The Walking Dead: a New Frontier

Telltale Games has revolutionized storytelling with its game series. These interactive short stories and episodic novellas are gripping and put player choice at the forefront of gameplay. Player's choices matter. As a matter of fact, in Telltale games, player choice is the game. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is a classic example of Telltale’s ability to spin a yarn with a few twists to keep things interesting.

The Walking Dead series is based on the comic book world created by Robert Kirkman and has been one of their biggest successes. Drawing fans of the comic, the television show, and the zombie genre together for dramatic adventures that put human drama at the forefront of the zombie apocalypse.

A New Frontier is a stand-out in the series and seeks to meet player expectations for the series while breaking some series conventions to present a new fresh take on the popular formula. The game's 5 episodes are filled with plot twists and genuine emotion.

The game's developers do a great job of presenting a cast of new characters and allowing their personalities to evolve naturally. The game is truly rewarding for players that have followed the series from the beginning.

Graphics

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier uses a classic hand-drawn style that feels like it was lifted directly from the pages of the graphic novel. Players will see the pencil strokes that give detail to each character and background. The washed drab pallet is indicative of a world that has decayed. The artwork and animations in the game are fluid and perfectly fit the subject matter. The game's setting is well detailed and the facial animation is excellent. Players can feel the despair and hope of the survivors by looking at their drab scarred faces.

Sound

The sound in this game is well done. The music is a dismal score that provides the perfect soundtrack for the emotionally wrenching adventure the player will undertake. The sound effects are solid and are used appropriately. The game's voice acting is one of its strongest points.

The cast is one of the best you will see in gaming or any other medium. The actors sell their characters, and their performances are top-notch. Players will feel invested in the story and the genuine emotion portrayed by the voice actors will help not only draw players in but, it keeps them invested for the long ride.

Story

In Telltale games, the point of the game is to tell a tale. I will not be revealing any details of the story here to ensure the integrity of the game. The writing for Telltale games has always been best in class and this entry into The Walking Dead series is not different. The writers at Telltale are rivaling the comic book series itself with thought-provoking narratives and believable entertaining characters. The series has been around long enough to establish its cliches and a few of them are noticeably embedded in the plot of this entry. This will be a delight to long term fans. The pacing in some moments does feel a little rushed.

However, that is something that is deeply embedded in the genre. There is often not time to properly resolved the conflict. This entry presents another engrossing story about humans in a desperate situation trying to maintain their humanity.

Pros

• Excellent Story
• Great Artwork
• Interesting Characters

Cons

• The story has some pacing issues