THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

In the first three seasons of The Walking Dead adventure games, Clementine - an 8-year old girl, orphaned and alone during a Zombie outbreak - has grown into a well-worn and experienced survivor in a hostile world. Now witness the final chapter in the saga as you once again take control of Clementine as she struggles to exist in a time when the living can be just as dangerous as the dead. Mirroring the events of season one - where Lee Everett found the defenceless girl and taught her the basics of survival -, Clementine is forced to do the same for Alvin Junior; a helpless young boy entrusted to her care, born after the dead started walking with no memory of the peaceful world that came before.

MY VERDICT:

The structure of this narrative-led game remains largely unchanged; there are four episodes, each about two hours long, that are effectively just highly-scripted TV episodes where you choose what Clementine - the main protagonist - says and does in reaction to others. While this may not sound immediately entertaining, the episodes do rattle along at a fair pace, constantly pushing you to make rushed decisions that often have a major impact on the game, wonderfully capturing the sense of immediacy and danger that a Zombie apocalypse is known for. Also, for those who have played the previous three seasons, there is even more action this time around, as you often need to take down multiple Zombies in limited free-roaming sections - timing your moves with relative care so as not too bring too many down on you at once. Another plus comes from the graphics which have improved throughout the four game seasons. Everything retains the comic book style of the first with sharp lines and heavy shading yet the animations, somehow, capture the fluid motion of characters (including the undead) with uncanny style. On the negative side, the story while initially fantastic, offering a dramatic conclusion to Clementine's journey, does turn downhill slightly towards the end; the conclusion seemingly being contrived to keep fans happy. Saying that, I still thoroughly recommend The Walking Dead: The Final Season provided you have played and enjoyed the first three seasons; it's very much 'more of the same' but that 'same' is great.