Released on PC and PlayStation 4 in 2020, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners was an ambitious VR title that brought players into the gorgeously grotesque universe of The Walking Dead. During an era in which many virtual reality titles came across as either demos or early demonstrations of a concept in need of fleshing out, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners stood as a feature-complete and fully-realized game that made the most of what VR technology had to offer. Now, as mentioned during PlayStation’s June 2022 State of Play stream, it will be getting a sequel in the form of The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Retribution.
The minute-long trailer established that the same quality stealth-combat experience from the original will return in the sequel. Much of the gameplay shown involves slinking through hallways with a flashlight or surreptitiously sneaking up behind the undead while brandishing a knife. When information about the title first cropped up in early 2022, minor criticism was leveled at what looked to be a re-tread of the first The Walking Dead VR outing. However, as the “Chapter 2” subheading implies, this is more of a new section of a larger experience rather than a genuine sequel.
Sony dedicated a not-insignificant amount of time to VR during its June State of Play stream, indicating that VR will be an important part of the PlayStation 5 gaming library in the future. A good bit of info about the PSVR2 has already been made public, though a definite release date has yet to be announced. Some believe it could still launch during the holiday season of 2022, though a 2023 release window is more likely.
Alongside The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Retribution, Sony cast a bit of light on the long-rumored Resident Evil 4 remake, which will at some point include VR functionality. Resident Evil, which is every bit the zombie-slaying sim The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Retribution is set to be, has a surprisingly long history with VR. Resident Evil 7 received a PSVR-exclusive port, the original Resident Evil 4 was recently made playable in VR, and Sony and Capcom also announced that a VR port of 2021’s Resident Evil Village is on the way.
Beyond that, Sony showcased an all-new VR spin-off of the Horizon series dubbed Horizon Call of the Mountain. These titles, alongside The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Retribution could help to usher in a new era of VR on the PlayStation platform and could help to drive sales of Sony’s PSVR revamp should it release in the near future.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Retribution will be available for PS5 in 2022.