The Walking Dead (Season 1) Review

This is what a modern adventure game should feel like.  I have to admit to being a fan of the TV show and adventure games in general so there is a level of bias here.  Still, if the execution was flawed, this game would have suffered significantly.

The game is a joy to play.  It keeps you on your toes the entire time and in the end you will not only feel like you have survived something but you will most likely have made an emotional connection with more than one character.

 

The Walking Dead is a modern style point and click.  So you will be walking a character around what are essentially static environments.  If you've had trouble with past games in controlling character movement, I believe The Walking Dead will be a refreshing change.  There were a couple of times the character went in a different direction than I intended but this was never during critical moments.

And there are some critical moments.  I hesitate to call these twitch moments but there are several times you will need to react quickly.  This is a game set in a post apocalypse with zombies.  It is not an action game but it would feel out of character if there were no action moments.  The game does a good job of balancing those tense, think on your feet scenes, with cool-down moments giving you a chance to breathe.

Your choices have interesting consequences.  Multiple playthroughs or having multiple people play the game, choosing different options, is recommended.  These choices range from the seemingly inconsequential such as varying similar replies to a character's question to the critical such as choosing which life to save. 

I only have an hour factor:

Perfect.  The game is told in chapter that are then divided into various scenes.  There are clear divides here so you are never more than a few minutes between stopping points. 

I only have ten minutes factor:

Not very good but this is by design.  Adventure games are not designed to be rushed and The Walking Dead is no exception.  You need to feel for the characters and in order to do that you need to slow down, pay attention to what they say, and learn who they are.  This is the only way you can make decisions based on your knowledge of the people you meet. 

Kid walking in factor:

Mixed.  This is a Walking Dead game so it will have it's fair share of gore.  There's also a number of swear words used, probably a few more than you would hear in a PG-13 movie.  So this may be a headphones or after-bed time only game.  With regard to kids playing it, my own judgement says no kid under 12 should play this.  For kids older than 13, it will depend on the kid.  There are adult choices to be made in the apocalypse and you will need to decide if your young ones are mature enough to make those choices. 

Significant other factor:

Good, especially if you and your partner are into The Walking Dead.  Playing the game feels like living through an episode of the show or an issue of the comic.  The game gives you lots of moments to talk about.

I generally do not like playing adventure games with another person but having two people play the game on their own time and talking about it later can be fun. 

Final Verdict:

9/10 - One of the best adventure games released in the last ten years.  If you are a fan of The Walking Dead or a fan of horror adventure games, I can not recommend this game highly enough. 

Steam Link:

Developer link: