Speaking of which, taking aim this week: The game series of smacking zombies with bats and Clementine will remember that in Telltale's The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead is a popular graphic novel series that explores the world after a zombie apocalypse and the difficult choices that follow in a disheveled and fallen civilization. It's an immensely captivating read that has spawned many other forms of media. But what is probably most surprising is that one of the most engaging and emotionally endearing experiences in this series happens to come from Telltale's take on The Walking Dead as an episodic choose-your-own-adventure style game. In fact, the success of this particular series helped spark a revitalization of this very genre in so many more games and franchises to come. Rather than using already established characters from The Walking Dead franchise (although a few make cameos), Telltale's games focus on a new cast of characters set in The Walking Dead universe as the apocalypse just breaks out. The story follows a convicted Lee Everett on his way to prison, when all hell is unleashed and he comes across a little girl named Clementine. With her parents out of town, he decides to look after her and so begins an emotional journey filled with a flux of bitter decisions and a constant chase for safety and hope.
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| Players have a limited time in which to choose what to say, or nothing at all - a sometimes equally powerful response. |
The core mechanics of these games revolve around short bouts of light puzzle solving, interactive bits of dialogue and considered choices to be made, and the occasional series of quick-time events (QTE) for moments of intense action / suspense. The result is a very immersive and involved experience where players become truly invested into the characters of this world. Another unique feature that would become a staple of the series was how most every action, big or small, would be remembered by the characters and influence future events to be found in the narrative. With this, every decision in the game had an added sense of importance and greater investment into the potential outcome. Since it's first debut in April 2012, the series has carried over 3 seasons, with the final season set to begin next week on August 14th. A neat aspect in this series is that the weight of your decisions and choices carry over from season to season, making your play-through all the more unique and a personal experience. Unfortunately, I hear the 3rd season has less significance in terms of decisions carrying weight as it focuses on a new cast of characters. I have yet to play the 3rd season for this reason (and my data is mostly stuck on the PS3), but if this final season is able to deliver anything like the stirring climaxes found in the first two seasons, it may be time to emotionally brace yourselves and get ready to make some heart-wrenching decisions once again.
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