Meaningful decisions and harrowing encounters lead to a fine opener for The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead video game follows Lee Everett, a man whose arrest and police transport is stopped short by a wandering undead. After the police car crashes, Lee discovers a young girl named Clementine in a local neighborhood, someone was able to survive the zombie onslaught in her treehouse. Lee and Clementine meet up with some fellow survivors and begin their new life evading the looming zombie horde. The different characters that Lee meets (or even befriends) end up making impressive marks on the storyline. The drama and character relationships are the main attraction in The Walking Dead, and while some roles are bound to be more enticing than others, the way that the drama of the television series translates so well to the video game medium makes the entire experience a treat. It's a well-paced and captivating adventure that will get your blood pumping.
The game follows the Telltale tradition of being a point-and-click game with occasional quick-time-events sprinkled throughout. Players can gather items to solve puzzles, complete objectives, or more creatively, reinforce relationships between Lee and the other characters. Players get movement controls like an action game, but they also control a cursor to interact with characters and the environment. Though it can feel a small bit limited at times, the controls are fluid enough and clever enough to stay away from obstruction. The most interesting part of The Walking Dead is the dynamic dialogue choices. When answering a question or interacting with significant story events, Lee is given a selection of responses. While this may not sound particularly innovative, Telltale carefully made it so each response affects later choices in the game. If you choose an answer praising a person's character, they will remember it, which can affect future responses or decisions. The choices are also ambiguous enough to be less predictable than in other games of its type.
The Walking Dead game adaptation, like the comic book series and television show, isn't focused on blasting zombie skulls and mowing down the horde, Resident Evil or Dead Rising style. The game is mostly honed on communication, teamwork and survival. The very few amounts of action sequences are mostly quick-time-events that do more to further the dramatic storyline than tear up the undead. There is a surprising amount of tension in these moments, which builds up considerably when the player is forced to make intense decisions within a brief period of time. The impact of these decisions gives the game a unique vibe, one where you really feel like your actions are purposeful when surviving the zombie apocalypse. Telltale has crafted a game that, even with its gruesome aesthetics, gives lasting purpose to the player's actions and motives.
Though the first episode of The Walking Dead, A New Day, will last only a couple of hours, the replayability is fueled by a captivating story. If you pick one choice the first time, you'll more than likely want to replay the game to see alternative decisions and their effects. Character relations are constantly strained; consequences are amorphous and tough to predict. Players can compare their decisions to the rest of the online community after completing the first episode as well. But it's the dialogue that really will keep you playing. Seeing a positive (or negative) reaction from a long-time friend has plenty of lasting appeal, more than enough to satisfy interested gamers until the second episode is released. A cheap price of only $5 U.S. is just icing on the cake.
The Walking Dead's roots come from the popular comic book and Telltale does a respectable job of making the game look and feel like its source material. The game's visual aesthetic follows past Telltale games like Back to the Future, with characters having cartoony, but expressive animations and designs. The game does have a few technical hitches, though. Frequent freezes between cutscenes and invisible walls are obnoxious. The game also has a tendency to render a bit later than when cutscenes start. To counteract the hit-or-miss visuals, the voice acting is absolutely stellar. Characters are believably written and performed, especially in the more emotional moments. The incredibly high number of responses and reactions are also impressive. On the whole, The Walking Dead is a fine adaptation of the comic and television series, one that delivers a rugged and believable environment with plenty of relationships and character dynamics to explore.
The Walking Dead's game adaptation series is off to a great start. Though the technical marks and somewhat short length will discourage some gamers, Telltale has brought The Walking Dead into a field that few other series of its kind have tread. The high amount of dialogue and great amount of distinctive, meaningful characters will resonate with both fans of the series and those looking for a new zombie world to explore. It's absolutely astonishing seeing how the decisions the player makes have such enormous effects on the rest of the game. It's rewarding to see your actions have interesting consequences, especially when so much is on the line in The Walking Dead. Whether you're a long-time Walking Dead fan or just someone looking for a spin on the zombie or point-and-click adventure genres, Telltale's adaptation is sure to keep you interested.