Let’s be real. When Survios announced they were making a VR game based on the AMC show, fans basically lost their minds. It felt like a guaranteed win. You’ve got the actual actors—Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt—lending their voices and likenesses. You have the developer behind Creed: Rise to Glory and Raw Data, who basically wrote the book on VR combat physics. The Walking Dead Onslaught was supposed to be the definitive zombie apocalypse simulator. Instead, it became one of the most polarizing titles in the VR space.
It’s weird.
If you look at the landscape of 2020, VR was having a massive moment. Half-Life: Alyx had just redefined what was possible. Then, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners dropped from Skydance Interactive and absolutely nailed the "survival" aspect of the franchise. It was gritty. It was hard. Every swing of a shiv felt like it cost you something. So, when The Walking Dead Onslaught finally arrived later that year, everyone expected it to be the "Saints & Sinners killer."
It wasn't. But that doesn't mean it's a total disaster either.
The Scavenger Loop That Divides Players
The core of this game is basically split into two halves: the Campaign and Scavenger Runs. The campaign follows Daryl Dixon—voiced by Norman Reedus himself—as he recounts a story to a newcomer in Alexandria. It’s fan service in the best way possible. You get to walk around Alexandria, see it being rebuilt, and interact with these iconic characters. For a fan of the show, seeing Rick Grimes or Carol Peletier standing in front of you in VR is a "holy crap" moment. No doubt about it.
But then there are the Scavenger Runs.
These are high-intensity, arcade-style missions where you’re literally running away from an approaching "horde" (represented by a red wall of fog). You have to grab supplies, kill walkers, and get to the extraction point before the fog swallows you. It’s fast. It’s frantic. It’s also the exact opposite of what people wanted from a Walking Dead game. Most players wanted to explore, to scavenge quietly, and to feel the tension of a single walker around a corner. Instead, The Walking Dead Onslaught gives you a timer.
It feels more like Left 4 Dead than The Walking Dead.
Honestly, the pace is what kills it for some. You can't really soak in the atmosphere when the game is constantly screaming at you to move faster. You’re grabbing rolls of duct tape and bags of grain like you’re on a twisted version of Supermarket Sweep. It’s a design choice that prioritizes "gamification" over immersion. If you like arcade shooters, you’ll probably have a blast. If you wanted a deep survival RPG, you’re going to feel let down.
Combat Mechanics: Why "Gore" Isn't Everything
Survios pushed their "Progressive Dismemberment" system hard in the marketing. And to be fair, it’s technically impressive. You can hack off limbs, stab through skulls, and even pin walkers to walls with a crossbow bolt. The physics-based combat allows you to grab a walker by the throat, hold them back, and then jam a screwdriver into their temple.
It’s brutal.
But there’s a lack of "weight" compared to its competitor, Saints & Sinners. In that game, if you stab a walker, your knife gets stuck. You have to physically yank it out. In The Walking Dead Onslaught, your weapons slice through zombies like they’re made of warm butter. It’s satisfying for about twenty minutes, then it starts to feel a bit hollow. There’s no stamina bar to manage. You can just swing a machete forever.
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- The Good: You feel like an absolute powerhouse. You are Rick Grimes. You are a god among monsters.
- The Bad: There is zero fear. Walkers aren't a threat; they’re just meat to be sliced.
- The melee variety is actually pretty decent, ranging from combat knives to heavy hammers and katanas.
- Ranged combat feels surprisingly snappy, especially Daryl’s crossbow, though reloading in a panic is still a pain.
Most people don't realize that the game underwent a massive overhaul during development. Early builds looked much more like a traditional co-op shooter. When they shifted to a more narrative-focused single-player experience, some of those "arcadey" leftovers stayed in the code. You can feel the friction between the two styles. It’s a game caught between wanting to tell a serious story and wanting to be a high-score chaser.
Building Alexandria
One of the more underrated aspects of the game is the base-building. As you collect resources in the Scavenger Runs, you bring them back to Alexandria. You can upgrade the armory, the clinic, and other facilities. This isn't just cosmetic; it unlocks new weapons and upgrades.
Seeing the community grow is actually quite rewarding. It gives you a reason to do "just one more run." You want that next pistol upgrade. You want to see the town look a little less like a dump. It’s a classic gameplay loop that works, even if the missions themselves feel repetitive after a while.
Technical Hurdles and the Quest 2 Factor
We have to talk about the visuals. If you're playing on a high-end PC via SteamVR, the game looks... okay. The environments are detailed enough, and the character models are actually quite good. However, the game was clearly built with older VR hardware in mind. The textures can be flat. The lighting is often static.
On the PlayStation VR (the original PSVR), it’s a bit of a blurry mess. The tracking on the Move controllers often struggles when you’re trying to reach for your back-holstered weapon. It’s frustrating. You’re trying to be a badass survivor, but you’re accidentally grabbing your flashlight instead of your shotgun.
Survios did release several patches to fix the "feel" of the combat, adding more resistance and impact, but the core engine remains what it is. It’s a 2020 VR game. By 2026 standards, it feels a bit dated. But honestly? It still runs better than many indie VR titles that try to do half as much.
Why The Reviews Were So Harsh
Metacritic wasn't kind to this one. Critics hammered it for being shallow. Users were upset that it wasn't the "survival sim" they had built up in their heads.
But here is the thing: if you go into The Walking Dead Onslaught knowing it’s a brawler, you’ll have fun. It’s a "popcorn" game. You put on the headset, kill 500 zombies, upgrade a gun, and turn it off. It doesn't require the mental tax of managing hunger meters or crafting bandages every five seconds. Sometimes, you just want to stab a walker in the head while Norman Reedus grunts in your ear.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you’re picking this up on a sale—which happens often—don’t play it like a survival game. You will be disappointed.
- Ignore the "Saints & Sinners" comparisons. Treat this as an action-adventure game.
- Prioritize the Armory. Don't waste your early resources on cosmetic town upgrades. Get the weapon mods first. The game becomes ten times more fun when your guns actually have some kick.
- Use the "Grab" mechanic. The best way to survive a crowded Scavenger Run isn't shooting; it's grabbing a walker and shoving them into the others. It creates a physical barrier that the AI struggles to path around.
- Play the Campaign first. It’s short—about 4 to 5 hours—but it gives you the context you need for the Scavenger missions.
- Check your height settings. Survios games are notorious for "floor calibration" issues. If your belt feels like it's in your chest, go into the settings and manually adjust your player height.
The legacy of The Walking Dead Onslaught is a complicated one. It’s a reminder that even with a massive IP and a talented studio, the "feel" of VR is incredibly subjective. Some people love the power trip. Others miss the struggle. Regardless of where you land, it remains a fascinating piece of VR history that tried to bridge the gap between casual fans of the show and hardcore gamers.
The game isn't a masterpiece, but it isn't the disaster people claimed it was at launch. It's a solid, 7-out-of-10 action game that lets you live out a specific Daryl Dixon power fantasy. In the world of VR, sometimes that's enough.
Keep your eyes on the supply crates and your finger off the trigger until you see the rot. Alexandria isn't going to build itself.
Expert Insight: For those looking for the most immersive experience, play with "Smooth Turning" enabled and "Vignette" disabled. The default settings are very conservative to prevent motion sickness, but they end up making the game feel claustrophobic and "floaty." Turning them off allows the scale of the environments to actually pop.