THE WALKING DEAD: MICHONNE – EPISODE 1| GAME REVIEW
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Video game developer Telltale have become famous for adapting popular stories and turning them into an interactive story. They have tackled Game of Thrones, Back to the Future and are even scheduled to make a Batman game! However, it was their adaptation of The Walking Dead series that really pushed the studio into the spotlight. While we wait for season three of The Walking Dead, Telltale have been generous enough to give us a mini-series based around the character Michonne. For those of you who have seen The Walking Dead TV series or have read the comics, you’ll know that Michonne is a fan favourite who chooses a sword as her weapon, so it’s pretty exciting to play a game from her perspective. Michonne is the only character who features in the game from the show, so you’ll be able to play the game with no concerns of spoilers.
Telltale games are released episodically, and so it is only episode one that has been released so far. Episode one: In Too Deep sets up a promising story and does an extremely good job at establishing the character of Michonne. She’s a refreshing change from playing as Lee or Clementine from previous seasons. While Clem is mentally strong and mature, she is limited by her small size, and so the combat is made purposely awkward so each walker has the potential of killing you. Michonne on the other hand is pretty slick with a sword, and can so the combat can be fast paced. It is Michonne’s demons that are her weakness, as memories of her children often appear within the real world which can result in some terrifying moments.
As with any Telltale game, combat is controlled by quick time events, so it only really tests your reaction speeds. This is surprisingly fun, but it is the decisions that you have to make that help Telltale games to shine. There are a few decisions that you must make in In Too Deep, but just like other Telltale game, it is unclear how these decisions truly effect the game’s events. Decisions can range from deciding how co-operative you should be with a interrogator to reacting to someone holding you at gunpoint. You can end up feeling guilty about a character’s death from a dialog option you chose, when in reality their death could never have been prevented.
The story itself is nothing revolutionary, as the concept has been done often in The Walking Dead universe, but there’s a couple of characters that are pretty interesting. Michonne is possibly one of the greatest characters of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series, while there’s a couple of characters that made a good impression early on. The antagonists are clichéd and don’t show much depth, but with only one episode in, you’re able to give them the benefit of the doubt. You find yourself caring about characters pretty quickly, despite limited screen time, which emphasises Telltale’s great storytelling skills. Frustratingly, the game ends very suddenly on a cliff-hanger, which is expected for an episodic game, yet on this occasion still feels excessive. Saying that, I’m keenly looking forwards to episode two.
While episode one of The Walking Dead: Michonne may not be one of Telltale’s strongest, it’s still very engaging and fun to play. As it’s not attached directly to the main series of The Walking Dead, newcomers are free to play this before season one. Dedicated Telltale fans will also be happy to return the apocalyptic world as they wait eagerly for season three. The Walking Dead: Michonne is available for PC, console and mobile.
words RYAN JONES