Point-and-click adventure games have slowly made a comeback within the past couple of years thanks to developer Telltale Games, who resurrected the classic Sam & Max and Monkey Island series while also moving several film franchises like Back to the Future and Jurassic Park into the genre as well (with mixed results). Even though I love that Telltale has brought back a treasured PC genre that sort of lost it's way in the new decade, I have not really paid too much attention to any of their games nor have I been highly anticipating any of them. The company's take on the popular graphic novel zombie drama series The Walking Dead certainly peaked my interest, but I didn't think much of it until I actually sat down to play it.
I can honestly say that Telltale blew this one out of the park. The game stays faithful to the comic series by retaining it's tone, yet giving us a new cast of characters that exist within the same universe. The game plays like your typical point-and-click adventure game while also throwing in several different modern game elements to mix up the gameplay. The majority of the game will be spent controlling the main character Lee by walking around the environments and interacting with objects and elements within the world. Small spurts of shooting, quick time events and melee combat mechanics are included along with dialog trees for conversations between characters and decisions made by the player effecting the outcome of the story. The graphics use a similar art-style to the comic book that looks cartoony, yet gritty and depressing. The atmosphere Telltale has created mixed with the color pallete paints a dark, bleak painting that displays dread and desperation perfectly for the player.
Telltale has crafted a highly memorable story that may possibly be the best story told out of any video game I have ever played. The characters are much better written than anyone featured in the novels or the TV show and the writing is extremely strong. As the player, you will grow attachments to these characters and feelings that will make the decisions laid out before the player extremely hard to make. I literally sat and thought deeply about each choice I made (if you can, seeing as some decisions are on a time limit) due to how I would feel the characters would react to them. I honestly have not played a video game yet that made me care as much for a group of people as this game has. Playing through the entire game while trying to protect a young innocent girl named Clementine (who has lost her parents and left alone) gives the player a huge sense of responsibility in your actions and a major emotional element to the character and her fate.
The Walking Dead is split into five episodes that play out like your typical television program, with recaps of previous episodes at the start of new ones. Each episode can be purchased separately (depending on the platform) on digital platforms for $5 a piece, or the entire series can be purchased in a bundle for $25 via download or on a $30 retail disc. The game can be played on a variety of different platforms including Xbox 360, PC, PS3, and iOS devices. Which ever method or device you use, The Walking Dead is easily one of the best, most moving gaming experiences I have had in quite some time and I challenge anyone to experience the ending without shedding a tear. All of this is why The Walking Dead is my #3 favorite game of 2012.
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