In early April and July, Jonathan reviewed Episode 1 and Episode 2 of Telltale Games’ foray into The Walking Dead universe. To refresh your memory, he wholeheartedly recommended it, gave it a perfect score, and basically told you to buy it if you’re a fan of things that are wonderful. I did… and now it’s time to reflect on the recently released Episode 3… which is possibly the best episode yet.
In Jonathan’s reviews, he called Telltale’s game series “the best iteration of The Walking Dead”. I feel even stronger than that about it: The Walking Dead by Telltale Games is my favorite piece of zombie fiction. Period. It’s also one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had all year.
Now be warned! There are spoilers ahead. If you haven’t played the game yet, do not read beyond this point. Just do yourself a favor and play it!
As we told you back in July, Episode Two – Starved For Help was insane. It upped the ante on literally everything we were introduced to in A New Day. It was more intense, it was more disturbing, the decisions were tougher, and we really got a sense of just how bleak this world was becoming. The episode was stunning from the get go and was full of literal jaw-dropping moments. I’m getting chills just thinking about it again.
Again, the episodic layout works perfectly here. At the close of Starved For Help, I was itching for more, which makes the journey feel so much sweeter when the next episode finally arrives. Long Road Ahead was set to release by the end of August. The end of the month was here, with no sign of the game, when all of a sudden it popped up on PSN! What an awesome surprise! Of course, there’d be many more surprises to come as I started up the episode…
The chapter opens a week after the events of Starved For Help. The group is still taking shelter at the motor inn after retrieving a wealth of food from an apparently abandoned station wagon (which I was against at the end of Episode 2). We can see that the group has had trouble however, as the outside perimeter is littered with arrows and debris from battles against passing bandits.
In Macon, Lee and Kenny are off in search of medical supplies from the pharmacy. It’s here, within a few minutes of beginning the episode, that we’re already shoved into a tough decision. A young woman bursts into the street, screaming for help, hurt, walkers in tow. She’s quickly bit. So what do you do? Do you do her a favor and put her out of her misery with a bullet but risk that the walkers will be drawn to the sound? Or use her to keep the walkers busy so we can safely grab any supplies that are left?
Remember, you’re playing a video game, so the choice should be obvious: do what’s best for your character. The screaming girl isn’t real. She never was and never will be. She doesn’t even get a name. Yet for some reason I care. She’s only introduced seconds before you’re left to determine her fate, but I feel sorry for her, and morally, I feel like I need to help her. And as the decision meter dwindles, I have to make my choice quickly. Again, Telltale does a great job of making you responsible for the outcome… and this opening decision is the easiest one of the episode!
Have I mentioned how stressful this game is? I dread having to make decisions in The Walking Dead more than I do in real life. I’m constantly wondering how different the outcomes might be if I had made a different choice. Sometimes, the game notifies me with a message stating what characters will remember which of my decisions and I immediately wonder, was this the best outcome?
I often found myself wondering things like “maybe if someone else would have lived, Ben wouldn’t be giving me a deathly glare right now and maybe Clementine wouldn’t look so sad all the time. Maybe someone else wouldn’t have to die.” As mentioned in the previous reviews, the choices you’re presented with are hard, game altering, and permanent. If you make a poor decision and it gets someone killed or hurt, there isn’t any going back from there and these decision carry over from episode to episode, effecting who is left in your party to help you and providing you with different story lines. For example, I chose to save Doug and not Carley way back in Episode 1, and although he’s been a big help, Jonathan saved Carley and it opened the possibility of a budding romantic interest in Episode 3.
Are there negatives? What few there were in the first two episodes seem to be fixed here. Playing the game on PS3, the only issue I had with Starving For Help were some technical ones. The game was very choppy, sometimes pausing for seconds to load a different camera angle. It was by no means a game ruining problem, but it was annoying, distracting, and definitely did take away from the flow of the game. I’m happy to say that these issues appear to be resolved, and Long Road Ahead was a buttery smooth experience.
As for the story and gameplay, both are further improved. It isn’t long into the chapter before literally everything goes to shit for the group of survivors. There’s a suspected traitor in the group – someone is stealing from the already short amount of supplies. The survivors quickly jump into blaming Ben, the most recent addition. But before we have a chance to resolve anything, the compound is attacked by bandits, which in turn brings in the zombies, drawn by the gunfire.
The sequence does do two things new to the series. You get a first person shooter perspective as you shoot at bandits and zombies from behind cover to try and rescue the other survivors. You also get to play as one of the other survivors for a brief turn. But the protective walls of the motel are down and the chaos forces the already splintered and tense group to pack into an RV, leaving everything behind in an attempt to escape with their lives.
At this point, I’m already stressed out and I’ve only gone through the Episode’s first set piece. I’m on the edge of my seat and I have no clue about how the plot is going unfold. And there’s still the matter of the traitor in our midst. Telltale has done an incredible job in presenting the game. I don’t remember the last time that a zombie survival story felt so fresh, and I certainly don’t remember the last time I was as attached to characters as I am with these ones. Just when you think that you’ve put some distance between yourself and the bandits, and that things may be starting to cool off, Telltale punches you in the gut with an even more intense situation than the one you just witnessed.
Even moreso than the presentation and gameplay, this is where Telltale’s series really shines: the writing. As if Episode 2 wasn’t filled with enough shocking and stressful moments, Long Road Ahead doesn’t go 10 minutes without throwing you a serious emotional curve-ball. Literally no one is safe in the storyline and I spent much of my time playing with my jaw on the floor or yelling at the TV. The characters are detailed, believable and three dimensional, one minute acting as your advocates and sometimes as your opposition.
And again, you feel actively responsible for all of them, because they are still the living. To reiterate our previous reviews, the game is incredibly good at making you feel like your decisions matter. Choices have a lasting impression not only in the current episode, but subsequent ones as well. This makes re-playability very high. I can definitely see myself going through the title a few times to see just what could happen if I make different choices.
Eventually, the survivors find a train, and after some trial and error, manage to get it running. It seems as though they’ve hit a stroke of luck, as it looks like the track is set to take them exactly where they want to be: the safety of the ocean and a boat. Even a helpful hermit who calls the train home has offered to come with them and assist where he can.
Hopefully by now you’ve learned that things will quickly go from bad to worse again… and the most shocking moment of the episode is yet to come. In fact, this heartbreaking moment was the highlight of the episode for me. Just when you think things couldn’t get worse for the group… when you think that things have to turn around, that they couldn’t possibly become any bleaker, they do. And in this moment (you’ll know the one), Telltale puts the gamer in the center of a situation that neither the Walking Dead comic or TV show have come close to handling. It might be the biggest moment of the entire series.
As I stated earlier, I love what Telltale has done here. They’ve taken a tired genre (zombie, not adventure), reinvigorated it, and turned the experience into pure gold. Everyone involved should be extremely proud of themselves, and every adventure fan, zombie fan, and gamer in general owes it to themselves to pick the series up. I wish I could be more critical, perhaps find some negative points. And I swear that I’m not on Telltales’ payroll. But put plainly, The Walking Dead game is a brilliant experience, from the moment it opens, until the second it closes. And I can’t wait for Episode 4 to get another taste.
The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead gets a 5/5… easily (just not so easy for your nerves).