Telltale dropped another episode in their hit episodic title The Walking Dead. This time around lines are drawn, traitors are met, lessons are learned, and depression lurks around every corner. Telltale delivers with Episode 3 in every way, and I have to get that out of the way now. However, for a more in-detail look at Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead, read on!
The Walking Dead Episode 3 sees pretty much everything taking a turn for the worst. One of the game’s characters have been assisting the bandits, who now have no where to else to steal from. Lily and Kenny are constantly arguing, and there are a lot of depressing turns in this superbly done episode of The Walking Dead. Telltale delivered a darker toned episode with episode two. However, episode three takes that tone and doubles it with some seriously emotional moments that feel extremely genuine to the player. There were plenty of moments where I felt so emotionally attached to these characters that I actually thought out loud and said “I have to see how so and so is doing” after a huge turning point in the story. Characters who didn’t seem all that important suddenly mean something this time around, and Lee’s relationship with Clementine keeps evolving into one of true parenthood. The slightest changes to character interaction impresses in The Walking Dead Episode 3.
Telltale has really been proving that even a zombie game can pack some incredibly well-developed characters and an impressive story, and episode three takes this series to a new high. Episode 3 packs a ton of moments that leave the player in shock, extremely upset, and gripping the controller tight during tense moments. Even a certain dream sequence left me startled for a bit, avoiding as much spoilers as possible. However, one of the choices stand out among the many. Without revealing much, I must say that Walking Dead made me do something I’ve never done with other character building titles – made ME make a choice. In games like inFamous and Mass Effect, I develop the character with a certain idea on where I want him (or her) to lead. I started out that way with The Walking Dead, but during one of the choices in episode three it was no holds barred. I made a decision as if I was Lee, and not for who I wanted Lee to be. And it is because of that that The Walking Dead will most definitely go down as one of the greatest games I have ever played.
Gameplay is solid and is what could be expected. Navigating Lee around the environment, solving simplistic puzzles, conversing with other NPCs, and bashing zombie brains with some QTEs. Voice acting is superb, with new characters impressing as well. The game still looks absolutely beautiful as well, packing those dark outlined, cel-shaded graphics the series has been critically praised for. However, as usual, the game suffers several framerate issues, even more so than the previous episodes. However, the story is so fantastic, it might be hard to let these little bugs bring down the experience.
Closing Comments
All in all, The Walking Dead Episode 3 – A Long Road Ahead is what you expect it to be. The game’s story is packed with incredible twists and turns around every corner, strung together with perfectly developed characters that players can’t help but be emotionally drawn too. To top it off, I had a moment I’ve never experience in gaming – I made a choice as myself, not the character I’m playing as. The Walking Dead’s releases are proving to be pivotal moments in gaming, raising the bar high and creating an artistic experience that is hard to come across in many titles today. With solid gameplay, superb graphics and one fantastic, developed story line – Telltale is heading into the right direction towards crafting one of its best episodic titles to date.
The Good
- Superb voice acting and beautiful cel-shaded graphics
- Story raises the bar from episode two even further
- Gameplay remains solid, episode after episode
- a pivotal moment in gaming overall, those “choice moments” are absolutely perfect this time around
The Bad
- The game’s occasional hiccups unfortunately remain