluding in 2022, there are numerous spin-offs that the game could explore. Negan and his captivating storyline would undoubtedly be a major attraction for players. In a recent interview with Paulo Luis Santos, Game Director at Flux Games, we inquired about this decision, and he shed light on why the team chose to focus on the earlier days of the show.
The Walking Dead: Destinies is an action-stealth game played from a third-person perspective, allowing players to assume control of the beloved characters from the TV series. One of the game's standout features is its "What If" scenario, where players have the power to alter the fates of characters, while still ensuring their consistency with the show. Flux Games aimed to provide players with the ability to determine who lives and who dies within the game's narrative. While the game maintains the original locations and events from the show, it introduces deviations such as allowing Shane to survive his encounter with Rick, consequently altering the dynamics of the group's actions at the farm, the Prison, and beyond.
The decision to primarily focus on the initial four seasons is largely driven by a sense of nostalgia. Flux Games, GameMill, and AMC extensively discussed the scope of the game's content, and there was even contemplation about incorporating additional seasons during the project. Santos, in particular, expressed a desire to rescue Beth in The Walking Dead season 5. However, the development team was taken aback when they realized that it has been 13 years since the first season premiered.
To put it simply, the development team chose to prioritize key locations from the early stages of the project, such as the Greene Farm and the Prison. This not only elicits nostalgia but also allows for a more intricate narrative with additional details. For instance, players can decide to spare Shane in The Walking Dead: Destinies or make divergent choices from the show, resulting in a more compelling experience.
Ultimately, our aim is to create the ultimate TWD experience, which led us to focus on delving deeper into the captivating storylines involving characters like Rick, Shane, and Woodbury. Rather than covering a broader range of seasons, we decided to dedicate ourselves to these rich and captivating arcs.
Appreciating quality over quantity is important for fans of The Walking Dead, and this approach does not mean that there is a lack of content. Despite facing difficult decisions about what to include, the game covers the first four seasons and represents over 40 episodes of the TV show. It will be fascinating to see how these choices impact the abundance of episodes, such as Shane's reactions to the Prison Flu in season 4.
However, ensuring that the game stays true to the show's narrative and overall direction is not an easy task. Flux Games, Game Mill, and AMC put in a lot of effort, holding frequent meetings to align everyone's vision, discuss creative approaches, make technical decisions, adjust the story, find solutions to challenges, and fine-tune the game experience by playing it together.
The Walking Dead: Destinies is set to release on November 14 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
