Telltale Games

The Walking Dead
Telltale Games
XBOX 360, PS3

In the world of zombie pop-culture, no name is more popular today than “The Walking Dead.” Inspired by the comic books, which spawned the TV series and two different games, Telltale Games’ adaptation is among the most unique. Set from the perspective of Clementine, a young girl trying to survive in a post-zombie apocalypse world, the game offers a variety of choices for the player that can affect the story down to the bitter end.

On Aug. 26, Telltale released chapter 5 of season 2. The final chapter of the season released episodically from December 2013 through August of this year. At the beginning of the chapter, Clementine becomes separated from the remainder of her party from the first game, but eventually stumbles upon a cabin with a large group who, after some time and a few near-death experiences, begin to trust her and allow her to join.

The previous installment of this game, true to its zombie apocalypse nature, delivers emotions en masse, running the gambit of tears, laughter, anger and fear before hitting the player with a gut-punch of an ending. Season 2 delivered on this in a big way. Every moment kept me in suspense from start to the final, heart breaking finish line.

As chapter 2 progresses, Clementine’s new party begins to dwindle as its members succumb in various, not only to the relentless zombie horde, but to the deepest levels of mistrust and human cruelty. In the middle of season 2, Clementine and her party stumble upon another group of survivors. While they figure out how to deal with them, Clementine finds that Kenny from season 1 is there, and she immediately finds herself playing peacemaker between the two groups. Just as certain issues are being resolved, Clementine and Kenny’s party get caught up in her party’s past and they are captured by the men who they had been running from. Those who survive being captured are then taken to a compound and put to work. By the time the remaining people escape, several people from the party are dead.

The escape leaves the group in turmoil. Kenny’s declining mental state eventually leads to the bitter end of the season, driven home by the choices made by the player along the way. I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s well worth playing, from the beginning of the season, to find out.

Season 2 provides a stellar sequel to the original. Even if you are sick of the zombie genre, this one is well worth picking up for anyone who enjoys adventure games. Although a release date has not been set, Telltale has announced that season 3 is in production.