AMC's 'The Walking Dead' Joins 'World War Z' Game as DLC

Saber Interactive’s long-running co-op zombie shooter World War Z has teamed up with AMC’s The Walking Dead to create a World War Z x The Walking Dead DLC. Available now and priced at $10, it contains an all-new three-level campaign that takes gamers to well-known locations from the television show, including the prison and the safe zone of Alexandria. There are also four playable characters: Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Negan, and Michonne.

I spent a couple of hours playing the new content and found it made for some good, mindless fun. The graphics are solid with recognizable characters and locations. The zombies also have been adjusted to walk instead of run after you, which is a necessary touch, as the difference between the “Zekes” and the “Walkers” is a big one from the two franchises’ respective takes on the undead.

It does mix in different types of zombies that don’t fit as well, though, such as ones that sprint with explosives strapped to them. It’s there to mix up the challenge, but it doesn’t match the methodical nature of the show’s Walkers.

Weapon variety allows you to approach zombies pretty much however you’d like, and each of the characters has their own signature weapon, such as Negan’s bat or Daryl’s crossbow. The audio side doesn’t fare nearly as well, though. While Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus actually reprise their roles for the DLC, Negan and Michonne are voiced by replacements to limited success. It’s not terrible, but lines repeat far too often—I lost count of how many times Negan said, “I need to feed the beast,” when reloading.

If you own World War Z and are looking for a way to extend your play time, the DLC should fit the bill. If you haven’t played the main game and are more a fan of The Walking Dead, it’d be a sizable investment. That does come with the caveat that the main game is available on both PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass across multiple tiers, so if you subscribe to either, you’d only need to pay for the new DLC.

World War Z x The Walking Dead is available now, and it can be played on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.