- John Bush
Game Review #322: The Walking Dead: The Final Season (Nintendo Switch)
Reviewer: TheWaffinator (Bradford E.)
Publisher: Skybound Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Release Date: 3.26.2019
Genre: Adventure
Price (at time of review): $19.99 (digital) | $29.99 (physical)
Buy The Walking Dead: The Final Season from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
Buy The Walking Dead: The Final Feason from Amazon here.
Overview
Just a quick story of how I was introduced to The Walking Dead: I was working at a Verizon retailer and myself and the General Manager of the indirect retailer were on our way to a phone release premiere party (BlackBerry) and I had no idea what he was into. He was an ex-marine and very proper and never really showed enthusiasm. I just went with what I know – videogames - and that opened up a can of worms which lead to TV shows. Well he mentioned AMC’s The Walking Dead and was shocked I had never heard of it. Well that night I went home and the wife and I binge watched the first season, and then got obsessed with the comics, which let's face it make the TV show look like doo doo. Being a gamer though I still felt like there was a void and longed for a Walking Dead video game. Well the AMC Walking Dead came out for X-Box 360 and PS3, and I'm sorry I felt like that game tanked horribly and left me really dissatisfied. Then Telltale Games came along with their own Walking Dead game (that sadly had to be finished by Skybound Games) and I was instantly hooked.
We Are The Walking Dead
Even though I was hooked I only played the first season, which I completely loved that it was their own story and I loved the comic book style graphics and layout. It makes you really feel like you are a part of the story. Being always on the go makes it hard to play games in general and keep up. Well now with the Switch (and the portability of the console) getting The Walking Dead, I can easily resume with the series. There are four seasons in total with the fourth one being the one I am about to review, The Walking Dead: The Final Season. At first I was skeptical and excited to have the opportunity to do this review. Excited because like I said I loved how the 1st season played out, but skeptical - more like nervous - because I hadn't played 2 and 3 and was afraid I wouldn’t know what is going on which would make the game less enjoyable for me. That wasn't the case at all. If you watched the show it always starts off with a “previously on”, does like a quick intro, and then the show kicks off. And Skybound Games perfectly executed that and helps you jump right in.
When you first start up the Final Season it does a small intro to give new players a background of what's going on, and a refresher for returning players. It gives a quick recap of the 1st three seasons while having you make a few choices that will affect the final season. I was very pleased with the recap and I feel that Skybound really captured it allowing all kinds of players to jump right in. There are 4 chapters in the game itself and same thing if you want to skip a chapter it auto generates for you and gives you a random scenario. I personally wouldn’t recommend skipping anything because it is a very captivating story. I skipped chapter 3 just to see how it ends, but I know I will go back just to make my own choices.
The Controls
Because the game is a lot of storytelling with some gameplay the controls are very simple. I never said it was all easy though, because there are some difficult parts. But when it comes to the controls being easier themselves any one can pick up the controller and hop right in. In fact most of the gameplay that there is tells you what button or combination of buttons to push and you have to just be able to react. Im pretty sure the sequence parts are on a hidden timer because I noticed there was a few times I would hit the wrong button yet was able to correctly hit the right one right after and it would work. As for the parts that aren’t button sequences it's mostly shooting zombies or fighting them with a knife in which the controls are fluid, smooth, and easy to grasp.
When shooting you just use ZL to pull back on the bow, ZR to fire and the left thumbstick to look around and aim. When using knives to fight off zombies you use A to stun them, and X to execute a head stab to kill them off. When there are more relaxed parts it’s usually just walking and looking around with the two thumbsticks and A to confirm who you want to talk to or what item you want to interact with. On top of it already being simple for all types of players, the game will guide you alot and pretty much walk you through what to do.
Straight From a Comic
My favorite aspect of the game is the fact that the game looks like a living comic. Both with the storyline (storytelling) and the visuals. I didn't just love this in The Walking Dead from Telltale Games and Skybound Games, but the Batman game as well. Being a big comic book fan being able to feel like I was playing one and determining the outcome is a huge plus in my eyes. So not only am I enjoying The Walking Dead, and a comic book, but a video game as well. There are a few parts that really make it seem like a living comic book. You have the intro to each new chapter when it's doing the “previously on" part, the very detailed storytelling, and when you die it ends with a nice still shot of your death that looks a lot like a comic panel.
The game is in 3D yet has a lot of 2D elements making what you are supposed to be paying attention to stand out better. Everything in the game has a colorful yet almost dull aspect to it that helps it look more like a living comic book. The voice acting in the game is well played and a lot of the characters really stand out because of this. I really enjoyed playing the game with the earbuds that came with the Starter Kit from EvoRetro (check out that review here) and they helped when it came to hearing all the well done sounds that the game has to offer. The soundtrack to the game is beautiful. There are a couple songs in the game that really fit it and helps make you feel like you are almost watching a show as well as playing it. I really enjoyed how well these two (Telltale and Skybound) made the game play out like a comic book and made it very enjoyable.
The Final Chapter
You can’t help but get sucked into the story once you start to play. The great storyline between Clementine and AJ (the main characters) and all the interactions with the other characters and environments are very captivating. You can even replay the chapters and make different choices every time and the game changes based off of your choices. This gives the game some good replay value and gives you something fresh every time you play. If I had to pick another character from this game that I really like besides Clem and AJ I would have to say Violet. I loved her mysterious yet caring ways. This made her stand out and overall she was another enjoyable character. Another cool thing before I forget, every time you complete a chapter it shows you your decisions and what percentage of other players decided the same thing themselves. It’s almost like a leaderboard but where you stood compared to everyone else's decisions.
If you enjoy comics, or a good storyline, or killing zombies (and some people), and want to see how this saga all comes to an end I would really recommend that you give this game a try. Like I said you don’t need to have played the other games to be able to enjoy The Final Chapter; they give an amazing recap in the beginning allowing anyone to be able to enjoy the game. The game is pretty fast-paced, featuring lots of action, and it’s not too long (which is great for people with hectic schedules or a super big backlog of games). I just wish there was some more playable parts and I could have got to kill some more zombies and people. I can see other players (Hack N Slash or Run N Gun players) getting a little bored with it. That ending though, I did not see it coming and think that they ended it perfectly.
SCORE: 9/10
Buy The Walking Dead: The Final Season from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
Buy The Walking Dead: The Final Feason from Amazon here.
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*Review Code Provided by Sandbox Strategies