The third episode of Telltale’s five-part Walking Dead game was so heavy — so emotional — that this fourth installment was bound to feel subdued by comparison. In the aftermath of big character deaths and the journey to Savannah, Episode 4 slows down and takes time to lay the groundwork for the game’s final act. The upshot is still solidly entertaining, if a little disappointing.
Now that we’re fully invested in the saga of Lee, Clementine, Kenny, and company — and now that the writers have shown that no one’s safe — there’s an extra layer of tension in everything you do, and that’s something the plot clearly takes advantage of. The places you go aren’t particularly interesting: Savannah’s docks, its sewers, and even your new safehouse all feel more like pitstops than exciting destinations. But there’s plenty of juicy drama in trying to pick the best dialogue options for placating a traumatized Kenny, or in deciding what to tell Clementine about the search for her parents. Even your interactions with high-school schmo Ben (who we’ve often found annoying) have a growing resonance, and we genuinely want him to redeem himself.
Meanwhile, Episode 4 introduces two characters we quite liked: Vernon, the wise leader of a small band of survivors, and Molly, a kickass adventurer who uses a hooked blade to scale buildings and impale zombies. Her appearance is well-timed, as this chapter has more zombie encounters than the last couple have, which means multiple tense, button-mashing showdowns for Lee. These more frequent altercations are definitely welcome — even if, in a way, they feel like compensation for the lack of payoff with the episode’s other big boogeyman: the closed-off, cult-like neighborhood of Crawford. After all the nervous references to it by the new characters, we expected something a lot more engrossing when we eventually saw it up close.
That letdown evaporated completely in the episode’s last few minutes, though. Episode 4 ends with a fantastic, shocking, game-changing event that comes out of nowhere — and it’s an absolutely terrific setup for the final chapter. If your interest in this game had been waning in even the slightest, trust us: this’ll bring it back, big-time.
We wish the rest of Episode 4 was that riveting, but even with its slow beats, we heartily recommend it. As with top TV shows like Breaking Bad or Mad Men, a merely good chapter of Telltale’s Walking Dead game feels like a great chapter of anything else.
PUBLISHER: Telltale Games • DEVELOPER: Telltale Games • ESRB: Mature • ACHIEVEMENTS: All story-based • COST: 400 Microsoft Points ($5) • RELEASE DATE: October 10, 2012
+ More engrossing character moments and decisions; intriguing new characters (especially Molly!).
+ Powerhouse ending that perfectly sets up the final act.
– Compared to the crazy highs and lows of past episodes, its even-keel pace feels flat.
? Who’ll survive the endgame?
