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Publisher Telltale Games
Developer
Released: October 10, 2012 |
Supported Features:
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What We Liked: What We Didn't: The Final Score: (?) |
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The Walking Dead: Episode Four – Around Every Corner Based on the Eisner award-winning comic book series with an AMC television adaptation of the same name, The Walking Dead is an episodic horror action adventure game in five parts by Telltale Games (of Sam & Max fame), taking place at the onset of the zombie apocalypse and preceding the events of the comics and TV show. Episode 4: “Around Every Corner” is the penultimate episode of this arc, and I’m genuinely sad that it’s almost over. It’s been one hell of a ride, and I’m consistently amazed that it’s only been getting better with each episode. At this point, though, it’s getting incredibly difficult to discuss the games and how excellent they are without spoiling the whole thing, precisely because of how much the The Walking Dead experience hinges on the compelling storytelling and characters. I’ll do my best, though.
Above all, though, “Around Every Corner” effectively builds on all character relationships and prior events leading up to the present circumstances. It mercilessly leverages the fondness that we’ve now inadvertently developed for Lee and his motley crew of apocalypse survivors, and, depending on choices the player makes on Lee’s behalf, gleefully smashes various hopes and dreams. That may sound depressing and a bit dramatic, but that’s how The Walking Dead rolls. At this point, we’ve probably made the bulk of Lee’s tough decisions and gotten a firm handle of what kind of man our versions of Lee really are. It took me all of a heartbeat to know whether my Lee would save someone’s life, lie to someone, use violence, or try to negotiate. The beauty of it is I imagine most players probably feel they have their Lees down pat at this point, and these Lees can be drastically different people. That’s obvious by the gut-wrenching end of “Around Every Corner,” which baldly and pitilessly reflects the culmination of the player’s decisions. Just, wow. I’d discuss the ending further, but I really can’t without giving it away. As usual, I was fascinated by Telltale’s statistics, which show that player choices really ran the gamut, as revealed by the relatively even distribution among the many possible outcomes. Anyway, there’s not too much more I can say about the episode without really getting into the meat of the story and ruining it for folks who haven’t played, so instead, I’ll mention again that the art, sound, and overall presentation in these games are outstanding. The creepiness factor seems further ramped up on this one, in no small part due to the eerie music, super-clear sound effects, investigable environmental details, and sometimes cleverly obstructive camera work, which really made my skin crawl at times. The beautiful hand-drawn look of the 3D-rendered graphics just doesn’t get old.
Like the previous episodes, Episode 4 goes for 400 Microsoft Points ($5.00 US dollars) and a single play-through took me about three hours. Given what’s happened in this last episode, though, I think the game has excellent replay potential, perhaps somewhat contingent on what happens in the finale. I’ve already said something similar for the previous three episodes I’ve reviewed, but if you think you might enjoy a story- and character-driven zombie survival adventure game, don’t even hesitate on this one. Just sit down and play it. As far as I’m concerned, these games deserve all the accolades they’ve received thus far, and Episode 5 can’t come too soon. Screenshots 
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Genre: Adventure
As with the previous episodes, Episode 4 involves fewer typical adventure-game puzzles and more tension-building timed conversation replies, consequence-laden plot choices, and fast-paced action sequences, whether it’s frantic button mashing to help Lee escape from a walker’s grasp or honest-to-goodness FPS-style controls to make proper use of a found firearm. That’s right—Episode 4has an improved control scheme over the last couple of episodes, and whether it reflects main character Lee’s increasing target-shooting skills or player feedback, I’m pleased with the upgrade. The transitions between play modes can be sudden and nerve-wracking, but they’re reasonably natural.
I’m also continually impressed by the character designs, which, besides being believably lifelike, are refreshingly diverse in just about every way, including ethnicity, social class, sex, age, appearance, personality, fitness level, health, and even personal prejudices. For instance, Clementine might be a little girl, but unlike a typical child character, she’s portrayed as a complex, full human being with her own goals, emotions, skills, and ethical values. Similarly, Kenny may be a stubborn, myopic, and often selfish redneck (as another character labels him), but it’s hard not to sympathize with his love for his family and resolute effort to do what he thinks is best for the survival of people he cares about. This enlightened approach to characterization is almost unheard of in video games, and it’s something Telltale ought to be thoroughly commended for.
