Can you survive the zombie apocalypse in this blockchain-based game?
The Walking Dead Empires is taking one of the world’s most famous TV series to the realm of blockchain gaming. Still under development, this post-apocalyptic MMORPG by Gala Games is highly anticipated by the play-and-earn gamer community. Join us as we delve into the recently launched gameplay and features and get ready for the following playtests to come.
Content
- What you need to know about The Walking Dead: Empires
- Join the playtest
- Game modes and play-to-earn mechanics
- The Walking Dead: Empire in-game assets: NFTs
- How other Zombie-inspired blockchain games compare
What you need to know about The Walking Dead: Empires
The Walking Dead: Empires (TWDE) is an upcoming blockchain-based survival game on PC set in the AMC’s The Walking Dead universe. This means players are placed in a post-zombie-apocalyptic America and do whatever they need to thrive in this inhospitable environment.
You can run and hide, but you’ll end up having to kill zombies to gather food, craft weapons, and defend your base from anyone – or anything – that may harm you.
Under development since 2021, and having opened up for playtests several times now, The Walking Dead: Empires is going to be a multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that uses non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to give players ownership and control over their in-game assets. It’s part of the portfolio of Web3 giant Gala Games and developed by Ember Entertainment.
Your characters, weapons, health kits, lands, and so on are unique tokens that hold value in and out of the game, being able to be sold on secondary marketplaces. Let’s get to know more about the game mechanics as we go.
Join the playtest
The Walking Dead: Empires has progressed since its initial pre-alpha phase in August 2022, offering a mix of survival and RPG gameplay. After an open playtest in March 2023 introduced new features and gameplay elements, another playtest is scheduled for 8 November 2023. This session allows players to experience the game’s zombie-infested world, complete with new types of walkers and creatures.
During the playtest, participants will have the ability to retain their Hero levels and in-game currencies, providing a sense of continuity. The developers aim to provide an immersive experience, balancing action with opportunities for exploration, material collection, and talent development. Additionally, the game incorporates NFT interactions.
While the full game launch is anticipated for 2023, an exact date has not been confirmed. The Walking Dead: Empires distinguishes itself from typical zombie survival games by offering a blend of action and RPG elements, aiming to cater to a diverse player base.
Game modes and play-to-earn mechanics
While it’s too soon to dive headlong into The Walking Dead: Empires’ gameplay given that it hasn’t fully launched yet, you can already get an overview of what to expect from the playtests and transparent communication from the team.
- Player-vs-environment: The main side of the game revolves around surviving the dead and the harsh conditions.
- Player-vs-player: There will be zones of the world where battles against players will be not only possible but necessary.
Anyway, developing your in-game assets (Heroes, Items, Land) will guarantee them greater market value for future resale – whether you trade them for ETH or GALA tokens.
The Walking Dead: Empires in-game assets: NFTs
As you know, TWDE uses NFTs to give players control of their own gaming experience. Some of the game’s NFTs have already been launched using the Ethereum blockchain and give holders extra perks in the game. Until the time of writing, The Walking Dead: Empires NFT collection had a total sales volume of 1,396 ETH (over $2.3 million).
You can buy these NFTs on the official Gala Games marketplace or secondary marketplaces such as OpenSea. As Gala Games now also has its own community-powered blockchain, we will see more game items exist on the GalaChain (final name TBD).
Heroes
The Heroes are the avatars you play, each with its strengths and weaknesses that come in handy in different moments of the game. Their rarity (and value) vary from Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Ancient.
Heroes can be bought individually or in packs, and the floor price for one at the time of writing stood at 0.007 ETH ($11.6).
Land
While not yet released, the game has already announced that its world will include land ownership. Players will be able to own a plot of land with unique features that their Heroes can improve – which will, in turn, serve as a safe hub for your Hero and your allies.
Crafting
Besides a shelter to rest safe from zombies, Heroes also need a variety of gear and tools to keep them alive and ready for battles. That’s when the Crafting NFTs come in. The Walking Dead: Empires crafting feature is another essential part of the game. Players need all sorts of weapons, medical supplies, clothing and armor, and even cooking apparel to survive.
All these items are in-game NFTs that enhance your experience and level up your game. Like Heroes NFTs, these items’ value also depends on their rarity and demand. At the time of writing, Crafting NFTs’ floor price stood at 600 GALA ($11.9).
How other zombie-inspired blockchain games compare
While AMC’s The Walking Dead is the biggest name right now when it comes to the popularity of zombie apocalypse stories, TWDE isn’t the only game in the business to use blockchain technology.
In addition to The Walking Dead: Empires, the Undead Blocks and Last Remains games also use the combination of post-apocalyptic survival and action with NFTs and crypto.
Undead Blocks plans to be compatible with all mainstream controller logistics – from mobile and PC to Playstation or Xbox. Furthermore, it will base its tokenomics on NFTs and its own UNDEAD token, but, unlike TWDE, it is a first-person shooter with much more action.
Last Remains also has a less focused lane on player-vs-environment game modes, being a stealth zombie battle royale game incorporating guild esports and Web3 elements – NFTs and the Zombie Token (ZT).
In any case, they all seem to be building their respective communities alongside the game, having little in common beyond the zombie theme.
Explore trending NFT games with DappRadar
The Walking Dead: Empires is a very promising game that has got the Web3 gaming community hyped for a while now. DappRadar will continue to track its journey and keep you posted on how to play and earn the best blockchain gaming dapps out there.Make sure to check out the Top Games Ranking to always know what’s hot and trending.
Useful links
- The Walking Dead: Empires Game Stats & Data
- The Walking Dead Coming to The Sandbox
- Top 10 Best Play-to-Earn Web3 Games: Updated Edition
- How to Play and Win: Undead Blocks
- Last Remains: Complete Guide on How to Play and Earn
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