Ephemeris of the Mind (Game Review) The Walking Dead
Time to read: 2 min read
Game Cover
Do I look like a monster to you?
We all do.
Platforms played on: Xbox 360, Xbox One
Review
This is the first installment of Telltale Games’ episodic adventure set in the universe of the popular comic series. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States where zombie Walkers ravage the land. The first season has five episodes and they follow Lee (Dave Fennoy), a convicted felon, as he escapes due to the chaos of the ongoing apocalypse. Lee slowly gathers a group of survivors including Clementine (Melissa Hutchison), a girl looking for her parents, and Kenny (Gavin Hammon), a man trying to protect his family.
Lee and Clementine
The gameplay revolves around making tough moral decisions that affect the later story. Supplementary gameplay elements involve a point and click mode where Lee can navigate his environment and chat with the other characters, as well as many quick time events.
Point and click gameplay
To be honest, the gameplay is definitely on the slower end, but the story more than makes up for the lackluster gameplay. The Walking Dead comics’ original creator, Robert Kirkman, oversaw the story’s development and the result is a visceral tale with great emotional depth. The characters are placed in desperate situations one after another and I enjoyed seeing where the story takes each character and the effects of each decision.
Making decisions
Conclusion
An engaging story with very visceral characters.
Overall rating: 8.2
DLC Reviews
An extra episode was released in 2013 with more stories.
400 Days
This DLC occurs during the first 400 days of the outbreak and follows 5 new (shorter) stories. The new stories are decent but they're too short for the audience to develop a connection with the new characters. The DLC does serve as a bridge to Season Two of the games.