Telltale is back with a new miniseries, focusing on fan-favourite Michonne, in what can only be described as a surreal action-packed drama. Time to sharpen my katana!
Making quick decisions, and having the correct reaction time. That is all I need to survive a pack of zombies, eager to crack open my skull and see what makes me tick. Luckily, I am able to push the correct button at the correct time. Michonne survives, for now. Then she reaches for a gun, loads the bullet in slow-motion, and I am given the choice: kill myself, or continue re-experiencing a horrible trauma in my (her) life.
Ever since the very successful The Walking Dead, Season 1, Telltale Games has been expanding its digital TWD universe with more characters and storylines, providing an excellent companion to the gory TV series and the suspenseful comic book series. After two seasons, and some ‘one-shots’, it is time for a three-part ‘event’ in the form of the backstory of Michonne, the lady who cuts through zombies faster than Donald Trump can insult a minority.
Gameplay
The first episode, called “In Too Deep” opens with the character experiencing partial hallucinations, as she explores an abandoned camp. The player is immediately thrown into the action, as her ‘lost children’ turn out to be somewhat peckish walkers. As in the rest of the series, the actions scenes are brutal, and can be unforgiving. A little hint from this reviewer: be ever vigilant, the game quickly switches from cut scenes to you being in control. Needless to say, I stared at the screen stating “you are dead” because I simply did not see certain things coming. Towards the second part of the game, the action is toned down, and the moral choices are bubbling up from below the surface. You just have to decide: do you want to do what is right, or do you want to save your own skin. There is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ ending. There are only choices and consequences.
“In Too Deep” is not simply another ‘sequel’ or ‘more of the same’ episode. The fans are given more of what they so desperately desire, and the newcomers get a fresh and innovative setting to play in. Without spoiling too much, this episode has a sailboat at its narrative centre, and the flashbacks to Michonne’s past, together with creepy hallucinations, provide for an excellent introduction to this miniseries. Sadly, it is rather short.
Graphics
As always, the graphics are wonderful, and try to give the player a very ‘cartoony’ vibe, which stands in sharp contrast with the gruesome setting and highly violent action scenes. During my gaming session, I occasionally experienced a slight stutter of the animations, sometimes even on the lowest settings. Together with the controls that cannot be changed to an AZERTY keyboard, these provide slight nuisances to an otherwise entertaining game.
Conclusion:
Telltale succeeds in creating more content for their ever-expanding TWD universe. Though the gameplay is ‘more of the same’, the focus on fan-favourite Michonne and the new setting provide for an entertaining episode that has a good balance between gory zomb-kills and split-second moral dilemmas.
