Gameplay for The Walking Dead: Destinies is out there and it shows off one way that Merle Dixon’s life could have played out in The Walking Dead
Things are starting to get a little weird here for The Walking Dead: Destinies, as we have a look at how one of the paths could have played out in the TV story. That is what this is all about as Flux Games and GameMill Entertainment build up the IP again to give us a similar story where we can alter certain events. Today, we get a chance to see how things might have gone differently out there for Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead had things played out differently. Given that this was a character just for the show, it makes sense to be able to alter things and not ruin the bigger story. This is what we get to see now just before the November 17th launch on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC.
If you are here and somehow do not know the events of the character on The Walking Dead, early on in the show Merle was handcuffed to a roof after being a horrible person and, effectively, left for dead. In the show, Merle cuts off a hand to escape. In The Walking Dead: Destinies, though, it looks as if things might have taken a hard turn as some surviving children found him and the handcuff key instead. All of which you can see and get a taste of how things might play out differently in the game. Even if this is all an animatic scene and the game has looked to offer up something a little grander when it comes to the gameplay. It is just a look at the “What If” aspect more than anything.
The Walking Dead: Destinies — Kindergarten Class
In this third-person action-adventure experience, begin your journey as Rick Grimes, waking alone in a hospital surrounded by the dead. Assemble allies and fight your way through the Walker apocalypse across iconic locations from The Walking Dead, including Atlanta, the Greene family farm, the prison, and Woodbury. In crucial choice-driven moments, you’ll forever shape the destiny of your team of characters from the series. Heroes and villains, living and dead – it’s up to you to decide whether to stay the course of history or forge your own path through the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Coming to Playstation 4|5, Xbox, Steam, and Nintendo Switch digital on 11.17.23. All platforms physically on 12.1.23.
I will say, I hope this is not how many of the choices in The Walking Dead: Destinies will play out and that this was just a fun one to help market the game more than anything. Those who have watched the show and/or know the character here would know that this is a hard deviation from what they would have done. Sure, some kids saving the day and making sure Merle did not die would gain them some gratitude and protection, but Merle would not have stuck around to be their teacher and parent. It is such a hard shift from the terrible being Merle was in The Walking Dead. It took so much to even slightly redeem the character in that story and it feels like this is the “meme” version of what would have happened all because the fandom would find it funny. For marketing, it is fun. If it is how the game is going to treat the stories and choices, it is going to get old very fast.
Are you fully up on The Walking Dead story and the various characters we will get to experience in this game? Does it seem like this is more for the “lolz” than it is for a serious gameplay shift to explore? If this is a real path, how many more like it will there be and does that mean we could get the Glen in a trashcan suit of armor thing in the mix now too? Head into the comment section below to discuss all of this and everything else we have on the site for you. We will have more for The Walking Dead: Destinies, certainly, so please keep on checking back for those updates and many others as we head into the release window for this title.