The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode 1 - All That Remains Reviews
Season 2 of @TelltaleGames' The Walking Dead is an excellent character analysis of Clementine with some harrowing moments.
As far as the score goes, on Steam The Walking Dead is only available as a single purchase. As there's no way to predict how it's going to shape up, however, we'll be scoring episodes on their own merits and relative to each other, with a look at the entire sweep once it's all in our hands. All That Remains does a great job of reintroducing the series, and switches things up in a way that could have tripped up harder than Lee over a tree branch yet feels like the only way the story could have been continued. As bleak and terrible as the Walking Dead universe is, it's great to be back in it... and of course, to be able to leave.
"All That Remains" sets the stage for some great character development for Clementine, but there's not much payoff in this 90 minute episode.
Not a bad start to the second season but not a great one either, with a formless plot and unusually weak characterisation.
Clementine is captivating, and The Walking Dead's hellish world still presents tough choices that must be made to persevere
The Walking Dead Season 2 may be better as a whole but it falters in the first episode
All That Remains establishes characters and conflicts that may pay off in forthcoming episodes, but it doesn't stand up well on its own.
The Walking Dead: All That Remains surprised me, although when I saw the initial reveal of Clementine's return I had little doubt that Telltale would deliver in some form. They still even know how to sell a "next episode" preview, as a casual "I thought you were dead!" line is delivered by Clementine upon a mysterious off-screen figure. Yep, I can't wait for the next episode.
Episode one not only reintroduces us to the world of The Walking Dead, it raises the stakes in such a way that Clementine's situation is more perilous than ever. We weren't convinced that season two could eclipse season one, but at least in a few ways, it already has.
Utterly brutal, The Walking Dead is back with multiple bangs.
As openers go, this is a strong debut to the second season, with Clementine a superb choice of protagonist.
All That Remains is short, roughly two hours long. Yet Telltale Games has done a good job in setting up future episodes by asking tantalizing questions about its plot and cast. Its decision to make Clementine the hero is a brilliant, depowering move that increases the tension from last season while still giving us a familiar, sympathetic face to root for. Although the supporting cast are currently mostly blank slates, the conflicts and relationships established in this episode promise bigger things to come. I'm eager to see where the story goes from here.
Here's hoping, however, that [the series] hasn't lost sight of the smaller threads that made its previous epic yarn great. The moments that forced players to care about characters who weren't technically extensions of themselves.
For those who played and enjoyed season of The Walking Dead, this is assuredly a must-buy. For those who haven't: clear your gaming schedule and get around to it as soon as possible.
The second season of 2012 game of the year builds a strong basis for success, but there are fears it may have lost sight of what made The Walking Dead so good to begin with
It may not be the best episode of The Walking Dead, but it still has some good moments in it. Hopefully the glitches will be worked on and the setups established will have some payoffs. If you're a fan of The Walking Dead and enjoyed what you played of the first season, chances are you need to pick this episode up. Just keep in mind; it may not be as polished as the previous outings.
If you thought the second season of The Walking Dead was going to be more lighthearted, then prepare to be disappointed. All That Remains sees a more mature Clementine battling to survive by herself. As first episodes go, this one definitely gets the job done. The hard part is waiting for the second episode.
Season One was like tossing your soul into a thresher. If All That Remains is anything to go by, this second season will burn the very heart of you.
While perhaps lacking the impact of the end of Season 1, I can wholeheartedly recommend Season 2 to fans of the series. Perhaps more importantly, I recommend the game to anyone who enjoys a dramatic story – both gamers and non-gamers deserve to enjoy this shining example of interactive media.
Letting go of the past can be hard, especially if it's a past you have great fondness for, but sometimes letting go is necessary in order to move on. Perhaps that is a lesson both Clementine and the players controlling her will learn together during the course of The Walking Dead: Season Two.