The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution – Is It Worth Playing?
If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead and the zombie survival genre, you’re going to love The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution. The game takes you on a trip to zombie-infested New Orleans, where you have to find a military bunker full of weapons and supplies. But beware, as there are also two warring factions who want to claim the treasures that the bunker holds.
The story of this new chapter follows seamlessly the events of the first game, which means you’ll meet familiar factions and characters, including the zombies that you’ve come to know and love. Plus, you can access your collected weapons and crafting recipes from the first game right from the start of Retribution.
However, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution is a standalone game, which means that you can play it without having played the first game. And if you do, you’ll still get some weapons and workbench upgrades to help you get started.
Here’s a brief review of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution:
Chapter 2: Retribution – The Good and The Bad
The new chapter stays true to its predecessor by following its successful formula almost untouched. You’ll complete missions in small areas to advance an exciting story that’s influenced by your actions. However, with only two new areas and a few new weapons, this second installment falls short of being a full-fledged sequel.
In addition, some technical deficits tarnish the enjoyment of the game, and they’re especially noticeable on mobile systems like the Quest 2. But despite these shortcomings, if you liked the first game, you won’t be able to avoid Retribution.
So, should you play The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2? The answer is a resounding YES if you:
– Want to know how the story of the original game continues
– Want to cut up zombies with a chainsaw
– Want to explore new areas in New Orleans, and
– Generally like this zombie survival genre.
However, you should NOT play The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2 if:
– You expect a “real” sequel with a new setting and a completely new environment
– You can’t stand the weak graphics of the Quest 2 and don’t have PS VR 2 or PC VR headset as an alternative
– The predecessor was already too much for your nerves.
Chapter 2 is a Deja Vu
If you’ve played the first game, you’ll notice some familiar things in Chapter 2, such as the unchanged tutorial. The general gameplay will also be familiar to those who played the original. From the base camp, you’ll set off on missions in small but freely explorable areas by boat.
Except for two new areas, all of them are already familiar from part one. However, exploring at night becomes considerably more dangerous since there are more walkers in the dark. To defend yourself against the undead, you’ll collect tons of trash on your forays, which you’ll recycle back at the base to get crafting material, which you can use to build various melee and ranged weapons at workbenches.
The hunt for hidden recipes is what keeps you exploring. From gloves with metal attachments to an improved machine gun, good weapons make it much easier to face the undead. Enemies become stronger and more numerous as the game progresses.
You also have to defend yourself from time to time against living human adversaries. They are not particularly intelligent, but when they appear in large numbers, things can quickly get dicey. Stamina is limited and quickly runs out in close combat or while running, so be aware that an exhausted tourist has limited mobility, making fighting and escaping much more difficult.
The NPCs drive the story forward and present you with sometimes difficult decisions that can have consequences and influence the course of the story. Thus, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2 only invites you to play through several times.
Let’s Get Physical
The controls are the same as in the first game, so they are well thought out and largely intuitive. You start by selecting your preferred hand. Move with the stick of the corresponding controller and determine the viewing direction with the stick of the other controller, e.g., by snap-turning, or by head movements.
The rest of the controls are physical. The tourist carries weapons, a diary, a backpack, and a flashlight in various places on his body. If you want to use any of them, move your hand to the desired item, and grab it with the corresponding trigger. This is also how you reload firearms or use heavy melee weapons like the axe, which you have to wield with both hands.
This adds a great deal of realism to the fight for survival in the zombie apocalypse. The explicit violence throughout might be too much for some, but gore fans will love the new chainsaw and the aforementioned gloves.
One Foot in the Grave
Unfortunately, the technology doesn’t keep up with the rest of the game. Although the environment is coherently designed, many textures wash out, and objects, buildings, and people stand out with noticeable rough edges.
The game looks much better on the Playstation VR 2. So, if you have the choice, you should go for that version instead of Quest 2. Nevertheless, if you can look past the Q2’s shortcomings, you’ll still enjoy this game.
Editor Notes
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution is a great game for zombie and VR enthusiasts. It offers an exciting story, challenging gameplay, and some gruesome encounters with the undead. If you’re into that sort of thing, you won’t be disappointed.
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