The Walking Dead: Episode 2 Review
The Walking Dead series has proven to be a monumental hit, evolving well beyond its initial run as a monthly comic book. Having its own board game and expanding into a T.V. series now running into its third season, it was only natural that it take the next step in entertainment by becoming a video game.
Video game adaptions of popular franchises happen all the time, but TellTale Games’ The Walking Dead episodic saga has proven to stand above the rest in terms of story and overall quality. Episode 1: A New Day was not just another attempt at milking money from the fans, it actually stood toe-to-undead toe with some of the narratives from AAA titles out there. Episode 2: Starved for Help is no exception.
STORY
We find our survivors still living in the abandoned motel we left them in the first episode. They’ve done their best to fortify their new home, but they’re starting to face the struggles people are soon to encounter in an apocalypse. It all centers around a food shortage, forcing you to make some tough decisions from the very beginning. This foreshadows just how much more difficult the choices down the road will be, with new players being thrown into the mix that play a key role in the fate of the survivors.
If you’re not new to the zombie craze, especially if you’ve read The Walking Dead comics, you can already see the direction the game takes mid-way through, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less shocking when it all comes to fruition. The story definitely takes a dark turn most games wouldn’t dare to make, which is a refreshing change from the mundane plots of “shooting just because you can.” Plus, it stays true to the nature of the original Walking Dead comics, which has no qualms taking bold steps towards unbelievable and uncomfortable circumstances.
As Lee, you struggle to remain the voice of reason, or if your play style is different, the instigator. Choice after choice gets harder, and you’re left to question your own morality based on the decisions you make in a fictional world. The story and characters are so well written that at some points I changed the way I was playing because of the way the characters made me feel. It wasn’t what they did to Lee; it was how I as a person felt I was harming my virtual companions. Moreover, the fact that I care so much about Clementine’s safety in this hellish world gives credit to the team behind this great title.
GAMEPLAY
The entire game is just a point-and-click adventure, with some quicktime events in the fold. However, what makes your choices truly agonizing is the limited time you have to make them. Usually you’ll have less than ten seconds to answer a character’s question. This fits real life scenarios, as you can’t spent three minutes trying to think of a reply in casual conversation without having the other person become suspicious.
What’s even more favorable about this approach to story-making decisions is that the choices aren’t black and white (or even color-coded). Sometimes it’s easy to tell which option is the “good one,” yet for the most part the options fall in the gray area. What may seem like the right choice at one juncture may actually turn out to be wrong choice down the road. Towards the end, we even get a summary of the important decisions made throughout the game, and how the rest of the world played in comparison. These numbers serve a bigger purpose: are these percentages indicative of the type of society we are, and how difficult it may be to live in a zombie-infested nation? Or is it how everyone believed would be the most enjoyable style of play? It’s up to the player to decide.
PRESENTATION
One unfortunate downside to the excellence that is TellTale Games’ The Walking Dead is something players of former titles from this publisher/developer are familiar with. There are many times throughout your play through where the graphics will not sync up with the audio. In fact, the screen may freeze at times despite hearing the conversation continuing in the background, which can be detrimental if that happens during one of the shocking scenes that deserves your full attention. This happened infrequently in the first episode, but seemed to be all the more prevalent in this chapter.
Still, the visuals themselves are wonderful to look at, as it feels like a comic book truly did come to life and is trying to eat your brains. The voice acting is great, as the characters speak to you in a manner that’s believable to normal human behavior. Well, as normal as it can be in an apocalypse.
BOTTOM LINE
Did you like Episode 1: A New Day? Then you’ll love Episode 2: Starved for Help! Every decision you make sits at the pit of your stomach as the story plays out, and you’ll wish there was an undo button to verify you made the right choice (there isn’t one, so there’s your replay value). Every scene and every character provides more of an inside look into this world full of distrust and blood, and you’ll be left emotionally exhausted in the end. If you’ve been looking for a genuine character-driven experience in a zombie-infested world, welcome to the world of The Walking Dead.