Can I tell you something? I never could get into The Walking Dead. As much as I love zombies, the show bored me and I bailed early doors. So in a weird way, I’m the perfect person to review The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival from Odaclick Game Studio and Trailmark Games. I’m not here to judge how faithfully it recreates AMC’s drama or whether Rick’s beard is the correct level of scruffy. I’m here to tell you whether the game itself is any good.

“Fight walkers as Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, and unlockable Negan in a brutal arcade brawler set in the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Face ruthless enemies like the Saviors and overwhelming walker swarms as you unleash relentless combos, signature weapon attacks, and crushing finishers.”

The studio previously made The Karate Kid: Street Rumble, which I reviewed, and Streets of Survival follows the same blueprint: take a popular IP, funnel it through a retro lens, and turn it into an old‑school scrolling beat ’em up. It’s a simple pitch, and honestly, it’s a pretty smart one. Not every franchise needs a sprawling open world or a prestige narrative. Sometimes you just want to punch things until they stop moving.

You play as Rick, Daryl, and Michonne, who are organising a counter‑offensive against the Saviors. Missions take place across war‑torn streets, junkyards, warehouses, and various Savior strongholds, all accessed via a simple map interface. A few missions have a slightly open route, but most are very linear affairs. Now, the campaign is very short. You’ll likely finish it within an hour or so. But that’s the nature of old‑school beat ’em ups. They were never designed to be 40‑hour epics. They were pick‑up‑and‑play, fast‑action, adrenaline bursts. Streets of Survival sticks to that tradition.

The retro pixel aesthetic works surprisingly well. It has that late‑16‑bit/early‑32‑bit vibe, chunky sprites, bold colours, and just enough detail to sell the world without overcomplicating it. Characters are instantly recognisable, levels look good, and there’s a respectable amount of blood and gore to reinforce the zombie‑horror theme. It’s not grimdark, but it’s not shy either.

One of the game’s biggest strengths is how mechanically distinct each character feels:

• Rick : close‑quarters, slow, brawler, like to use his fists a lot. But he also has his Magnum is available as a sidearm.
• Daryl: crossbow and dual knives, He’s the classic mid-character that is neither overly strong or fast.
• Michonne: fast, pure melee, relying mostly on her katana. She will use a gun if you find one, but she’s clearly built for slicing, not shooting.

These differences aren’t cosmetic. They genuinely change how you approach encounters, adding variety and encouraging experimentation. Early on, certain characters are locked to specific stages, but once you hit the credits, you can replay any mission with any character, and you’ll unlock a new one who can run through the whole campaign too.

At its core, Streets of Survival is a classic beat ’em up that will feel very familiar to anyone who has ever played the genre. Move left to right (mostly), mash combos, dodge attacks, and thin out hordes of enemies. But it layers on several mechanics that set it apart from the average genre staples. You can crouch to sneak, and hide from gunfire using scenery as cover, unusual for a brawler like this, but surprisingly effective Firearms play a major role. Rick and Daryl start stages with ranged weapons, and they can find others use along the way. Several of the enemies will use guns too.

There’s a charge‑based attack, and this adds a little risk/reward. You can run at people and land a heavy hit, but this does leave you vulnerable and open to attacks. Healing is also a bit risky as locks you in place, and you have to wait a few seconds to use a medi pack properly. This means you can’t really heal in the middle of a fight and have to pick a quieter moment to patch yourself up. You can dodge by rolling, but this has a cooldown, adding nuance rather than letting you spam evasion. These systems make combat feel more tactical than most side‑scrollers, especially when juggling melee threats and ranged enemies simultaneously.

However, not everything hits the mark. Combat against Saviors often becomes messy and unbalanced. Gun‑wielding enemies can be cheap, especially in groups by shooting the crap out of you and not giving you any chance of recovery. You can also get from shot from off‑screen, but you can’t aim and shoot an an enemy unless they’re on screen. Controls can feel a little sluggish, leading to attacks aimed in the wrong direction. Some encounters devolve into chaotic scrambles rather than skilful fights.

Fighting zombies is far more enjoyable. Individually they’re easy, but in numbers they’re dangerous, and thinning out a dozen shamblers with timed dodges and precise strikes is genuinely satisfying. It’s the kind of rhythmic, crunchy combat the genre thrives on.

The boss fights are a mixed bag. Several of the zombie bosses are quite creative, offering unique patterns like an electrified undead that’ll shock the floor. These fights feel fresh and tense. Savior bosses are less inspired, and are essentially regular enemies with absurd health bars. These battles drag on, often becoming repetitive dodge‑and‑mash marathons The inconsistency is a shame, because the game clearly has the potential for more inventive boss design.

Streets of Survival includes light RPG elements that genuinely enhance the experience. There are skill trees for Rick, Daryl, and Michonne that let you boost melee speed, dodge cooldown, ammo capacity, healing speed, and more. Upgrades definitely feel meaningful, not superficial, you notice the improvements. There are several collectibles connected to the show that fans will recognise. To me who ever got into the show though, they were just pointless busy work.

Aside from the main story, there an endless survival mode. But it looks like some if it is locked behind DLC, which is just annoying. The main game’s mission‑based structure keeps things moving, but the short length means Streets of Survival never fully explores its best ideas. Many missions are over quickly, and the campaign ends just as the mechanics begin to settle into a satisfying rhythm. Bizarrely, for a beat ’em up like this, there’s no co-op multiplayer which feels like a missed opportunity, especially given the cooperative potential of Rick, Daryl, and Michonne’s differing playstyles.

The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival is a pretty decent title, but it’s feels like it is a missed opportunity. Its retro aesthetic, distinct characters, tactical combat layers, and RPG progression give it personality and charm. But it’s held back by cheap enemy behaviour, sluggish controls, uneven boss design, and a campaign that’s over too quickly. Fans of The Walking Dead show might get more out of this than I did. Side‑scrolling beat ’em ups fans might enjoy a playthrough, but even with the skill tree, light RPG elements, items to find, etc, the longevity just isn’t there. Overall, it’s a decent, occasionally fun brawler that won’t blow you away but won’t waste your time either.

Out now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch for around £17. It’s an okay game, short-lived, fun for maybe one playthrough. But I can’t see myself returning to Streets of Survival after this review.