With a more ominous plot and better pacing, Starved for Help is significant leap forward from the first episode.
With the conclusion of The Walking Dead: Episode 1- A New Day, I pondered how the rest of the episodes would turn out and what the fates of the so far well-developed characters would be. While the first episode was good start, I was also hoping for more. After a fairly long wait, Episode 2 delivers with more grittiness, more impact on decisions made both past and present, and an increasingly great cast of characters complete with unique personalities coincided with solid scripting for each of them. Additionally, the plot is considering more interesting than the previous episode.
Starved for Help takes a three month gap occurs between the events of the last episode. Not much is explained at first of the events that have taken place in that time-frame, but there is a new member by the name of Mark that has accompanied the small group. The episode starts out with a walk in the woods that quickly leads to a panicky decision that must be made. One way or another, it results in consequences and hostilities within the group. The plot thickens throughout the episode after two brothers offer to help the group out with their short food supply in exchange for some gasoline. Events from there on out slowly get from better to worse.
Dialogue with characters and other actions still have a profound effect in how they feel about Lee. Choices made from the previously episode carry over in a smooth transition. Those who didn't get along with Lee in Episode 1 will still feel the same way about him. Very specific incidents regarding what was said in the first episode may be brought up by some of the characters in this one. A certain character living instead of another one from the previous episode alters some parts of the story notably. It's great to see the experience continue in the same fashion it was last left in. Relationships between Lee and some members of the group may also alter drastically throughout Episode 2. You never know exactly how someone is going to react to dialogue choices made in almost every instance. In one situation, having to hand out a small amount of food to only a few members of the entire group can anger some individuals based off the decisions that were made.
One issue I had with the first episode of The Walking Dead was the slow pace. Starved for Help does well in suppressing that problem. While obviously not fast paced overall, it does move around quicker and doesn't keep you tied to one spot for too long. There is less lollygagging and being forced to do superfluous tasks. There are still a few instances of where it may not be completely clear as to what has to be done next, but it's less of a concern than it was in Episode 1. The plot in Episode 2 moves forward more smoothly as well and leads to more exciting outcomes.
Some problems still evident in Starved for Help is the limited view and technical quirks. The limited view and at times the awkward navigation likely won't be going anywhere in future episodes, but they minor issues that are easy to get past. The performance faults are however more of a dilemma. The game continues to stutter and make small pauses between scenes. It may be an inevitable re-occurrence in the future as well, but it does deter from the otherwise immersive experience occasionally. The positive aspects are still enough to outweigh these detrimental factors however.
While the first episode was good, Episode 2 does several things better. The plot, while perhaps more predictable, is considerably more hooking due to it's darker nature. Brutal scenes intensify the graveness of some situations. The pacing is improved, and in all it simply was easier to enjoy. Player choices are still difficult to make, and playing through the episode is still an engaging experience. Those who enjoyed the first episode will undoubtedly like this one, and those who wanted more will get more. Starved for Help, like the first episode, will only take about two hours to complete, but in that duration of time it's almost impossible to pause the unfolding developments as they happen. The Walking Dead: Episode 2- Starved for Help is a great step forward for the series and sets a higher bar for what to expect from the remaining episodes.