Review: The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 2 (PC)

The big reveal of this second episode of Season 2 of The Walking Dead, wasn't much of a reveal at all if one happened to stick around for the "Next Time..." preview that rolled at the conclusion of episode 1, All That Remains. Fortunately, the second episode doesn't hinge on the "big reveal."

No, no. Instead the episode pivots on, "Oh, damn, they're all dead!" turn at the episode's culmination. Or, you know, something like that because it's The Walking Dead.

Up until the conclusion and analysis of the Season 1, the game had successfully masked the fact it was more about being choosing a narrow path through an interactive story that being an adventure game where pushing a rock the wrong way could result in instant death. (Or maybe I was just blind to it.)

That continues into Season 2 and with the second episode, it actually made me play the game differently because I was unafraid of making the "wrong" decision. I never fumbled for the "right" answer. In every scenario, I played Clementine how I thought she would react, which is a total and utter bad-ass. At one point, I had Clementine stare down an adult character with all the aplomb of Clint Eastwood. It's a tense situation especially because at any moment things could go horribly awry.

The acting sells the tension like no other episode before this one, including the hotel face-off in the hotel room that capped Season 1. That extends to the climax of the episode that takes place in an abandoned ski lodge, where the tension is equally horrible and engrossing, especially because I had Clementine making decisions and suggestions that were, as mentioned previously, utterly bad-ass. Also, ruthless, which is in sharp contrast to the girl on the canned peaches that Clementine is compared to a couple of times during the course of the episode.

The second episode, A House Divided, is distinctly more high-energy than the season opener, and it sets up the villain for the season. At least, I hope it does. The third episode looks promising as developer TellTale Games develops a season-long conflict between Clem's new family and the imposing "Carver" rather than a "Monster of the Week" pacing that pushed through Season 1.

I suppose the highest praise here is that, I'm looking forward to next episode even though playing the game often induces dizzy spells because I hold my breath without noticing.

- Aaron Simmer
Follow @EmpireArmchair

The Good:
- Some really funny moments
- Some cringe-inducing moments
- Some really good tension

The Bad:
- More and more obvious that this isn't much of an adventure game series
- Big reveal was telegraphed at the end of episode 1

Score: 8.5 / 10