Walking Dead
“The Walking Dead: Our World” is set for a Q2 2018 release. Reuters/Sergio Moraes

Fans of AMC’s “Walking Dead” are in for a treat when Next Games finally launches its “The Walking Dead: Our World” mobile game this year. The upcoming iOS/Android game will apparently utilize Google Maps in providing a pretty accurate location-based user experience.

According to Next Games, Google Maps will be the one to provide location data to its “Walking Dead” mobile game. This is a good thing because the game could benefit from the regular updates Google Maps is having. For example, when changes in a certain area are drastic, they’ll also be seen in the mobile game. “When new buildings or roads are built, they’ll be in the game, creating an immersive and realistic experience tied to the players’ location,” the developer said, as per Eurogamer.

Real world location is an important facet of the game, for it is running on augmented reality technology. This means players will have to use their smartphone camera to view the virtual walkers in the game. This is, of course, crucial to the gameplay that requires players to battle zombies wherever they are. “Fight walkers on the streets, in the park, on your sofa, wherever and whenever you feel like it,” Next Games said when it released the first official trailer for the game.

On Wednesday, Next Games gave a sneak peek at the official gameplay of “Walking Dead: Our World.” The short 30-second clip was posted on the developer’s official YouTube channel. It shows how walkers and different “Walking Dead” characters register in the mobile game when users point their phones at certain places. Also visible in the video are the different weapons players can use in gunning down their enemies.

When the game was announced in August of last year, many fans quickly compared it to Niantic’s “Pokémon Go” because of its augmented reality-based mechanism. Instead of throwing Poké Balls, players will have access to firearms from their viewpoint. Hence, the game is more of a first-person shooter that’s just been enhanced to mirror real-world locations.

For fans who are anticipating the release of “The Walking Dead: Our World,” there’s no word on its official release date yet. Next Games has just scheduled it to hit iOS and Android devices in the second quarter. With the launch of the gameplay trailer though, it’s obvious that the developer will soon give the specific date anytime soon.