The Walking Dead: All-Stars is a comic book instead of a TV show

The Walking Dead comic series is no stranger to the genre of adaptation. The franchise has successfully made the move into TV shows, multiple consoles, PC and VR video games, and maybe even cereal. The Walking Dead has also had several mobile game adaptations, but All-Stars is the zombie franchise’s first step into the popular mobile character collection genre and focuses on the comic’s larger legacy.

We spoke with the developer Funflow CEO, KyungHyun Son, via e-mail about The Walking Dead: All-Starswhat it looks like with the original comic book for inspiration and how exactly it fits into the Walking Dead mythology.

What genre of mobile game does The Walking Dead: All-Stars belong to?

The Walking Dead: All-Stars is a collectible RPG. We decided to go with this genre because we wanted to try a new kind of challenge. When you think of zombie apocalypse-based games, you usually picture gameplay that includes defending, hacking and slashing, or building villages in the wild. The problem, however, is that too many of those types of games already exist on the market.

Even among zombie-based IPs, The Walking Dead is a franchise that excels at portraying “human versus human” rather than “human versus zombie”. I believe it’s not simply trying to convey that humans are scarier than zombies, but that humans and communities need to work together to survive. That’s why we chose to create a collectible RPG, aiming for the common home of survivors working together.

Are comics larger than comics?

Since we managed to secure the license for the original comic, the story uses it as a foundation. Many fans recognize The Walking Dead from the TV series, but the realism in it is so well done that we have a hard time turning it into a game. On the other hand, we thought the manga would give us a lot of freedom to incorporate new ideas, that’s why we ultimately decided to base our development on the comics.

The site introduces seven familiar characters. Will there be more at launch? How often will new characters be added? If these are seven starter characters, how did you decide to include those?

About 60 characters will be released, including 30 from the original series. The rest is unique to The Walking Dead: All-Stars. We plan to continuously add more characters over time. Characters already in the game can appear as new versions of themselves from different time periods with updated looks. We aim to delight fans of the original series with an even richer story.

What special skins or alternate versions do the characters have that interest the series, such as the one-eyed Carl missing or the one-armless Rick?

Although they are technically the same character, there are cases where two characters can show different tendencies based on how much time has passed for them or their current situation, so We tried our best to bring those elements out. In All-Stars, there are two versions of Rick, “Rick Grimes” and “Leader Rick,” which are different associations. This is a representation of Rick and his three-dimensional qualities from the original series. If a character exhibits many different personalities in the comics, it is likely that they will appear in the game with different arrangements.

Each of the seven on display seems to highlight a unique class. Will there be more layers over time? Can you talk about some of their differences?

Many different people and communities exist in the world of The Walking Dead. Based on how the character sees the post-apocalyptic world, they are assigned an alignment of Ally, Predator, Neutral, Overseer, Warlord, or Bystander. The alignment not only plays a role in the elimination matches, but also naturally blends in with the characters’ stories and enhances the overall immersive feel of the game. The arrangement of survivors in a group determines the prize money in a battle. Survivors are also divided into a total of five different classes: Tank, Support, Technician, Warrior, and Ranger. Each class has its own distinctive features and areas of expertise. While we have plans to add more characters in the future, we don’t have any definite plans to add alignment or layers yet.

Will we ever see characters like Clementine from Telltale’s Walking Dead exist in that universe, but only recently appeared in the comics via a spin-off?

All-Stars closely follows the world of comics, and thanks to Skybound Entertainment’s detailed feedback, we’re confident we’ve created a high-quality product with no actual flaws. So the game has only Comic characters and original characters. But since it’s common in the gaming industry to see characters from a similar third-party company appear as “collaborations,” we’re looking at some potential co-op characters.

Is there a time in the story arc where All-Stars fit in, or perhaps more of a re-imagining?

There is a hint in the game’s title, “The Walking Dead: All-Stars,” about the time period. This game allows the characters of the original series to join and work together, regardless of the original timeline. The Walking Dead’s protagonist, Rick Grimes, is a three-dimensional character whose personality and traits change as the game progresses. In our game, both the younger version of Rick and the older version called Leader Rick can join the same team in battle. This kind of interaction makes the game feel like an “all-star battle”, which is why we added “All-Stars” to the title.

However, to establish a general feel in the game, we used Episode 20: All Wars as a reference point. The All-Stars story takes place in Buffalo, New York, around the same time that Episode 20 begins. The story of Buffalo wasn’t in the original comics, so we rewrote everything from scratch, getting guidance and feedback from Skybound Entertainment step by step. I think players will be able to appreciate a fresh storyline while still enjoying the familiarity of the original series.

It sounds like the game mainly takes place in Buffalo, New York, but will players be able to explore familiar environments? Does the passage of time in the game change the world around you like in the story?

Players will encounter familiar environments when playing stages in the world map, this is the core content of the game. They will explore the areas surrounding their town settlement around Buffalo, New York and continue to unravel more of the story. They will travel through new areas of the map, fight various enemies and receive the necessary items to survive. This part of the game is designed so that the player can explore the world of The Walking Dead. We’ve also paid special attention to how we’ve illustrated the environments so players can really experience the changing areas each time they move on to a new chapter.

Can survivors be infected? What happens if they do?

Of course, infection can occur in the context of the All-Star worldview, and infection can also present itself as a serious problem in the narrative elements. However, infection does not act as a factor in the loss of life in the rules of combat.

How is the game monetized?

The Walking Dead: All-Stars is designed so that all players can naturally remove content as long as they invest enough time in the game. Therefore, the business model of the game focuses on growth efficiency, or in other words “buying time”.

The resources needed to level up a character are automatically accumulated over time. If players are satisfied with the resources they receive, they will be able to consistently play the game without making a purchase. However, if they want to progress faster than their peers, they will have the option of spending money for additional resources.

One aspect of the game that can’t be solved with time is character “recruiting”. Players can earn the resources they need to recruit in-game characters, but those looking to get their favorite characters quickly can choose to purchase the resources with cash instead. .

Will there be multiplayer?

The answer is no if you’re just referring to “real-time” content, but there are different ways for players to play together, either by competing against each other or collaborating with each other.

Some games appear to be grid-based and others are not. Can you tell me what’s going on there?

The characteristic of grid-based content (based on hexagonal decks) is that players have more choices than non-grid-based content. Currently, grid-based content includes ‘Running Bow’ and ‘Survivor’s Record’. ‘Running course’ is an in-game content where players are given two to three choices as they advance to the next tile and their choices are cumulative to influence the outcome. ‘Survivor’s Record’ is a story based content where players complete each stage as they explore a tile map much larger than the ‘Running Bow’.

The Walking Dead: All-Stars Available Starting Today iOS and Android devices.