Hello Ladies, Gentlemen and those of a non-binary nature, my name is Daibhi and this is the Gamerhub community, and when I left you last time, we had a look at Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 1. It’s now time for us to look at Season 2, and as always, spoilers are ahead for this season, and if you haven’t played Season 1, go and read my review before reading this. As I type this, I’d just like to say that despite my mental health being a bit “shoogly” (A word in the Scots language meaning “wobbly”), I am okay, and I can’t wait to dive into this review. As we kiss goodbye to the last of the summer, it behoves me to tell you that if you need any help with your mental health, reach out to someone you can trust. I’ll put the necessary details in after my sign-off, so that you can reach out should you need to. For now, let’s get on with the review.
Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 2 picks up where the first season left off, thrusting us back into the bleak, unforgiving landscape of a world post-zombie apocalypse. The world might seem peaceful and quiet here, but it is positively teeming with the reanimated corpses waiting to catch you and make you like one of them. As with the first game in this series, this game delivers a tense, gripping narrative-driven experience that immerses us gamers into a bleak, morally ambiguous world where a simple choice can mean life or death for someone in your group. Every single decision matters, and making the wrong one means that you’ll have to deal with the repercussions of your choices for the rest of the game.
Storytelling and Characters.
One of the standout features of Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 2 is the compelling storytelling. Telltale took what worked from the first game in this franchise and dialled the drama way up from the first game, adding even more suspense than I had expected. The game expertly weaves a narrative that is both morally complex and emotionally supercharged. Instead of putting into the shoes of an able-bodied man this time, we get put in the shoes of the little girl Lee was looking after in the first game, Clementine. Clementine hasn’t had it easy, and has had to grow up very quickly in this god-forsaken hellhole that is the world after the zombie apocalypse. Her journey is a poignant exploration of lost innocence, survival and the moral dilemmas faced in a world where right and wrong don’t have a clear line of delineation (it’s more of a blur than a line).
There are other characters too, and their development is nothing short of exceptional. This diverse band of people elicit a wide range of emotions both on the screen and inside of you. As always, the genius with this type of game isn’t in how the characters develop, but in the choices you have to make and how they make you feel, and the characters really do help support that emotional development in you. Whether it’s the protective yet enigmatic Luke, the fiercely independent Jane or the man who’s one bad decision away from being the villain (Kenny), each of these characters are fully three dimensional, with their own feelings and layers. More so than the first season, each character feels like a fully independent character, as opposed to a malleable NPC. The decisions you will make playing this game will significantly impact your relationships with each character, and the consequences for this can be absolutely heart-wrenching, to say the least.
Gameplay and Mechanics
This is a Telltale game, so unless the only game by these folks that you’ve played is their brilliant The Expanse game, you really should know how these games play. However, if you haven’t played a game by them already then firstly, welcome to the franchise, and secondly, go and play the first game. I’ve already hyperlinked my review on here.
Still here? Good. The Gameplay in Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 2 is largely consistent with the gameplay established in the first season’s formula. For clarity, I reviewed this using my beloved Xbox One X. So, it’s basically an episodic game with the gameplay mechanics relying on interacting with characters and Quick Time Events (QTEs). There’s a heavier emphasis on the dialogue and decision making this time, which fits thematically with the fact that you are now playing as Clementine, and there’s no longer a safety net called Lee to make the hard choices for you. Whilst there are QTEs a plenty in this game, and there are at least two action sequences per episode, the heart of this game lies in the choices that you have to make, and the consequences of said choices.
An improvement from the predecessor game lies in the fact that every choice not only impacts the rest of the episode, but the season’s narrative story arc. This branching narrative approach creates a larger sense of agency than the first game did, making us gamers feel responsible for the fate of Clementine and the characters around her. The tension this created feels as though you could cut it with a knife, as you are forced to make split-second decisions that have dire and far-reaching consequences.
Visuals and Audio
Telltale’s signature cell-shaded artwork is back in Season 2, but with a lot more detail than the slightly cartoonish approach used in Season 1. It continues to convey a sense of bleakness in a world that has gone to hell. There’s a bit more colour than the last time we got to see this world, as Telltale clearly listened to the critics, and the colour-blind accessibility option was a welcome addition. The world seems every bit as harsh and as gritty as it did in the first game, and the focus on creating more vivid backgrounds was superb. I found it very easy to get myself immersed in this world from the visuals. I’d be surprised if you, the person reading this review, didn’t.
The audio design is every bit as impressive as the first season’s. The haunting music really does transport you in your mind to that world and the sound effects really do add to the game’s atmosphere. Before I start waxing lyrical about the amazing soundtrack that this game has, I need to give a mention to something important. I, of course, have no idea who reads these reviews, other than the people who connect with our community hub, but in case she’s one of them: Melissa Hutchinson, you did a fantastic job in voicing Clementine. You really did. Your performance added a depth of emotion to Clementine’s character that nobody else honestly could.
Pacing
This is where I have to put on my “slightly negative” hat here, and you’ll see why in a bit. The pacing in this season is mostly well done, with each episode giving you a mix of intense action sequences and quieter, character-driven moments. The episodic format lends itself very well to the game’s narrative, creating cliff-hangers that leave us gamers eager to dive right in to the next instalment. That being said, there are some improvements required to make this game better. As a writer, I’m trained to notice pacing issues, and the middle of this season had them by quite some margin. The middle of this season seems to meander around aimlessly before picking up in later episodes, and I found myself drinking coffee and praying that the pace would pick up soon in the middle of this season.
In terms of the length of this season, each episode provides a satisfying chunk of gameplay and story, with the entire season comprising of 5 episodes. Episode 3 lags on a bit, but it’s worth being patient with as episodes 4 and 5 really do pick up on the pace. Overall, it strikes a healthy balance between providing a complete experience in each episode whilst also contributing the overall narrative of the season.
Conclusion
Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 2 is a worthy successor to the original game, delivering an emotionally supercharged and morally dubious narrative that keeps gamers engaged from start to finish, even if the pacing becomes an issue halfway through. The character development far surpasses that used in the first game, and the focus on choices in this game matter even more than they did in Season 1. Whilst, as mentioned before, the pacing is uneven at times, the overall experience is a rollercoaster of emotions that explore the grim reality of a world where most of the humans are now an undead horde trying to eat you. It’s a game that will have you reflecting on Lee’s/Your choices in the first season, as well as the difficult choices you made this season and the impact they had on Clementine and the people around you.
If you’re a fan of strong narratives driving a game forward, with brilliant character development and moral dilemmas, then this season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead is for you. As with the previous game, this game is available on all major videogaming platforms, and is even on Microsoft’s Game Pass at the time of writing this review. It’s a poignant and memorable journey through the dark heart of the world that Robert Kirkland created, and the experiences and choices you make throughout this game will stay with you long after you put the controller down.
4.2/5 Joysticks
For the Gamerhub community, I’ve been Daibhi and you are all legends.
Don’t let Clementine get eaten by a walker.
The number for the Samaritans in the UK is 116 123, and in the USA, the number for Mental Health America is 1-800-985-5990. If you feel like you need help, reach out to someone.
