The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series Image
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 688 Ratings

  • Summary: Based on Robert Kirkman's award-winning comic book series, The Walking Dead is about a world devastated by an undead apocalypse and the horrifying choices you're forced to make to survive. Assume the role of Lee Everett, a convicted criminal, who has been given a second chance at life in a world devastated by the undead. With corpses returning to life and survivors stopping at nothing to maintain their own safety, protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine may offer you redemption in a world gone to hell. Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Nov 27, 2012
    100
    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.
  2. Dec 10, 2012
    100
    The art, too, is wonderfully realised, both making the world a dangerous but curious place, and giving a great deal of life to the characters. Just look at Clementine's expressiveness even without words. It plays right into the hands of its comic book counterpart, and leaves the game anything but lifeless.
  3. Nov 27, 2012
    100
    From the very beginning, The Walking Dead sinks its teeth in and never lets you go. It's a journey in the truest sense of the word, replete with tragedy, heartache, tension, fear, and even brief moments of catharsis. Calling The Walking Dead a work of entertainment almost seems like a misnomer, considering the heavy tone and general lack of sentimentality in the writing.
  4. Jan 29, 2013
    80
    This series offered some of the most memorable hours we spent holding a gamepad during 2012. [Feb 2013, p.102]

See all 12 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 25 out of 158
  1. The Walking Dead is one of the most amazing, shocking, emotionalising, Imustplaythenextpartnow-ing games you will even play. Some of the episodes are a bit better than others (for me the first, second, fourth and fifth were amazing, and the third was just... Very good). Choices you make in the early portion of the game are reflected even in the last, some choices being better than others, and you may wish to play the game again to pick all the best choices.

    TWD, though fantastic, can also be one of the glitchiest games you will ever play. Many times have all my saves been temporarily reset or just not do what I want, but in the end, the game was well worth it, left me begging for more and made me cry. 10/10 for sure.
    Expand
  2. Overall a pretty great game. I can say without refrain that this is immensely better than the show, as players are given the chance to craft Lee, and in turn Clementine, as you see fit. The unfortunate consequence of programming is that ultimately everything will lead to a point, so the choices you make will only tend to have immediate consequences, but it's still a joy to see them pay off. The story is one of the best gaming has to offer, as getting to know the characters is a truly enjoyable experience, and the best moments come from tense situations where Lee is forced to make a tough decision. The cel-shaded graphics are very impressive to look at, despite their constant hiccups when the action is high. It's convenient that you can pause at any point during the game; however, it's less convenient that cutscenes can not be skipped through during repeat playthroughs. The gameplay takes about half an hour to get used to, and by then you should be handling yourself fine, but ultimately you'll find yourself walking into walls in episodes 4 and 5. Given the fact that cutscenes cannot be skipped and each character's fate is always the same, I don't believe I'll be picking this game up again any time soon, but don't let that sway you from an initial playthrough. Experience the game at least once to get to know Clementine and Lee as they are the core of the narrative, and it's well worth the cheap price tag. Expand
  3. Now, I really like The Walking Dead as a series, the show, the comic, and now the game. I started the playing the game with low hopes, but it surprised me. It was fun, got dark later on, and had a nicely crafted plot. BUT, I also had a few issues with it. While everyone says the game is completely altered by your decisions, a lot of you decisions end up not mattering within a short amount of time. And while decisions are fun, I would like them to have more of an effect later. Also, I have had various glitches for it on my PC, and I've heard many complaints about texture pop ins and freezes. Overall though, I feel this is a good game, has it's flaws, but should be played by any fan of The Walking Dead. Expand
  4. You can get a pretty good idea of whether or not you'll like this game before you play it as long as you know where the focus of its design was and what generalities of game elements you like/don't like. Do you generally like zombie movies, even the bad ones, even the ones that have VERY little focus on zombies? Do you like the attempt of a unique art style more than the success of its execution? Do you like the illusion of choice in games? Can you tolerate an extended quick-time event trying to pass for a game? I didn't care for this game at all, but will give it credit for trying. The engine feels underpowered, constantly loading between rooms, micro freezing (1/8th second delay) between camera angle switches, clunky body animation (almost all the focus was on the faces). The game warns you that the choices you make will affect the outcome of the game. What they don't tell you is that the choices you make won't have logical consequences and frequently the reactions of other characters won't make any sense. The character writing is idiotic. There are a million things wrong with the storytelling i.e. people yelling don't get noticed by zombies, girl locks herself in a motel room by nailing a board to the OUTSIDE of the door when she's locked inside, characters react before events happen. The slop gets tiring. Most of the action is nothing more than repeating an attack 3 times. Boring. The credit I give this game is for trying to transcend gaming, horror, and storytelling. It would have been amazing had it been successful. It just wasn't. Expand

See all 158 User Reviews

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