The Walking Dead Season 1 is the third Telltale Game that I have played, following ‘Tales from the Borderlands’ and ‘The Wolf Among Us’, even though it was created before both. I must admit, I think I had put it off for longer than I needed too simply because I was scared. I am obsessed with zombies but I do not play zombie games. At all. I just can’t. However, I did it! And it was one hell of a ride!
Telltale’s TWD is inspired by The Walking Dead graphic novels. It is not canon with the shows, however we do meet some familiar faces. The timeline starts before the comics. We take control of Lee Everett. A convicted murderer who is on his way to prison, but then, the apocalypse happens. We stumble upon and create an unlikely bond with Clementine, a little girl that needs help. Together, we navigate this new world, learning as we go how to cope, who to trust, and most importantly, how to survive.
I had heard great things about this game so, as much as I thought I knew what to expect, I also wasn’t sure if it would live up to the hype. As I was playing the first episode, I wasn’t really enjoying it as much as I had hoped. That all went out of the window in episode two though. That is when the game really picked up for me. The great thing about this game is that it isn’t all action. There is plenty of time to go around the group, asking them questions, getting to know them and taking a breather. But then you can be thrown right into the action where you have to make quick decisions and difficult choices. There was a great balance between the action and the quiet moments that really complimented the story for me.
At the beginning I found the dialogue to be a bit messy, for example, things seemed to escalate into shouting matches faster than they should have, and sometimes the option I pressed didn’t seem to match what was actually said. But as the game went on, I found I loved it more and more. For nearly every question I had in my head there was an option to ask it in the game. Characters would say exactly what I was thinking, unlike TV shows with unrealistic monologues. It’s a fantastic way to be allowed to be really involved in the story.
The characters were great too. Some long term, some for passing visits. Some I loved, some I really hated and some changed my mind. Not everyone you meet in the game has to die which is a welcome change from the TV show, it leaves much appreciated room for ambiguity and wonderment, and potential for future stories.
I felt like I died a lot unnecessarily during the game. Not due to being too slow or pressing the wrong buttons, but due to the controls feeling unresponsive. That is not something I experienced in any of the more recent games so I think it is just due to being an older game model. One time, I made an important decision then died almost immediately after. When I pressed continue I had to make the decision again. I didn’t really like this as in these games, I like that your decision is final when you make it. It feels more authentic when you make the decision in the heat of the moment rather than after reflecting on it. The game was quite glitchy. Sometimes it can freeze for a few seconds after auto-saving (same problem in all Telltale games that I have played so far) and sometimes the graphics wiggle around as if you are shaking the TV. It is a bit weird but it doesn’t happen often enough to make the game unplayable. It just breaks the immersion sometimes.
The episodes of this game felt a lot longer than the other TT games I have played so far. That would be a good thing for most people but I did find myself looking forward to finishing rather than enjoying the ride sometimes. The only reason for this is because – and the same reason that I enjoyed Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us more – of the atmosphere. I really don’t enjoy scary games. It wasn’t a problem for most of the game but there was one certain episode that I didn’t enjoy as much because it was noticeably more spooky than the others. This literally isn’t a problem for anyone else except me so most people can disregard that complaint.
Overall, although it is probably my least favourite of the three I have played at the time of playing, I think I will amend my list to Tales From The Borderlands > The Walking Dead Season 1 > The Wolf Among Us. Although I loved playing The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead story felt superior and has impacted me a lot more. As far as the game goes, the character interaction was great, the game did a great job cutting out unnecessary scenes and it was just generally up there. I have been left feeling suitably creeped out, emotional and a little bit lost. I now have The Walking Dead 400 days DLC to complete before moving onto Season 2!
SPOILERS BELOW! DON’T CONTINUE UNLESS YOU HAVE PLAYED THE FULL GAME
Continue reading “Review – Telltales The Walking Dead Season 1 – PS4”
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