Be warned that this article contains minor spoilers.
I’m not amateur when it comes to the walking dead. I have seen just about all there is to see so far and played every game based on the series I have come across, not to mention spending many nights reading the comics so naturally I was excited at the prospect of another game from Telltale based on the iconic series.
While it’s my held opinion that recent titles from Telltale have not been amazing I must admit I went into this game with some degree of worry. Luckily I had nothing to worry about.
The story
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier starts where it all began, bringing the story to when the “infection” started to spread.
You are confronted with a new family and what looks like a deadbeat son racing to get to his dads deathbed. This is where it all starts to descend into chaos. I won’t spoil anything but I think it’s pretty obvious what happens next.
We are then thrust several years into the future, sometime after clementine leaves us in the walking dead season 2. With what’s left of the family in toe you set out on your long journey of survival with a horde on your tail.
It’s a nice change of pace to get to know new characters and not have that pre-existing relationship with half the cast and having to worry that every corner could be their last. Getting to know these new characters and forging relationships depending on your actions is something I find has been lacking as of late.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier seems to do this very well to start with and I find this is most likely due to not having to start the game with an already fully loaded consequence tree (IE who died, who ran, who likes who and where did they all end up). This freedom is evident from the start with the relationship being forged with the two adults in the cast open from anything to hatred to a loving relationship.
Naturally this freedom gives rise to a real connection to the characters and what becomes of them matters that much more.
The mechanics
Season two for me felt a little too much like the first one in terms with how it was put together, the mechanics of the gameplay and the facial expressions.
Although the story aspects were pleasing it just didn’t feel that real when clementine goes to smile and it looks like she is sucking on a lemon.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier really stepped up to the plate however with far more complex facial expressions to more accurately display emotions. It doesn’t just stop there however as they seem to have done equally as much work on character movement and combat.
Overall this game is polished and really seems like a “new start” in many ways.
My impressions
After playing through the first episode which took roughly an hour and a half I was excited to play more.
The game was well paced from start to finish, was surprising and showed many elements of The Walking Dead’s world than previously seen and very much shifted the focus that has been on the cast in previous games.
The game does a good job of affirming the dangers of the dead but also shows that they are merely a secondary issue and the real dangers lie with the unknown. I felt that the game took all the best aspects of the comics and TV shows and condensed them down in its own way which seems to work great in its format.
