If the first episode of Telltale Game’s new episodic series The Walking Dead started affairs off well, it was also ultimately just that: a start. The real trick to see was if Telltale could keep the momentum going into the following episodes: unwinding compelling slices of a larger story that also can work as distinct standalone experiences in their own right. And then there is the need to reflect the series’ much touted choice and consequence system (of a similar type found in games such as Mass Effect and The Witcher) as well. All of which adds up to no easy task but I am happy to report that not only does Telltale manage it adroitly; they make it look easy.

The Walking Dead Episode 2: Starved for Help opens with players needing to plunge an axe into the back of a feeding zombie’s head. Shortly after that, an encounter with a bear trap and a small horde of zombies has the potential to end very messily indeed but all of this ultimately pales in the face of the choice awaiting players shortly after they return to the motor inn where Episode 1 ended its story. It has been three months since then for the characters in the game and food is beginning to run short which in turn is causing already frayed tempers to run even higher. The aforementioned choice revolves around players being tasked with handing out a food ration capable of feeding four among a group of survivors ten strong and the sequence that follows is every bit as taut and intense as any run in with a walker. And still the worse is yet to come as an encounter with two brothers soon leads the game’s band of survivors to a seemingly idyllic dairy farm protected from the oncoming hordes of the undead behind an electrified fence. With plentiful food, room, and other resources, this farm at first appears to be the perfect safe haven but soon, in typical The Walking Dead fashion, the situation turns dark and deadly. As events begin to ratchet up towards their inevitable climax, players will find themselves facing a series of choices that will test them in more ways than one…

The idea that the human element is every bit as, if not more, dangerous as the zombie one has always been central to The Walking Dead comic and with Episode 2 of The Walking Dead game, the developers at Telltale have fully embraced this idea and then some. The writing in Episode 2 continues to be first rate while also managing to bring a greater sense of depth and character to its main players. Lead protagonist Lee Everett (i.e. the character who players directly control throughout the series) in particular benefits the most from this and Episode 2 manages to make him much more of an active participant in its proceedings than Episode 1 managed at times. It has been three months after all and these characters are no longer simply a group of strangers reacting to the immediacy of their current situation. So it only makes sense that relationships have deepened, for better or worse, with the continuing power struggle for leadership of the survivors that Lee finds himself smack in the middle being particularly effective.

Never a diserable situation to find oneself in.

As for the actual plot driving this episode forward, the dairy farm where the majority of the action takes place ends up providing a lot of meat for the gristle as it were. Various subplots are introduced or continue developing even while the goings on at the farm serve to act as a strong focal point for the main plot of the episode to build around. By the time the credits role, everything has come together on the story front in a way that mimics the best examples of episodic TV i.e. bringing the current events of the episode to a highly satisfactory and cinematic close while also still feeding into the need for ongoing storytelling. Admittedly, anyone familiar with either The Walking Dead or even just horror tropes in general will no doubt guess at least some of the particulars regarding the happenings at the dairy farm. Still even if players see some of the plot twists coming, this does nothing to sap the game’s most disturbing and shocking moments (of which there are plenty and all of which really earn the game’s M rating this time around; this is not an episode for the faint of heart) of their power. In some ways the knowledge of the player that everything simply cannot be as good as it seems only adds to growing sense of unease and tension that permeates this entire episode. The world of The Walking Dead is one where comfort and safety are at best ephemeral and transitory and at worst outright illusions, so it only feels right that the game embraces this idea as well.

Gameplay wise, The Walking Dead Episode 2 does not stray far from the formula established in Episode 1, which is only to be expected from an ongoing episodic game series on a semi-monthly release schedule. Even so, Ep. 2 does show some refinements in regards to its overall flow and pacing, with the various action set pieces and classic adventure game style puzzles that occur on a regular basis feeling both more naturalistic and logical in their placement and implementation. The latter in particular manage to avoid some of the more mood killing moments of the first episode. If this means Episode 2 does not feature the most challenging example of puzzles ever found in an adventure game, at the very least they do not take one out of the game in the same way that say the battery or the gate puzzles in Ep 1 often threatened to do. It is clear that Telltale have really started to get a handle on how to balance a traditional approach to adventure game design with more modern Heavy Rain-esqe elements and this only leaves me more excited than ever to see how the series develops across its remaining episodes in the months ahead.

Sure everything seems bright and peaceful now, but this is The Walking Dead; it can never last.

The game also does a terrific job with implementing player choice into the overall experience. While the basic overall plot of the episode remains the same regardless, decisions and conversations from both the previous episode and the current one can have a truly dramatic impact on the way various moments and scenes play out. This element especially works well within the context of the game’s various interpersonal relationships and its wonderful how the game manages to express different facets of a character’s personality depending on player choice while still keeping true to said character’s basic nature. There are even more hard choices in Episode 2 than in Episode 1 and it helps give the game real replay value as well. That being said, it is worth nothing that players still cannot skip through cutscenes and dialogue sequences, which can be a pain regarding exploring alternate choices and paths on subsequent playthroughs. While I continue to hope that Telltale Games will implement this ability at some point in a future episode, this is still an overall minor complaint, especially in light of everything else the game gets right from a gameplay perspective.

Visually, Episode 2 is another strong showing for Telltale Games that also continues to do a great job of bringing the art style of the comic to life. The occasional bland texture aside, the game simply looks first rate, with moments of bucolic beauty and horrific happenings being captured with equal aplomb. I will note however that I played the game on PC. This is important because I have heard reports of frame rate stuttering and other problems regarding the XBLA version of the game, something worth keeping in mind for players who have yet to purchase this title. Aurally, Episode 2 see little improvement over Episode 1 but that makes sense considering that the latter was already near perfect on this front to begin with.

Episode 2 is even more cinematic than its predecessor.

As good as Episode 1 of The Walking Dead was, Episode 2 is even better, improving on almost every aspect of the game. It is becoming increasingly clear that Telltale has the makings of a true magnum opus on their hands and I already find myself anxious regarding the final fates of the game’s main characters. It is truly impressive when a game can be both entertaining and thought provoking and that is just what Episode 2 manages throughout its two to three hour running time. This is quite simply one of the most compelling and riveting game I have encountered recently and one that I hope everyone chooses to partake in, regardless of their experience with or feelings towards the comic/TV show, zombies in general, or even the adventure game genre as a whole. Instantly accessible to newcomers while equally appealing to old hands, The Walking Dead Episode 2: Starved for Help continues to prove this series is a winner that, after only two episodes, is already shaping up as real “Game of the Year” material.

A review copy of this game was provided by the game’s publisher for PC. The reviewer spent approximately four hours playing the game and completed it.

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter @bigred_13 please if you feel so inclined.

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