Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead (PlayStation 4)

A new zombie infested bridge constructor title has made its way to PlayStation 4, thanks to Clockstone’s new title featuring the world of the Walking Dead. So just how is the brain flexing zombie survival puzzler and should you play it?

Walking dead B.C sees you guide a band of survivors from AMC’s The Walking Dead, through the harsh perilous zombie infested world in order to find safety as you encounter new challenges and overcome them as well as flesh eating zombie hordes. With some well known and beloved characters from the series making a appearance in the title such as Eugene, Daryl and Michonne, you must use a tantalising zombie snack (your brain) in order to build bridges, traps and more to stay alive in this brain over brawn adventure

To be honest with you I wasn’t sold on the idea of this title when it was presented to me. I had not even heard of bridge constructor before and I was somewhat dubious about it, however I found myself pleasantly surprised by it and it’s story

Over all there isn’t a lot of dialog or much of a plot outside of the few lines each character gets per stage, however it seems very natural. The characters who appear from the show tend to be quite close in terms of their tv counterparts personalities, the characters also display fears and anxieties you would expect of someone human in said situations

Visually the game is not the greatest thing to look at, even if it were on ps2 some areas such as the cars and parts of the environment are passable for sure. They’re not going to win any awards for design. I’d say this is true for a good 70-80% of the game and then there’s some areas I had to almost rely on guess work to get what I was looking at. It’s strangely inconsistent in a way I just don’t understand. Fortunately this has little to no impact on gameplay and falls into the category of “could be better but meh”

Audio once again is passable. The Walking Dead theme is nice but nothing surprising, however the sound effects were quite well done – from the sounds of your construction crumbling in a pile of wood and metal down to the splat and groan of of your car landing on the head of a local brain muncher.

Game play however is the core of this title and what will undoubtedly be the main lure for those interested in the series, or new players coming for a new challenge or way to play.

The game is made of multiple stages across multiple chapters. Each of these poses a new challenge to overcome, be it escaping a building, building a bridge or ramp for your vehicle, or any number of things in between, with the main point of making it from A to B without getting your team eaten or crushed.

The main mechanic here sees you build contraptions and bridges using increasingly useful materials. As you progress, starting with simple lightweight wood and planks, and advancing to steel and cables, with each new resource opening more and more options and design possibilities. Whilst having there own pros and cons, you have to manage your recourses well if you’re aiming for the best results

Outside of your constructions there are also the hero’s who you must guide and keep alive, while utilising them to flick switches, lure zombies or simply shoot things dead. This all makes for much more interesting gameplay than I had imagined for the title, more so with the fact each stage requires a different approach. Add to this the addition of a resource management challenge for best marks on each stage means each approach requires some trial and error, as some complex builds will fail even though a basic one will see you shatter said resource challenge and succeed.

Overall I found myself rather enjoying the gameplay and the challenge imposed by resource management badges. Some stages took me far more attempts than I am proud of, while others seemed instinctual – However all felt rewarding and engaging.

Would I like the game to look better? without a doubt! However it didn’t affect my enjoyment once I got into the core of the gameplay. In response to my question is it worth playing? Yes, and from my research into other games from the series, I can see fans liking this title too. I can’t say it will be for everyone as no game truly is, but it is interesting enough for me as someone who likely wouldn’t look twice at this game normally.