The Walking Dead is the first season of a five-part adventure game series based on the AMC TV show and the original comic book series The Walking Dead. Unlike the Xbox 360, PS3, and iOS versions, the episodes on the PC were only available as a single-season pack. Players that purchased the group received the first episode when it was released in April, followed by the next four when they became available until the final episode was released in November of the same year. Once installed, any attack can be played immediately, but because certain decisions are carried over, it is recommended that they be played in chronological sequence. Each episode was released as a standalone expansion for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, although the first episode is required to play any of the other four. The PS3 version also includes a season pass, which allows you to buy all episodes at a discounted rate and watch them when they become available. The first episode must be purchased for iOS, and the following four episodes are available as in-app purchases, either separately or as a multipack for the four remaining episodes at a lower price. The entire season was released in December 2012 as a single retail game for the Xbox 360 and PS3, in the same format as the PC version. The retail version of Windows was released in May 2013.
Each episode is divided into eight chapters. The five episodes are as follows:* The Walking Dead: A New Day (Episode 1)
The Walking Dead: Episode 2 – Starved for Help
The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead
The Walking Dead: Episode 4 – Around Every Corner
The Walking Dead: Episode 5 – No Time Left
The game takes place in the United States during the beginning of a zombie pandemic. It is set in the original universe but does not feature characters or locations from the comic book or TV show. Instead, it presents a parallel story through a new character named Lee Everett, but certain original comic characters make cameo appearances throughout the series, including Glenn and Hershel. Everett, the main character, was a professor at the University of Georgia convicted of murder after returning home one day to find his wife cheating on him. He murdered the man in a fit of rage and was convicted. At the start of the game, Everett is carried to prison, but the car crashes, allowing him to escape. His primary aim is to flee the zombies, and he intends to travel to Macon, where his parents and brother reside. He soon meets Clementine, a tiny girl whose house has been invaded by zombies, and takes her with him. Following that, he meets many more personalities and goes to other areas. Much of the game is devoted to Everett’s emotional bond with Clementine and how he decides to transport her through the harsh terrain.
It is played as an adventure game with elements of action and role-playing. The character can explore the surroundings and interact with objects during numerous sequences. There is slightly greater freedom in exploring and more classic adventure game components such as studying things, storing them in an inventory, and applying them in the environment compared to Telltale’s previous offering Jurassic Park: The Game. Many action situations are portrayed as cinematic or quick-time events, allowing the player to react swiftly. When they are not completed on time, the character dies, and Everett frequently has the option of saving characters or letting them die at the hands of the zombies. A rewind function allows you to return to any of the episode’s eight chapters to select a different option without having to rerun the entire episode. There are sections with a stealth component that Lee can pick for a brief period and then must return before being detected and killed. While exploring, various icons depict behaviors such as inspecting, interacting with, or using an item. Inventory items are displayed here, and the player must interact with or combine them before they may be used.
During talks, numerous possibilities can change the course of events. A timer counts down during a discussion choice, and if none is selected, one is chosen by default. Two display formats are available at the start of the game. Standard displays more UI and assists with crucial decisions, whereas Minimal turns off UI hints, guidance, and choice notifications. The settings can still be changed in the middle of the game. Essential choices made during events and discussions are remembered and carried over to subsequent scenes and episodes. Each episode concludes with a cliffhanger, a sneak peek at the next episode, credits, and an analysis of the critical decisions and how they compare, in percentages, to the choices of all other players worldwide. A new episode begins with a flashback to previous events, with the player’s decisions dynamically included. It’s a significantly darker title than Telltale’s earlier games, with cussing and grisly executions, but the emphasis is on moral choices and repercussions in a violent atmosphere.
