Licensed products often mark cursed ground for gaming adaptions; time after time they either suffer from a lazy production or are too underwhelming and uninspired to make a lasting impression. The Walking Dead from TellTale however is an exception to this common trend, delivering accessible gameplay and brilliant visuals laced with one of the greatest stories ever told in the medium.
The Walking Dead just like the TV series and the comic is set in a zombie apocalypse where the world has fallen into chaos and the living fight to survive against hordes of flesh-eating zombies. The game falls more in line with the comic and centres on Lee Everett, a convicted murderer who gets a second chance at life as the zombie outbreak begins; he takes a young girl named Clementine under his wing and together they search for safety across the United States, coming across many survivors along the way. The story has everything you’d want from ‘’The Walking Dead’’; there’s tension, drama and some heartfelt moments that may have you in tears. What holds it all together is the characters, who are all well-rounded, varied and relatable; and some you will end up caring for more than others. As they banter, bicker and endure terrible events, Lee will have to make many tough choices which have long lasting ramifications in later episodes and will even transfer into the upcoming season 2; who will you support the most? Who will stay and who will be left behind? How will you look after others, especially Clementine? In terms of storytelling; ‘’The Walking Dead’’ is right up there with ‘’The Last of Us’’ as a fine example of how video gaming stories can and should be able to transcend those seen in movies and even novels.
The Walking Dead takes place across five episodes which follow Lee, Clementine and various other survivors through a journey of survival. Each episode takes them to a new area, introducing new characters and putting them in increasingly desperate situations. The game is broken up into action sequences, light puzzle solving and instances where Lee can wander and interact with other characters. The overall direction of the narrative cannot be changed but the game works in many variables afforded by moral choices; in later episodes your actions may cause your fellow survivors to refuse or even desert Lee. Altogether the five episodes make up about twelve hours of gameplay and you’ll have to play through them all to transfer over into season 2. Yet just like the TV series and the comic, the game makes a real effort to build you up for the next episode and that’s what the game does better than any others of its kind. You’ll come to care for the story so much that you’ll want to press on, salivating over what will happen next. Taken as a full package with the complete story; The Walking Dead is great value and will undoubtedly draw players into its world and story. It’s also worth playing again to see alternative decisions play out.
Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy were two of the first games to create a unique cinematic experience that focused much more on story than gameplay and players who experienced those titles will be able to grasp the game’s controls instantly. They remain consistent throughout the three areas of the game; action sequences utilise quick-time events using both the keys and the mouse, puzzle sections have you seeking out items and using them on certain objects and conversations are handled via the number keys. These mechanics have been done before but The Walking Dead makes marked improvements on the genre. The action sequences are more than just ‘’press this key’’ or ‘’move the mouse this direction’’; Lee will sometimes have to look around the environment for a weak spot to exploit or item to use and this has its risks as well as peeking out or delaying for too long is often fatal. It goes a long way towards keeping control in the player’s hands. The conversation system also has plenty of depth; you may have to choose what to say quickly or not say anything at all, depending on the situation. There isn’t any morality system either; your decisions contribute to how Lee deals with situations and how he is perceived by others; in a similar way to Dragon Age Origins, this is a much more realistic and fluid system as different characters will have their own opinions and perspectives on what Lee does throughout the game. The gameplay of The Walking Dead is simple enough to get into for casual players via the standard option, which spells out choices and gives hints and tips. Hard-core players can go for the minimal option which removes the heads-up-display and keeps them in the dark about decisions and consequences. If there’s one gripe with the gameplay it’s that the difficulty isn’t too challenging; checkpoints fall like the rain and the gameplay doesn’t change all too much. But when the story is this engaging and the controls so responsive, you won’t mind too much.
In addition to its excellent story and easy-to-grasp gameplay, The Walking Dead sports a striking visual look that perfectly complements and ties in with the comic it is based on. The characters, the environments, the gore effects; it looks great running on the graphic novel style look. The soundtrack is suitably creepy, highlighting the tense nature of the game. But by far the best aspect of the presentation is the voice acting; there is not one character in the roster that isn’t well acted. They all show so much emotion, so much pain, and so much anger that you really will care about their struggles in a world gone wrong. In particular the relationship between Lee and Clementine is very strong, building very naturally over the course of the game. As in many games, there will be some graphical glitches where a character appears invisible and the game will pause for a brief moment to load the next story scene but otherwise The Walking Dead is an impressive looking game that does the comic justice.
If you were expecting a big, loud action packed romp from TellTale’s The Walking Dead then you’d be missing the point completely; this is a sombre, emotional and heartfelt adventure which is more than deserving of your attention.