You'll be hard pressed to find a more engaging game that puts the story above all. This is a review of all episodes 1-5
But, how many are able to have you biting your nails almost singlehandedly for the story. For whatever the reason, that's what it's come down to with the walking dead ever since the pilot release. That's not to say it should be dismissed by any means in the gameplay department. First & foremost, it's a point & click adventure. That means being quick on your feet(or hands), solving puzzles, and putting 2&2 together in advance for quick reactions.
The Walking Dead Game is from up & coming Telltale Games. Bias being nothing of the sort, they just don't have the greatest track record among players or critics. That's in regards to the story, gameplay, & general quality. But they managed to gather a loving fanbase with their latest project, The Walking Dead Game.
The Walking Dead is ultimately about the characters. Not the city destruction, or even the zombies. It's the characters. You'll love some, you'll adore a few, and you'll absolutely detest others. And it's intentional. People wont always feel the same as you, and might be looking out for themselves. Others might be reckless due to ignorance, or a heart just too big to let something slide. While the game IS about choice, It's not fallout. The game follows a standard tree branch story. It tailors to how you play. You'll make choices based on what you would do, and they can in fact save you or bite you in the ass later on... If it's a minute from then, or nearing the end of the game. That's what's incredible however. Even though the choices can be ultimately meaningless, it can be gut wrenching thinking about what you would actually do in the circumstance. It makes you feel guilt, and relief. And bittersweet takes no backseat ride, because of this.
Getting onto it, You, as protagonist lee, end up being saved in the most unlikely of events. You are escorted out of the city. Cuffed in the back of a patrol car, and things quickly go from bad to worse. From there, you meet a special person who is going to (surprisingly) steal your heart from the start, and have you invest your care into her.
You'll meet plenty of people along the way. Some will come & go, some will stay, & others will live or die, because of you. You'll even see some familiar faces along the way if you're keen about the other Walking Dead mediums. Of course, you'll also be facing your fair share of enemies. The point is, you're choices can sometimes be a deciding factor on what the next move is. When the conversation is involved, you're silence can play a key factor. It can pan out alright, but it's not always the best option, and can lead to consequences later on. You'll lose trust just as quick as you earned it sometimes, and it's important to think ahead.
With all the drooling over the story, that isn't to say it's absolutely perfect. There are scenes that have you thinking "Seriously? Why/how would...wow".
There are also(although these are very rare) some plotholes, the biggest imo being in episode 5, nearing the end involving a garage. But, it is what it is.
While the game sometimes has some weird bugs & oversights in the animations, it will usually prove to be a minor problem. There are also some glitches, at least on the PC version, that end up tanking your choices. Things you picked wont be represented as such in the following episode. I've never run into anything like this, but I've heard it mentioned. It's also worth nothing that almost everyone I've heard mentioning this is running windows 7, so take that for what you will. Again, I've run into zero problems, aside from occasional weird animation twitches.
As far as the actual gameplay. It's satisfying, and straight to the point. Walking dead doesn't pretend to be something it's not. It doesn't throw waves and waves of walkers to fight through, but instead paces that factor. During the downtime(or things in a similar manner), it throws plenty of world objects at you to fiddle with. You'll examine these things, and get lee's thoughts. A bit of "detective" work plays a part in nearly all episodes as well. That plays in part with the puzzles. The puzzles themselves aren't difficult, and I think chapter 3 was the most time consuming in regards to them. After the downtime moments, you'll be treated to an action sequence, and as the game gets farther along, you'll typically face larger crowds during the given times. It makes for an exciting roller coaster that has you wondering if the next threat is internal, or just outside the safe walls making for suspenseful punches to the gut after each episode climax.
In the end, it's just a really well done point & click game with an incredibly strong story(and it's partially a tie in to boot) that does the job admirably, and in good taste. And again, it knows exactly what it wants to be, and is better because of it. An easy recommendation for story fiends.
Length: About 10-15 hours
Positives: Story, acting, set pieces, pacing, replay value
Cons: Some animation glitches, weird game bugs, the graphics have a really weird style which can actually be distracting sometimes, breaking immersion.
Neutral: The gameplay. It's not deep, but does what it does exceptionally well.