Quicker than I had expected and just one week after the launch of Telltale Game’s newest series in MARVEL’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Episode 4 of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier has been released. Titled “Thicker than Water”, this episode has to do quite a bit in my mind to get this series back on track as so far, this has been one dull and tiresome addition to The Walking Dead universe by Telltale Games.
*Warning: Review will contain Spoilers from previous episodes and choices*
Episode three left us witnessing Javier’s brother David losing his power in the New Frontier group as other council member Joan seizes control after framing David for conducting secret raids for food and weapons, something that Joan herself was responsible for. An attempt for Javier and Kate to try and escape Richmond has failed and now the group is trapped in the town, with Javier and David captured by Joan.
Episode 4 opens up with the brothers being thrown into a locked cell and David is not a happy chappy, still reeling from Joan’s betrayal and discovering that his brother had indeed attempted to basically leg it away with his wife Kate. A cheesy conversation exchange and a right hook from David to Javier gave me the option of returning the favour which I did, and the lamest of bro fighting took place for a few seconds before Joan returns and takes David away by gunpoint for a private friendly chat. This gives Javier the chance to try and escape and the tedious problems that I have had with this series up to now all play out for the next 90 or so minutes.
This episode is by far the slowest paced chapter so far in this series. Other than having to make a few conversation choices, the first three chapters of ‘Thicker than Water’, are nothing more than a limited interactive movie experience. Quite simply the opening hour to this episode is so dull and lacking of any real gameplay substance I literally had to pause it just to go make a cup of tea to keep my brain ticking over. Normally the third episode in a Telltale series serves as a good pause episode to reflect on choices made and give the player the chance to catch up with events and story to that point. Due to the strange release schedule for A New Frontier however, it seems that has now fallen to this episode. The pace is so slow and deprived of anything really memorable that it was unsurprising to see the percentage of people who have completed each chapter’s achievement never went beyond 2%.
Sadly it also seems that Telltale Games themselves have grown tired of this as they are now using such woeful and obvious mechanics in the story. The way in which the story constantly makes sure Javier’s group is always on edge with infighting due to actions or choices made previously is just so boring now. They all ignore their impending danger and doom just so they can have a squabble only succeeds in making me as the player care even less if any of them survive at all. It has felt so forced so far in each of the episodes whenever the story tries to manipulate the player to ever feel remorse or regret over choices made which can work in some Telltale Games but now in the fourth Walking Dead game is just painful. I have previously complained about how repetitive these mechanics are and how in particular with A New Frontier just breaks the experience instead of enhancing it.
By Chapter 4 in this episode I was mentally willing the game to just get to the point, and was more than a little relieved when the game shifted to a flashback scene featuring Clementine just after bring exiled by New Frontier and having the baby AJ removed from her. Ava who will become a supporter of David, goes to Clem with supplies against the wishes of New Frontier. The player is given the opportunity to either have Clem respond as a normal and nice human being or stone cold and emotionless. It does give a nice reference to the first Walking Dead as Clem can respond with a line of dialogue referencing how she was looked after and taught to survive by Lee, main character of the first Walking Dead.
I really am struggling to find anything positive to say about this series and boy has this episode not helped at all. The only real action comes right at the very end and is simply a series of QTE moments, one segment failed to register me hitting “go right” multiple times forcing me to restart the game to get it to work. The ending tries to give a big finish but by this point, the narrative and lack of action in this episode alone just has me waiting for the finish, and yet again there is no “Next time on The Walking Dead” so all you get is a sudden black screen and then showing you how other players made their choices.
I do think it is time for Telltale to put The Walking Dead to bed finally, with just one more episode to go in A New Frontier I have already lost interest in what happens to Javier and his group. The dramatic moments are lacklustre, the pacing just too slow and feels like it is mostly just padding in this episode and after playing the fun and colourful Guardians of the Galaxy, I would far rather have Episode 2 of that to play before the final episode in this series. I should have been left feeling excited to see how it all ends for Javier and co but instead I am left just feeling tired and exhausted with The Walking Dead overall.
