The Walking Dead is a zombie game you have not played before. For starters it was made by Telltale Games who, while great at creating Adventure Games, have never done something quite as mature. Not just mature as in “killing zombies” mature, but as in dealing with harsh situations with the weight they deserve. Tough decisions must be made, people will die, and none of it is going to be pretty.
At its core The Walking Dead is still an Adventure Game. You still have to collect objects, talk to people, and try and sort things out with logic. The main improvement is that none of the puzzles are so zany that you have to just “see what happens” when you have certain items. Everything follows a path that, as long as you are paying attention, will keep you from getting munched on. However, for those times you can not puzzle a zombie to death, violence is a solution.
You will kill zombies in this game but it is not going to be nice. Gore is not something this game will shy away from. Though it is also not something that it will blatantly abuse for shock value. When you kill a zombie it is usually not just a quick trigger pull, you have to commit to bashing a skull to pieces. This is not your “run and gun” zombie game, nothing is easy and every encounter could be your last.
Droolers are not your only enemy in this game. Along your travels you will meet people that could be your friends, depending on what you say. You will also come across people that will not be your friends, no matter what you say. You may even meet some familiar faces. Regardless, everyone, including your character Lee, has emotional problems that have to be dealt with just as tenderly as a zombie encounter.
The writing in this game is done in such a way that all that emotion baggage is believable. People are not just boiled down to stereotypical archetypes. People actually feel like, well, people. Everyone has a past and an an actual personality. That means that when tough choices have to be made it is excruciating.
It should be noted that not all of the believability is because of great writing. This game has the most polished animation in a Telltale game to date. Characters move with a touch of subtlety that really brings their anguish to life. Not only that but the art style is very consistent throughout the entire game. It has sort of a comic book style that just a few steps down from a cel-shaded game. While most of the textures are well crafted there are several instances, especially with the zombies, of “muddy textures.” The rest of the game is just so polished that these patters stick out like a sore thumb.
The last real thing that needs discussing is the sense of place this game provides. From the very beginning there are bits of the world being leaked in from the sides. The wold that has been recreated in such a believable way. While having The Walking Dead comic books as inspiration definitely helps Telltale should also be commended as well. There have been other zombie games, with other well made world. Not one of them has ever made me cringe in the same way I did in this game. The tension, remorse, and emptiness that this game was able to convey was astounding.
The Walking Dead Episode 1 is a step in the right direction, not just for the series but for the Adventure Game genre as a whole. There was obvious care given to every piece of this game. The few problems this game has, framerate hiccups and mussy textures, are far outweighed by the excellence of everything else. While other games focus on the glorification if the eventual zombie apocalypse this game shows us just how bad things really will be. Time will tell how the rest of the series turns out but as far as Episode 1 is concerned, get it.
Telltale has done an amazing job with The Walking Dead. Throughout it all I felt totally immersed in the game and it was one of the few that truly got the adrenaline pumping. While I did encounter a few glitches they did not detract too greatly from the game and it still is one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time. This is also a game that shows the true side of a Zombie Apocalypse. Telltale did an amazing job in showing the fear, the remorse, and the overall sense of distress that would encompass you during an apocalypse. Anyone who is a fan of Zombie, RPG’s, The Walking Dead, Telltale, or having a good time should certainly pick up Episode 1 of The Walking Dead game. Recommended.
