The Walking Dead Season Two Review: Clementine Rocks

After a series of unfortunate events leaves her almost completely alone in a walker-infested apocalypse, Clementine now has to make her own decisions in order to survive.

Series former main character, Lee, is no longer around, and developer TellTale Games made a bold move in making an 11-year-old girl Season Two’s only playable character; fortunately, this works on just about every level.

For starters, Clementine is no longer that sweet, innocent girl introduced to players in the first season. The circumstances surrounding her situation have forced her to grow up fast — of course, the extent of this is up to the players.

At one point early on in the season, Clementine happens upon an abandoned campsite. While searching the ripped tents and cardboard boxes left by its former inhabitants, she notices a container filled with toys. If you approach it, Clementine will rummage through the toys, pick one up and set it back down, disappointed at the fact that there is no food in there.

It’s a clear indication of how she needs to be in order to survive.

Same as before, the story unfolds in multiple ways depending on the decisions made by the players. What TellTale does with “TWD” is next-level storytelling. Imagine being able to go back and change the ending to your favorite movie. Season Two has several endings, all of which will leave you anxious to see what happens next, and they open space for even more flexibility in the upcoming season.

If you played Season One — which you totally should before even thinking about starting this one — you can load your save file so your decisions carry over. If not, that’s okay too (not really) because the game will randomly generate decisions for you; however, the experience isn’t the same. Events from the first season have a huge impact on this game… expect some awesome surprises.

The group Clementine finds herself with this time around is a bit stronger than last time. There aren’t any pointless characters like Katjaa, although Alvin comes close. But don’t get too attached because you never know what’s going to happen. Whether it’s the comics, television show or video game, “TWD” doesn’t often show its characters mercy.

It’s okay to admit if you shed a tear or two at some point during your journey. Because let’s face it, you probably will. But that’s the level of immersion TellTale has reached with this game. The weight of everything you do almost feels real, and every death, betrayal and loss impacts you in ways many video games can’t achieve.

Chapters move at a quicker pace than Season One. No, they’re not shorter; they just cover a lot more ground. Clementine and her current group ultimately head north in search of a better living; however, for reasons unknown throughout much of your adventure, a group is following you, looking to capture your new friends.

It’s hard to know who to trust. You will have to pay close attention to the slightest details in order to place judgement. Even then, though, with the amount of curveballs TellTale throws at you, it’s hard not to second-guess yourself.

“The Walking Dead: A TellTale Games Series: Season Two” is yet another memorable adventure from a developer who has truly proven itself in recent years. For the ultimate level of immersion, Season One is a must-play. But if you’re willing to sacrifice that in order to get caught up quicker, even a randomly generated past makes this little gem one of the most exciting experiences in all of video games.