Played on Xbox One (base)

Developed by Telltale Games

Released 24th April 2012

Back in 2011, Telltale announced their deal with Robert Kirkman, of The Walking Dead fame, to make a game set in such a world. Throughout development, Kirkman provided oversight as to what would work in both the world he created and Telltale's game. According to Kirkman, Telltale approached him with a proposal: "decision-making and consequences rather than ammunition gathering or jumping over things." The proposal's emphasis on the survival aspect of the comics, and the need for the player to make choices between two bad options sold him on the project, especially as he was a fan of Telltale's narrative design like in their game "Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People". With the cinematic influence of Heavy Rain and Uncharted, the choice-based gameplay of Mass Effect, and cues from Game of Thrones & Mad Men for character writing, Kirkman perfectly summarises the final product of this game: "Holy shit guys, you did it".

Story

The story of this fantastic journey is both engaging and memorable. From the very beginning of the game, you play as Lee Everett, a convicted killer on his way to prison, when suddenly, the zombie apocalypse starts and he manages to break out. During the early hours of such chaos, Lee encounters a young girl named Clementine and tasks himself with protecting her from the outbreak. Every episode deals with what the real world would really turn into. Cannibals, gangs, issues of famine and more, all while delivering its own experience and story that the player gets caught up in. The pacing is perfect, never once did I feel like things needed to slow down or speed up. Despite it being a simple story of Lee protecting Clementine, it does not fall short on its climactic moments and depressing events that brought me tears for each of the three times I experienced the narrative.

Gameplay

While the gameplay is less exploration and more dialogue, that doesn't mean it's bad. One of my favourite things to do in worlds that I get invested in is to explore more of it through dialogue. This game does just that. Once you're hooked in from the first out of 5 episodes, you get to interact with characters and based on what you say, your relationships differ. The dialogue is a minimal change within the bonds you develop, as the huge impact choices are what matter - sort of. The choices you make, don't have an impact on the story; if you choose to save someone, they're going to die regardless and you're going to have to realise that you can't change others' fates. But because the choices don't affect the narrative and its progress, that doesn't mean they do nothing. This game is a lot more of relationship building and breaking apart and as such, the big-deal choices impact those instead. You can either be the group's best leader at the cost of being a neglectful protector of Clementine, or a ruthless survivor at the cost of being a threat to the group. The dialogue and interactions with these personalities, present some difference in a character's attitude but are used more as judgemental weight on the player. Outside of the costly choices you make, the game is also a point-and-click. While you walk around at the slowest possible speed, you can interact with objects, characters and more. Some moments expertly use this point-and-click, while others are used as a break from the cutscene gameplay. Overall, I wasn't bored throughout and I enjoyed the small world-building that occurred.

Characters

The characters are the best. I got to experience different sides of each and I'm glad that I did, even some of the more annoying characters deliver a great human-like performance, especially when they reach their breaking point like Ben. Characters that are more major like Clementine, Kenny, Lee, Christa and more, are more complex and enjoyable to listen to and talk to as you shape their understanding of yourself. The performances for voice acting are incredible, the character development and writing are top-notch and I absolutely love this game.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere, like the rest of the game, is once again great but not flawless. The comic book art style is truly brought to life in this game, through lighting, design and more. The harmonic and hard-hitting soundtrack is what brings this game to life. Through the music and sound effects, several moments are illustrated as fantastic and presented to the player like masterpieces. The game isn't without its flaws. Episodes one and two, are where I encountered most of the bugs, like the camera angle not moving with me, unable to interact with things and cutscenes throughout had to freeze halfway through several times just to finish loading the rest of it.

 Story - 10/10

Gameplay - 8/10

Characters - 9.5/10

Atmosphere - 9.5/10

400 Days DLC

The game also offers a 6th episode in the form of DLC. While the episode itself is lacklustre and a fall in quality from the main game, I still recommend playing it if you find yourself becoming a hardcore TWD fan. The episode plays out with 5 different segments with 5 different characters. Each segment is orchestrated differently, using varying mechanics and relationships for you to get invested in. However, due to the short length, unimpressive introduction to most of the characters and their personalities falling flat, I couldn't find myself getting hooked and having a motive to keep playing other than the sake of completing it. It still offers a great soundtrack and in-depth point'n'click but the story and characters are what disappoint.

Story - 5/10

Gameplay - 8/10

Characters - 5/10

Atmosphere - 9.5/10

—Mediocre—