Though I'd like to generally recommend this game, I cannot.

The short version is that if you haven't played the other two Telltale games (and the 400 Days intermediary piece), your time would be much better spent playing them, rather than this. If you loved those games as much as I did, however, you'll ignore all negative reviews and THEN play this game anyway... maybe you won't even be as disappointed in every other character not named Michonne as I was.

The first season of The Walking Dead added punch and weight to your consequential life and death, ethical and moral decisions because of the presence of a small child in your care. I wrestled with my choices far longer than I would have in a game like Dragon Age or Mass Effect for fear of the impact on the excellently voiced little girl. I wasn't just playing for Lee, I was playing for Clementine.

The second season placed you in the role of Clementine, and even though I found the conclusion muddy and uneven (depending on the ending you got; mine was a headscratcher), seeing the zombie apocalypse from the point of view of this weirdly expert child was novel and engaging to me. I'd become invested in her journey.

Here in Michonne's tale we have the most visually iconic character of the The Walking Dead canon front and center. Though they couldn't get Danai Gurira to voice her, Samira Wiley does an excellent job. The cast as a whole, like previous games, creates a strong ensemble of voices. There are some truly excellent performances. The dialog felt naturalistic, like things a real person might say; however, the one-sentence descriptions the game gives you of your choices led me into some confusing turns of conversation. They pack so much interchange and well-directed camera cuts that I sometimes couldn't see how my choice was connected with where the story next went, though I was entertained enough to shrug and carry on.

The whole of this first episode feels like the first half of one of those television pilots where characters are introduced in the first segment that you get no time to know; but, by the second commercial break there are a whole new set of people with more names to immediately forget. My game time is 95 minutes (as of this writing) on Steam, but five of those were making a sandwich. In that ninety minute running time, my only investment was in the faithful and effective portrayal of Michonne.

This leads into a conceit that breaks one of the primary rules of The Walking Dead franchise: anyone can die.

Except since this story is sandwiched in comic book canon and Michonne is in the title and all that, we know she can't possibly die; so, without investment in secondary characters or some larger, laudable goal, I didn't feel any motivation or jeopardy other than being directly antagonized by "bad guys". I didn't care if I saw any of the characters from the opening again. Furthermore, I didn't want to see half the characters they'd introduced in the second half of the episode at all.

If the second episode connects me with some of these characters, I could see revising my review. Right now, though, I'd advise anyone who hasn't played TellTale Games's The Walking Dead seasons one and season two (yes, in that order) to play those instead.

As for the people who've played the other two excellent TellTale games, nothing I'm going to write will stop you from playing this one. It looks far better than the previous games, though the hard black shading meant to mimic the comic book looks like multiple melanoma or a dark chocolate misfortune on several of the characters. Norma, in particular, was jarring and confusing to my eye, as if she'd had wrinkles tattooed on her wrinkles.

I loved the song, all foot-stomping low-fi roots.

Though The Walking Dead: Michonne had some excellent performances, cinematography and some badass machete play, it left me not wanting more, but empty from it passing right through me due to a lack of substantial characters to care about.

First it should be said that I am a huge telltale game fan. I loved the entire Walking Dead series (both seasons), Tales of Borderlands, The Wolf Among us, everything. I've always loved the fascinating characters, story arcs, emotional scenes, humor (particularly in Borderlands), and everything else talltale has always had to offer. They really are a genre of thier own.

Not so much this time.

The Walking Dead: Michonne was probably the most disappointing telltale game I've played. While the characters were vaguely interesting and the plot wasn't bad, it was the actual amount of content that was disappointing. The entire game took me maybe three hours to complete, with each episode barely being an hour. Keep in mind that each Borderlands episode took me two hours and sometimes more (and there was five episodes, making it a really solid game). I recognize that this is a mini series but then the price should be cut drastically to match the gametime.

Additionally, actual gameplay, although pretty decent wasn't the same compared to the other Walking Dead games and for me, it was because of emotional investment. At the end of Walking Dead Season 1, I was crying hysterically. I was so invested in Lee and Clem that the ending literally had me emotionally striken, and I left with tons of feelings even days after completing the game. After I finished Michonne, I kind of just stared at my screen and shrugged like, "Alright." I couldn't get very emotionally invested in the characters and it seemed as if the game was simply telling you who to get invested in and what to think. "These are the bad guys, you are the good guys, they're gonna chase you, you gotta do things to save yourself but some will die, the end." Whereas with Walking Dead Season 1 was more like, "Hey, here is this kid named Benny, he is going to really suck sometimes so you can either take sympathy on the poor kid or you can completely screw him over, or do a combination of both or neither." It was the same way with Kenny, Clem, and everyone else you made moral decisions about. The game didn't tell you to care about certain characters or view certain characters as strictly bad guys. It was up to you to make that decision for yourself.

Overall, if this game was on sale (5~10) and you are a fan of talltale I'd still probably suggest you get it, but just keep in mind that it's not a very long game at all and you may not get as emotionally invested as you would playing Season 1 or Season 2.

As someone who loved the mainline entries of Telltale's The Walking Dead, I decided to give their spin-off, Michonne, a chance. While the ever so familiar gameplay loop of doing almost nothing besides pressing a random button once in a fool moon is still present, it's the story where The Walking Dead: Michonne inevitably fails.

Unlike the games that follow Clementine and her struggles from the start of the zombie outbreak, The Walking Dead: Michonne tells only a very tiny snippet of our titular hero's journey. We get to see what Michonne was doing during her brief absence from Rick's group in the comics. Thus, you already know Michonne will survive, breaking the illusion of her being in any kind of danger during this quite short adventure.

And while this is a self-contained story, Michonne is an already established character in the comics. So to understand her and this whole pilgrimage she goes on, you need to read the source material. Like, why did she even leave? And her being an already established character, with her quirks and traits, removes the possibility for the players to project themselves onto the character, which you can do in many other "choice" based games. This is because, while the protagonist has a backstory, you are there when their new life starts and take control of them from that point onward, making history together. Take Lee from the first The Walking Dead game as an example. Sure, we get a glimpse into his past, but the question of "Who is Lee?" ultimately falls unto us, the players, to decide. We are the ones that steer him according to what we perceive him or want him to be. And sadly, that's just not the case with Michonne.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2717290757

But, the game is not just bogged down by the requirement of knowing who this character is and why she is where she is, it's also the uninteresting supporting cast. They are never properly set up and feel more like a means to an end than genuine people you'll form some form of affection towards. Heck, after the first five minutes, you don't even see Michonne's crew, except for Pete (depending on one "tough choice"), until the very end of the last episode. And this leads into another glaring issue - choices don't really hold any weight, whatsoever. Yes, yes...Other "choice" based games also lack meaningful consequences for your choices and just present you with an illusion of choice, while the story plays out mostly the same, with only minor differences. But at least in those games, people you care for and spend time getting to know have that ominous spectre of death loom over their shoulders as it waits for you to make a "mistake". Here, it's just some random dudes and dudettes specifically conjured up for this spin-off. They are never mentioned again and have zero impact on Michonne's character and her overall journey in the comics. So why care about their potential deaths when their entire existence is confined into only these 3 specific episodes? Because we spent 5 minutes talking about rum and cards? Nah.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2717291782

As for the gameplay, it's more of the same; Quick time events galore, timed dialogue picks, simple exploration of small areas, and a couple of "impactful" choices sprinkled throughout the story. The presentation is the only thing I can praise. Its famous comic book aesthetic is still here, and so is the gore, so don't worry. The sound effects are still solid, with your zombie growls, human shrieks and that oh so familiar sound of a blunt object meeting an unfortunate cranium. And once again, voice actors do a splendid job, with Samira Wiley stealing the show as Michonne. Last but not least, the locations you visit are rather dull and drab looking, and that is the only nitpick I have with the presentation on offer.

And that's it, there's not much else to talk about.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2717293646

Truthfully, I wouldn't recommend buying this as a standalone purchase, as it's part of an all-in-one collection - The Walking Dead Definitive Edition. And even then, I don't really recommend it as a must-play unless you are a die-hard fan whose hunger for all things The Walking Dead is unsatable. Personally, this game has no valid reason to exist. It does nothing for its titular character and feels like it was made just so Telltale can cash in on The Walking Dead brand.

If you enjoy this review, come and read more wisdom from the Gospel of Sv. Prolivije.

I cannot recommend this game simply because it is too short. There is not enough time to connect with any of the characters that you meet. The story is not very creative either. The whole "we need resources so we have to fight these mean people for them" is getting rather old.

Disappointing. A few exciting scenes can't save an overall tedious cliche plot.

- Michonne is one of the more bad-ass characters in TWD universe.
- Decent graphics and soundtrack.

- Flashbacks about her children almost every few minutes
- Cookie-cutter disposable side characters.
- "X will remember that". Yeah, for like 5 minutes before they die.
- Your choices don't really affect much, General outcome is the same in the end.

This is the first episodic Telltale game that I just cant recommend in good conscience.

TL;DR:

• Too short considering the price
  
• Choices basically don't matter
  
• Exploration is kept to a minimum this time
  
• Hallucinations ruin the flow of the game and are aggrevating

• If you like the Telltale-Style and can see past the cons here's more to quench your thirst
  
• Some VERY satisfying moments

Now Telltale Games have always been more Interactive Movies than actual games, that for the most part merely gave you the Illusion of choice. So is and does this one.
That's not my problem with it, I can dig that. At least the choices at the end of an episode somewhat matter and they usually present the Story very well so that I can forgive choices not having an actual impact.

But in this particular one Michonne has hallucinations that last throughout the entire game.
They are annoying, they are pointless and they completely break the flow of the game.
When I am fighting for my life and suddenly everything is quiet and i see my daughters running around, that to me does not evoke any emotional response except for anger and thinking "aww not this crap again!"
I guess it was supposed to add to the story....somehow?! In my opinion, it completely fails to do so. It does not make me care about her daughters.
It actually makes me hate them. Dumb things happen due to Michonne not moving because of her hallucinations.

This lead to me being more angry than enjoying the story unfold before me.

Furthermore, I know this is a mini series, and that's okay. But if you're gonna make it that short you should probably adjust the price you're asking for it. This game will last you about 4 hours. So if you want me to pay almost 4€ per hour of enjoyment it better be pretty damn good.
This isn't, it's okay at best. Although i will admit that it has 2 or 3 instances where it is very satisfying!
It is also worth noting that the cloud save does not seem to be working correctly. I had to replay most of Episode 1 because I quit inbetween and apparently it was never saved. Considering you cant even skip forward in conversations that was rather tedious.
Lastly I actually got some major framedrops at parts, which is weird. Never had that in a Telltale game before and I'd think if my PC can handle DA: Inquisition, Witcher 3 and the likes it shouldnt have a problem with something like this.

Overall, if you can look past the cons, you might want to pick it up on a sale. Otherwise I recommend skipping this one.

The illusion of agency from earlier Telltale games is gone, replaced by a feeling of frustration as the choices you make have no effect on anything at all.

This comes as a owner from every single telltale title aside from literally one, the Minecraft Story Mode.
If you are a telltale fan, this is a interesting title. But don't expect a full 3 episodes of the same length as the original.
I am rewriting my review after the length of the second episode, and them having the same set of achievements for the final. These episodes feel halved, as the ones from Season 2 felt shorter. These feel even shorter.
Wait for a sale if you are a Telltale or Walking Dead fan.
Also a avid comic reader, them saying it is in the comic storyline is a selling point and literally NOTHING else.
No mention of Ezekiel, or anything from the time line. Just a excuse to make a Michonne game for a cash grab.
Potential it had, and Potential is wasted.
Good game, not worth the price, and not worth the instant support as other telltale games had.
For avid fans, this will be a irritating experience especially if they purchased at full price.
If this is what we can expect for S3, it will be a disappointment. Get the act together Telltale.

In comparison to the other Walking Dead TellTale game, the story was very weak. Choices really had no consequences. Rarely made any "tough" decisions. Forgettable characters.

My god... this game gives you NO freedom of choice, especially compared to the other Walking Dead games. There were so many things I wasnted to do but was not allowed to do. And so many times the game forced me into doing things I did not want to do. I would go into details, but I don't want to include any spoilers in this review. Suffice it to say, if you are looking for a game that gives you choices, this is not it.