Rating: 8.5
AMC hit series The Walking Dead returns this Sunday, and I admit I am more than a little hooked on the show. I was looking to fill the void as I waited for February 10th to get here. So it was time to check out what TellTale had to offer in the Zombie department. Being more than familiar with TellTale, I wasn’t sure what to expect as Walking Dead seemed to be far different from the standard point and click.
Story
The storyline became an instant hook for me. While you don’t play any of the main characters from the TV series, you still get to interact with them and visit familiar locations. Though it needs to be noted that this follows the comic book rather then the TV series.
I’ll do my best not to spoil the story just enough to tease you to get started. You play as Lee Everett, details on your background are vague but you start the game in the back of a Police Car. The only thing you know is you were arrested for murder. Being confined to the back of a Police Car seemed like a very interesting way of delving into the overall feeling of being in what some might deem the apocalypse. There is an area of confinement and you don’t really have control over what’s happening, you just have to ride it out. As the story progresses you are introduced to Clementine, a child who you’ve taken into your guardianship. Although you aren’t her father, you have to look out for her in the coming events.
The introduction of Clementine rang a bell from Bioshock 2. There was this overwhelming need to protect the child, and being a new parent this hits a little close to home. It really added an extra element of caring about how the story progresses. While in other titles you essentially play either the Good or Bad Guy, Clementine gives you a reason for you wanting things to work out well.
Gameplay
I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, having played a bit of Jurassic Park from TellTale games, I was hoping for a bit of a hybrid. Kinda like Heavy Rain with its elements of Point and Click, but at the core of the title it had plenty of action. What the game does well is balance the two, there are plenty of action sequences but they aren’t your standard Quick Time Events. Instead, when a Zombie attacks you, you take your cursor and mouse over the areas you want to strike. The cursor also doesn’t start in an attack area so there is an element of helplessness that really scares you. Also, not every area where you can strike is the correct one.
When action sequences aren’t taking place, the game shifts into a hybrid point and click. Whereas instead of a straight point and click, you maneuver your character around looking for items to help you in your current situation. This was the only gameplay I didn’t quite care for. Your character lacks a run button, which really took away from the urgency of situations. The only other aspect of this was the item combinations, it took me a while to realize what I would use a Pillow for, especially against a zombie.
Graphics
The art style of the game closely follows that of the comic book. All the characters and backgrounds have a very graphic novel vibe to them. While the original source material was in black & white, the color goes for a more muted color palette. This gives a very nice look to the game. On the Xbox 360 it felt like the game lagged a bit, but nothing so bad as to take away from the overall aesthetics. There is a very good use of both color and lighting to the game, really giving it that oh so creepy vibe. It was also nice to the contrast between day and night.
Sound
With sound it was a tough call. While I did at times enjoy the soundtrack, there were times when I really wish Bear McCreary worked on it. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really nice pieces to the game, but it just felt a little removed from the TV series. I think this was the purpose of the music style as the game does follow the comic book. When it came to SFX, this game really did its homework. The zombies sounded like zombies, but there seemed to be a special amount of detail payed towards the dismemberment.
It’s almost a given that the voice acting would be great. TellTale is more than well known for their quality in voice talent. That being said, be prepared for F-bombs to drop as everyone minus the kids curse in this game. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this, not to be a prude, but it felt a little over the top. Then again I always came back to “there’s flippin Zombies out there” so it would make sense that everyone would cuss. Anywho, voice acting was top notch and each character really brought their own.
Overall
Whether you’re a fan of the Comic or the TV Show, I think you’ll get a kick out of the game. It really brings a lot of elements of both to make a nice title. That being said, be prepared as this isn’t your standard TellTale title, it’s really dark and there’s a ton of cursing. Let’s just say it stays pretty close to the source material.