I recently played through the first episode of The Walking Dead game, developed by Telltale Games and I have to say, I was pretty surprised. Telltale Games is best known for the Sam and Max franchise or the more recent Back to the Future series which are both solid games and fun to play but don't deliver a truly great experience overall. The Walking Dead is a different case though; a compelling story, great writing, interesting characters and fun gameplay are all key ingredients that make The Walking Dead the best title done by Telltale Games yet.
Most fans of The Walking Dead would probably assume the story follows the comics or the show but in fact, Telltale has constructed a unique story set during the same zombie apocalypse seen through the eyes of some different survivors. You will play as Lee Everett, a convict with a dark past which is revealed throughout the events of the first game. Lee is a great character and perhaps one of the most compelling elements of the game was discovering his past and watching him interact with other characters. I really felt a connection when I played as Lee and I quickly grew to like him. The game begins with Lee handcuffed in the back of a cop car driving away from Atlanta, as emergency vehicles speed toward the doomed city. Lee and the officer fail to realize all the commotion as they have a casual conversation. Without spoiling to much, the car loses control, freeing Lee and he is left to fend for himself among the army of the dead.
Lee teams up with an inquisitive young girl by the name of Clementine, who has been separated from her family and bands together with other survivors throughout the first episode. what I quickly realized while playing is that, The Walking Dead isn't your typical post-apocalyptic zombie game. You won't be toting around an arsenal of weapons and taking out hordes of zombies, instead Telltale is focusing on a character driven narrative very similar to the comics or the show itself. The story of the game almost feels as though it was lifted from the pages of the graphic novels themselves, especially with the comic book art styled graphics which looked great. Unlike most zombie themed games, the most entertaining aspect of The Walking Dead comes in the dialogue, which challenges players to make sometimes difficult choices. In conversations, players are prompted with several responses; your responses are timed however. If you fail to respond in time, characters will assume you prefer silence or someone could even end up dead.
Your choices throughout the game will decide who your loyalty lies with, who trusts you, and who lives and who dies. Your choices can change the story dramatically and you'll find yourself getting a little more pressured in some more confrontational encounters, where your choices bear even greater weight and things can quickly escalate out of control if you aren't careful. Characters take note of your choices as well, remembering when you side with them or when you don't back them up and there's no doubt these choices will have ramifications in the episodes still to come. A well developed cast of characters ensures you'll have some great personalities to interact with no matter who lives or dies. You can also expect to see a few familiar faces from the comics as well. The voice acting isn't amazing but is leagues better than what has been presented in some triple A titles and still offered some great performances, especially on Lee's part who turned out to be the best and most believable.
Puzzle sequences balance out the heavy narrative based gameplay and all offer unique solutions that take some real time paired with some item gathering. I was reminded of the Lucas Arts game, Grim Fandango when I played through many of these sequences which I thoroughly enjoyed. These puzzle sequences will require you to distract zombie hordes, use unconventional items to take out a few walkers or gain access to locked or blocked off areas. What I enjoyed most was that the solutions were never clear cut and require players to consider all these different items and all the possible ways they can be utilized. The only thing I didn't like about the exploration or item gathering sequence of the puzzle, was that it did at times feel a little too simple. Exploration offers few rewards but there are some items you should be careful not to overlook that reveal some story details. I just felt that looking around in the different environments yielded small results and I would have liked to see more interaction with the different settings.
While the story and puzzle sequences of The Walking Dead are very entertaining, the action stumbles a bit. Don't expect much from the action since it's very similar to quick-time events and involves little more than hovering over the zombie and making a single button press. Combat is simple and the least entertaining aspect of the game. At times you'll make a kill that feels empowering but most zombie take-downs are pretty dull and usually end with the old ax or hammer in the skull.
Despite the rough edges on the combat though, the game really did impress me with it's other gameplay aspects and plot which featured some great writing and interesting characters. The game has a great vibe and for the 3 to 4 hours it takes to beat the first episode, it makes for an entertaining experience. Whether you're a fan of the books or the show, The Walking Dead game has a unique story and cast that anyone should enjoy. I'm already pretty excited to get started on the second episode and I'll be downloading it the day it's available. Telltale offers a 'season pass' which allows you to download each of the five episodes for only $20 on either the PS3, Xbox 360, or PC.
