Surviving zombie-infested Georgia has been nothing less than brutal. Our heroes have had their ranks thinned by cannibalistic dairy farmers, vicious bandits, relentless walkers, and shifty comrades. The one irrepressible source of hope: the growing bond between brave young Clementine and her guardian, regretful felon Lee. By now, it’s evolved into one of gaming’s sweetest, most enduring friendships, and it’s a fitting focus for this adventure saga’s deeply moving and masterfully executed final chapter.
Much of Episode 5 deals with the struggle to actually find the missing Clem — a situation complicated by the horrific accident at the close of Episode 4. Right at the start, you’re forced to make a major, life-altering decision with uncertain consequences (except that one course of action will make you shudder), after which you and whoever might be accompanying you try to cross town and get to where the cap-wearing heroine is being held. This journey involves several hair-raising scenes of crossing over zombie-filled streets, plus lots of requisite button-prompty segments where you’re shooting, stabbing, or otherwise slaughtering the undead.
Those action bits make for entertaining diversions, but our favorite parts are the character moments. Like the best TV finales, Episode 5 gives key characters their share of the spotlight, even showing sides of them we haven’t seen before, like Ben (depending on your playthrough of Episode 4) lamenting his losses. If you’ve been the least bit invested in Walking Dead’s story, you’ll love a conversation between Lee, Kenny, and Christa, where, while trapped in an abandoned home, they anxiously share their emotions and a bottle of booze. It’s chock full of the wonderful dialogue and subtle interactions that are a series trademark, and will definitely be discussed by players after they finish.
Reaching Clem isn’t easy — nor will you get there with everyone or everything you left with — but the dramatic showdown between her captor and Lee proves excruciatingly intense. In some ways, the kidnapper’s purely a device: his very specific knowledge of your travels means he can weigh in on your choices in earlier episodes, which is both a great way of recounting what’s happened and a rather contrived means of Telltale reminding you that your decisions really have mattered. Mild hokeyness aside, though, it makes for an arresting confrontation and a fascinating window into Lee’s conscience (depending, of course, on the answers you give).
This meeting is also a terrific segue into Episode 5’s final moments, which serve as a perfect ending to the entire multi-part game. In the face of their uncertain fate, two characters have as moving and heartfelt a conversation as anything we’ve seen in a game. It’s a tearjerker to be sure, but their straight talk really just emphasizes everything their odyssey has taught us: that in a world of walking dead, the bonds between the living are what keep us alive and human. That together, we’re better — always.
Those may be simple sentiments, but there’s nothing simple about The Walking Dead or its final installment. Not only is the entire 14-hour-or-so game a sensational experience (for $25 total), but it’s reinforced the potential of episodic gaming like nothing before it. And it’s marked Telltale Games as a developer to watch, giving us huge hopes for their upcoming Fables game. Episode 5 hints strongly at the possibility of more Walking Dead games in Telltale’s future — something we desperately hope comes true. As good as the comic is, and as exciting as the TV show’s third season has been, this vision of Robert Kirkman’s zombie opus will always be our one, true, definitive version.
PUBLISHER: Telltale Games • DEVELOPER: Telltale Games • MULTIPLAYER: None • ESRB: Mature • ACHIEVEMENTS: All story-related (100G total) • COST: 400 Microsoft Points ($5) • RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2012
+ Outstanding story, character moments, and dialogue.
+ Powerhouse ending that’ll leave you reeling; end-credits song is a winner, too!
– The main conflict feels a bit contrived in spots…but trust us, it’s a small complaint.
? If Telltale does do more Walking Dead games, who’ll return?
