Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Xbox Games With Gold features The Walking Dead, Valiant Hearts in October

By

xbox games with gold october walking dead gwg1015 header
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The first season of Telltale Games’ episodic adventure game series The Walking Dead will be available as a free download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers in October, Microsoft’s Major Nelson announced.

In a first for the Games With Gold program, both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 editions of The Walking Dead will be available for free in the same month, giving players on both platforms the chance to experience Telltale’s acclaimed series.

Originally released as a series of downloadable episodes throughout 2012, The Walking Dead is a choice-driven adventure game in which players must forge alliances with fellow survivors in the wake of a zombie outbreak. Player actions and choices are reflected throughout the game’s first season, and decisions made in early episodes have far-reaching consequences.

Related

Telltale followed up with a second season of The Walking Dead in 2014, continuing starring character Clementine’s journey. A third season is currently in development alongside ongoing Telltale projects based on the television series Game of Thrones and 2K’s first-person shooter franchise Borderlands.

The Xbox One version of Ubisoft’s Valiant Hearts will also launch as a free download in October for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Taking place during World War I, Valiant Hearts features multiple playable characters who each must weather wartime challenges and hardship.

Gameplay in Valiant Hearts unfolds throughout a series of 2D vignettes that frequently swap out playable characters and settings. Players progress by solving environmental puzzles and interacting with other characters in a style similar to classic point-and-click adventure games.

Also up for grabs in October is the Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Serving as a prelude chapter to the recently released Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes tells a brief story that directly follows up on the events of 2010’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The Xbox One edition of Ground Zeroes previously launched as a featured Games With Gold freebie earlier this year.

Valiant Hearts will be available as a free download throughout the month of October, while the Xbox One version of The Walking Dead will be free to download between October 16th and November 15th. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will be free on the Xbox 360 between October 1st and October 15th, and 360 players can download The Walking Dead from October 16th through October 31st.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
All Xbox One games with mouse and keyboard support
The protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla shouting in battle and wielding two axes.

While the last-gen Xbox One isn't as powerful as the Xbox Series X, it's still a worthwhile console and has a huge library of great games.

If you're looking to stay competitive while playing online multiplayer games versus next-gen console and PC players or are just looking to avoid some wonky console interface that's difficult to navigate, you may want to try using a keyboard and mouse with your Xbox One. A keyboard and mouse will give you better precision than your standard Xbox One controller so you can keep up in cross-platform games without shelling out money for a top gaming PC.

Read more
With Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, Netflix finds its video game voice
The playable characters of Valiant Hearts: Coming Home all standing together.

As we are in the earliest stages of Netflix’s foray into the games, the company is still trying to discover what a “Netflix game” really feels like. We’ve seen ports of fun console beat ’em ups and enjoyable puzzle games, but I don't feel that those really define the platform’s emerging identity. Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, on the other hand, does. A sequel to a 2014 narrative adventure game set during World War I, it's a thoughtful and emotional journey that naturally reflects some of the film and TV content available on Netflix.
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix
It’s both highly educational and a solid sequel to one of Ubisoft’s most underrated games. Like Before Your Eyes, narrative is a clear priority, as is the distinct visual style that would work even if this was a traditional animated show. Netflix is known for evolving prestige TV and defining what storytelling in a streaming-focused series could be, so it would benefit from giving its exclusive games a similar focus. Valiant Hearts: Coming Home might not be a perfect game, but it’s a solid example of what a premier Netflix game could look like in the future.
War stories
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, like its predecessor Valiant Hearts: The Great War, is a narrative-focused adventure game that hops between several stories from soldiers (and a medic) who served during World War I. Familiarity with the first game is helpful, as some characters reappear, but not necessary as the sequel tells a new story mainly focused on the Harlem Hellfighters, a group that fought with the French after the U.S. joined the conflict. It’s a story about the horrors of war and the family and friendships that wither through it all that focuses more on human stories rather than the bloody combat that games typically like to highlight. 
While its story doesn’t feel quite as intertwined as The Great War’s, Coming Home is still enlightening, shining light on parts of the war that aren’t typically covered in your standard history class. I’d even recommend it as a good entry point for kids learning about World War I, especially because the game features plenty of collectible objects and facts that allow players to learn more about the battle. Like the best content on Netflix, it’s a creatively rich and additive experience.
It does all that with a minimalist style, as its characters speak in pantomime, only saying a word or two as a narrator eventually cuts in to fill in narrative blanks or give context on the state of the war. While it might seem disrespectful to represent such a brutal war in a cartoonish manner, the horrific moments stand out all the more clearly as a result. One particularly memorable set piece doesn’t contain any dialogue. It has the player walking across the bottom of the sea as you see bodies and ships from the Battle of Jutland sink to the seafloor. It’s equally awe-inspiring and horrifying, bolstered by Coming Home’s distinct visual style.

The gorgeous 2D art is colorful, looks hand-drawn, and almost feels kid-friendly despite how grave the subject matter it’s portraying is. Netflix is home to some great animation, so it would also make sense for that artistry to apply to its games. On the gameplay front, Coming Home is comparatively simple. Players use touch controls to easily walk around, climb, and interact with objects throughout the game to solve simple puzzles. Occasionally, some minigames with unique mechanics, like treating and patching up soldiers’ wounds, spice up the game. It is approachable in design and never particularly complicated, but that also means the gameplay never gets in the way of its storytelling and art.
The biggest downside to is that it’s regularly interrupted by loading screens. Even though they were very brief on my Google Pixel 7XL, they dampened some scenes’ artistic and emotional flow.
What makes a Netflix game? 
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home is a beautiful narrative-focused game that feelsat home on Netflix. It demonstrates how titles with compelling stories can be just as engaging on a phone as they are on PC and consoles. That mentality is a perfect match for a platform that made a name for itself mostly through serialized, story-driven TV shows and movies, and now also offers games with strong stories like Desta: The Memories Between, Before Your Eyes, and Immortality. 

Read more
November’s Game Pass lineup brings PC hit Vampire Survivors to console
Screenshot of a horde of monsters attacking in Vampire Survivors.

The first batch of titles coming to Game Pass in November have been revealed, including the console debut of Vampire Survivors, as well as two more Walking Dead games and Return to Monkey Island.

Of the 10 titles coming to the service, notable entries include the first console port of Vampire Survivors, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier and The Walking Dead: Michonne, Return to Monkey Island, and a slew of day-one launches. Vampire Survivors is particularly notable as this is the first time it has been available on a platform other than PC.

Read more