By and large, most choice-driven games have followed the same formula, inviting you to make your mark in the world by deciding if you want to be “good” or “bad,” and accepting the binary nature of existence. But in the post-apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead, where the titular dead walk the decaying earth, the notion of good and bad is somewhat dated. There’s no “right” when right can mean shooting an innocent child before it can turn into a flesh-eating beast, and there’s no “wrong” when wrong can mean stealing the supplies you need to survive from those just as needy as you. The Walking Dead is the story of the choices you can’t live with, and the choices you can, coming together to create an experience as depressing and pessimistic as it is remarkable and memorable.

The Walking Dead never pretends to be anything less than a cruel, dour analysis of humanity’s downfall. You’re tossed into the cuffs of Lee Everett, a convicted murderer on his way to prison when the first episode begins. In the opening moments, his police escort is sidetracked by the zombie apocalypse, freeing Lee into a world that’s not nearly as comfortable as a jail cell would've been. Soon, he’s joined by the young Clementine, a child left on her own after her parents took a poorly timed vacation and her babysitter contracted a bad case of the flesh munchies. And off into the new, horrible world Lee goes, hoping to find Clementine’s parents despite knowing that they’re likely dead; off to find sanctuary when he doubts one even exists.

In stark contrast to the rest of gaming, The Walking Dead is more focused on what you do than how you do it. There aren’t many traditional puzzles, per se, as much as there are tasks that you’re asked to perform to move the story forward. Menial activities like finding batteries for a radio or starting up a train aren’t all that engaging by themselves, but they serve a very necessary pacing purpose, as well as give you a chance to explore the world a bit and get to know the characters better. If you’re looking to rampage around Georgia popping the heads off of undead monsters, you’re better served by one of the many other zombie games on the market.

Though some might be turned off by this minimization of traditional gameplay, it works well in the context of the game. The effect you have on the world is fairly minimal by design, mixing together Telltale’s point-and-click adventure game style with a smattering of quick-time events and choice-driven dialogue. This amorphous take on gameplay works very well to make you feel like you’re a part of the world, without allowing you to go too far off the rails. But just because you’re not allowed to stray too far off the beaten path, doesn’t mean you don’t have an actual influence--on the contrary, your words and actions actually play an integral part in crafting the world.

Incredibly strong writing and voice-acting give the narrative the spotlight it deserves. The vast majority of the characters you interact with are well-developed, and it’s hard not to feel compassion for even the meanest of the bunch, making you actually care about who you foster relationships with and who you choose to disappoint. What’s more, your actions have an impact not just on the events that you encounter, but in how people treat you. Don’t back up Kenny when his son is accused of being bitten, and he might not have your back a few episodes later when you need him to. Side with Lilly when she’s trying to ration the food, and she might respect you enough to help you in the coming episodes.

Your choices, both large and small, have repercussions, and can change the course of the remaining episodes--even if it’s only a slight shift. Split-second choices made later in the game can rewrite how people react to you regardless of how you’ve treated them up to that point, making each and every action all the more important. Inaction, too, is usually an option, amplified by the inclusion of a timer that makes it possible to completely miss a chance at making a decision, forcing you to sit on the sidelines and watch whatever your indifference hath wrought.

These decisions wouldn't be as emotional if it didn’t feel like there was something on the line, but there is: Clementine. The hopelessness of the world would be infectious if not for her constant optimism, giving you something to fight for. She’s slow to adapt to the fact that good and evil are now meaningless, and her innocence keeps the concept of hope alive in the survivors. More importantly, it makes it harder to justify going against what you think is truly “right,” since you know you’re going to have her big, sad eyes staring up at you. It’s heartbreaking and motivational, inspirational and depressing.

The Walking Dead’s success isn’t in creating a Choose Your Own Adventure game with hundreds of possible outcomes and limitless plotlines. Instead, it reflect the reality of life, reminding you that many of the choices you’re given have predetermined outcomes, and some things simply can’t be changed. And yet, this undermining of everything that makes The Walking Dead unique is arguably its greatest triumph. Despite not always being in control, The Walking Dead makes you feel as though you are. Even though you can’t always save someone from death, you can give it your best try, shaping the person you are. And it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth the effort to change what, in all likelihood, can not be changed.

Sure, you can replay it to see what else would happen, but that won’t change anything. It won’t change that you’re not going to leave The Walking Dead happy. You’ll feel like you made mistakes. You’ll feel like you could have done better, if you gave it another go. At best, you’ll leave without any regrets, knowing that you did the best you could do. The Walking Dead deals in a spectrum of emotion that few other games dare to take on, and it does so with aplomb. It’s utterly triumphant, crafting a narrative that proves the power of the medium by embracing what makes it unique, leading to one of the most memorable gameplay experiences ever created.

The Walking Dead is a story-driven adventure game.
Though it feels more like an interactive story, than an actual game, it still got me from the first minute.
There is not much gameplay in it, you walk here and there and talk to other people and every now and then you need to make choices (for most of them there is a short time limit).
There are a lot likable (and not so likable) characters. Together with the choices you have to make, it is a thrilling and emotional experience.

Highly recommended if you like story-driven games and/or adventures.

The first game ever which made me cry.

A masterpiece.

- DIFFICULTY -

🔲 My 90 year old grandma could play it
☑️ Easy
🔲 Normal
🔲 Hard
🔲 "Dark Souls"

- GRAPHICS -

🔲 "MS Paint"
🔲 Bad
🔲 Meh
🔲 Graphics don't matter in this game
🔲 Good
☑️ Beautiful
🔲 Masterpiece

- MUSIC -

🔲 Bad
🔲 Not special
🔲 Good
☑️ Beautiful

- STORY -

🔲 This game has no story
🔲 Like playing "Temple Runners" for the story
🔲 It's there for the people who want it
🔲 Well written
☑️ Epic story

- PRICE -

🔲 Free
☑️ Underpriced
🔲 Perfect price
🔲 Could be cheaper
🔲 Overpriced
🔲 Complete waste of money

- REQUIREMENTS -

☑️ You can run it on a microwave
🔲 Average
🔲 High end
🔲 "NASA" computer

- LENGTH -

🔲 Very short (0 - 3 hours)
🔲 Short (3 - 15 hours)
☑️ Average (15 - 50 hours)
🔲 Long (50 - 90 hours)
🔲 Extremely long (90 - 110 hours)
🔲 No ending

- FUN -

🔲 I'd rather watch paint dry
🔲 Hard to enjoy
🔲 Repetitive
🔲 Actually pretty amusing
☑️ Ride of your life

- REPLAYABILITY -

🔲 It's a one - time experience
🔲 Only for achievements
🔲 If you wait a few months / years
☑️ Definitely
🔲 Infinitely replayable

- WORTH BUYING -

🔲 No
🔲 Wait for sale
☑️ Yes

If you didn't cry at the end, you're not a human.

I just wanna erase my memory so I can relive this game for the first time.

96/100

-3 The choices you make doesn't change the ending. This lowers the replay value. It's still a great and unpredictable story.
-1 A few too many bugs where people are either levitating or the game freezes for a second.

Game: Clementine feels hurt.

Me: *Restarts entire episode*

-open game
-Start the game
-Side with kenny
-Side with kenny
-Side with kenny
-Side with kenny

Loved every part of this game.
Some people may argue that your choices don't actually matter, and I'd say they are not wrong... But they are not right either. The choices you make in the game may not have an impact on the end itself, but it will have an impact on how the story gets told to you. Will you become a respectable man, or will you be an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ throughout the entire game? The choice is yours.

What does matter here is the travel, and not the destination.

The graphics are enjoyable; you really feel like you're part of the original comics universe. The game developpers also had the good idea to create their own story and not simply take the comics story. This is not a simple adaptation of the comics books, this is a parallel story which does not make some fan services; the references to the books are smart and really not invasive.

All in all, this is a simple, yet very enjoyable story-driven point-and-click, merging some humor and a lot of drama in a good and smart enough interactive story.

Turn the lights off, and play it alone or with someone else, and discuss about the choices you should make or should have made.

A must play!