The Walking Dead is the kind of franchise that leaves its fans wanting more. Undoubtedly, someone in the fandom has calculated precisely how many hours one could spend consuming content from TWD universe. Better yet, someone out there has likely hit that mark or at least approached it.
The quest sounds attractive, as does the notion of actively shaping the story. Where better to start than with The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series? A note on hours spent with these stories, at least 18 have been dedicated in preparation of this analysis – all of them utterly captivating.
Of course, that fact alone is not a departure from the main series show and its spin-offs. Then what, besides the difference in medium, sets the video games apart as an unforgettably immersive experience?
The Walking Dead games stand out among the herd – and that’s a good thing
The most critical factor is what the games didn’t do. All too often, adaptations fall flat when held up to their predecessors – that goes doubly for those of the video game variety. The risk of fan disappointment is greater, in many cases, than the reward.
For fans who want more of their favorite characters and continuations of gripping plot lines, the task of providing a familiar experience as seen with new eyes is a tall order, and the inevitable let-down has become old hat.
Conversely, to successfully endear a player to new characters and their obstacles, a host of criteria must be met, and met under the constraint of pushing the game to market during peak relevance.
Fortunately for all of us, Telltale Games has not only sidestepped the pitfall, but they have managed to elevate our trek through the world of the walkers. Rather than depleting the fan’s investment in familiar characters, they gave us new characters with compelling and dynamic attributes. Rather than dropping us into a show-adjacent story, they set up a fresh series of events (although the occasional nod to the show was not off-putting).
The greatest impact of these games comes from the way they force the player’s hand into making difficult decisions. For those of us wanting to see how we stack up against the leadership of “Officer Friendly,” season 1 provides no shortage of time-sensitive opportunities.
What necessary stressors the game lacks in the way of combat mechanics, it certainly makes up for with the high-pressure decision-making that will be consequential for companion characters. If the timer under the dialogue options doesn’t add some glisten to the player’s brow, the constant reminders of consequences just might.
"Clementine will remember that."The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series
Fans of interactive narratives will have plenty of reasons to keep forging ahead, and may even feel inclined to play through season 1 a second time. (It should be noted that at the time of this article’s publishing, only one playthrough has been achieved; therefore, the consequences of alternate decisions are yet unknown.)
As Rick Grimes knew well, taking charge never allows for pleasing everyone – or in this case, saving everyone – and the possibilities that arise from that fact make Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead all the more enticing.
Each episode gives a reason for the player to come back for more stressful encounters – an impressive feat for a game’s opening chapter, especially. Here’s why episode 1 made a strong first impression.
“A New Day”
Having gone into the game with no knowledge of the specifics, its introduction of a new character was quite welcomed. Better yet, it took less than a minute to be fully invested in his journey.
With the first few opportunities to speak as Lee Everett, it was clear that he would be a dynamic protagonist. We find him leaving Atlanta, Georgia in the back of a prison-bound patrol car. His demeanor is cool and confident, having come to terms with his reality.
Following the car’s crash at the edge of a forest, Lee is quickly confronted with the reanimation of his assigned officer. Thus, the combat system is defined. With many zombie survival games, the player has more agency in their method of undead termination.
For better or for worse, the options in this game are rather limited. Given the previously mentioned decision fatigue players are constantly met with, the simplicity of the combat mechanics may just be one of the game’s advantages.
Next, Lee finds safety in a seemingly abandoned home and quickly gains the company of its only living occupant, an 8-year-old girl called Clementine. Shortly thereafter, the player is met with their first couple of decisions, and very little time to make them.
First, will Lee favor truth over emotional sensitivity with Clem? Then, will they seek help while they’ve still got daylight, or will they take advantage of the greater cover provided by the dark hours?
The stakes for the former are not immediately obvious. Clem seems like a capable kid, but how much of the new norm can she reasonably contend with? The latter decision, however, seems to carry greater weight on the surface. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages where thwarting danger is concerned.
Thus, the player has their first taste of the leader complex. For the rest of the game’s season, decisions will fall into either of these two categories. Those of the first type will determine who Lee’s allies will be, and those of the second will determine their fates.
The next opportunity – or responsibility – has players choosing to protect either Hershel’s son, Shawn, or Duck, the son of Lee’s new companions, Kenny and Katjaa. It turns out that either option yields the same result, which makes for an oddly satisfying way to receive details on Shawn’s death that were omitted in the show. (A note here on the game’s canon; it aligns with the comics, according to their creator, Robert Kirkman, but not with the show.)
Understandably salty about the fate of his son, Hershel kicks Lee and company off his farm, sending them on their way to Macon and a new host of characters, who are holed up in a pharmacy. From here, players must make some heavy and fate-altering choices.
By now, we’ve gleaned a few details of Lee’s past. He was a history teacher in Athens. His conviction was for the murder of a state senator who was sleeping with his wife. Macon was his home, in which his family owned and operated the very pharmacy the gang occupies.
How truthful should the player choose to be with Lee’s new companions? One of them is a reporter who expresses harmless intentions. But people of the dangerous new world often do present a false sense of morality.
Then there’s the recurring issue of trusting Clementine with whole truths. Not to suggest that she would betray Lee, but would it be wise to test her trust of Lee so soon?
It seems at this point as though the episode title, “A New Day,” is apt for multiple reasons. Though the world as he knew it is gone, Lee has been given another chance to be a man he can respect – and a free man at that.
Thrust into a leadership role, he now has opportunities for redemption where the lives of others are concerned. Newly cast as a father figure, he will undoubtedly think about his actions in a new way.
This is one of the most compelling aspects of Lee’s character. Although many will see him only as a murderer (as would have been the case pre-apocalypse), this new life affords him a space to make a different kind of mark on the world. Granted, that’s only if the player opts for that path.
Or is it yesterday again?
It is possible to steer Lee in a more ruthless direction, which only adds flavor to the gameplay. In a second playthrough, the idea of playing in such a way that Lee succumbs to the new world order does sound intriguing.
There are a few characters who challenge Lee and the peaceful order he seems inclined to maintain. Should a player decide to align Lee with the likes of Lilly and her father, Larry, it becomes clear to the other characters that Lee’s priority is becoming a man of the new world rather than a man intent on shaping it.
Lilly and Larry act in their own interests time and time again, creating rifts in the group. Siding with them early in the game might set Lee up for more brutish acts in the following episodes.
The task of the first episode, other than merely surviving humanity’s newest threat, is to decide which path Lee will traverse. Will he do anything to protect his life and Clementine’s? Will he claim what’s there for the taking with no consideration for who will go without? Will he, with a one-track mind like Shane’s, kill to protect what’s his?
There will be opportunities to withhold information, shamelessly loot, and end the lives of those who pose a threat. Who’s to say which is the better path in this game of survival? The only clear answer is that it depends on the player’s goals.
How do you choose?
No matter the path chosen, the beauty of this game is in the urgency with which these choices must be made and in following those actions to their conclusions. Many games carry the “choices matter” tag, but they don’t always carry the immediate pressure of making those calls. They don’t always show the clear disappointment on another character’s face when the decision doesn’t go their way.
What’s more, the stakes in this game make those disappointed faces harder to bear. Take for instance, the way the game forces Lee to save only one of two characters in peril. The resulting conversation for one of those characters is a punch in the gut:
"How did you choose? We both needed you… you picked me…I just wish we both could have made it, you know?"Carley, The Telltale Series
Perhaps the only consolation the player, and Lee, can expect is as Glenn puts it:
"I’d rather make the wrong call and know than make the right call and not."Glenn, The Telltale Series
Be it blessing or curse, we won't wait long to know in our gut whether we made the right call. If not, our benefit as players is that we can always try again.