The Walking Dead: Michonne - Episode 1: In Too Deep Reviews
Michonne's mental battles make for the most interesting part in this first episode. But with only two left and with the characters being as lackluster as they are, you're left with a lot to desire from this Telltale miniseries.
It's sad to say, but The Walking Dead: Michonne - Episode 1: In Too Deep is a poor introduction to Michonne's story and Telltale doesn't have an entire season to build towards something special this time, as there are only three episodes planned… This is a definite pick-up for fans of the comic, but for those coming in because they enjoyed the previous Telltale The Walking Dead titles, this feels humdrum in comparison. With any luck, Episode 2 will be the one where Telltale turns things around.
The first episode of The Walking Dead: Michonne is a fun, interesting journey into the psyche of Michonne and how she handles a new violent group of survivors.
There are hints of more significant and interesting narrative arcs to come - ones that will hopefully play out in the coming episodes, with Michonne's own past being one of these - but with how haphazardly the rest of the characters' narrative arcs have so far been handled I'm a little wary of the outcome.
Telltale Games take a different approach with their The Walking Dead series by placing us in the shoes of established character Michonne. But with an attachment already made with some fans, will this mini-series be able to capture the emotional drama that the talented development studio is known for?
I feel like I'm being very harsh on The Walking Dead: Michonne, but that's only because I've been such a fan of Telltale games over the years, and this doesn't meet my expectations of the team. I do want to know more about Michonne's backstory, I just wish she was working it out with more engaging characters.
Fans of the comic books will surely love this addition to Michonne's story, as it gives a glimpse into what went on during her disappearance in the comics
The Walking Dead: Michonne – Episode 1: In Too Deep is an effective opener, as long as you aren't expecting dramatic changes in Telltale's modus operandi. It feels like there could be something special here in further episodes but success is very much dependent on where they'll let this character go.
In Too Deep is yet another solid addition to Telltale's growing portfolio.
As far as gameplay goes, if you've played anything by Telltale then you know what to expect: a story-driven game filled with dialogue choices, quick time events, and a bit of exploration.
Despite a slow start and slow character development with secondary characters, The Walking Dead: Michonne has a lot of promise looking ahead. If the momentum gained in the last half of this episode keeps rolling into Episodes Two and Three, I have no doubt that this series will be regarded as highly as it's two predecessors.
The Walking Dead: Michonne "In Too Deep" is easily one of the shortest episodes to be released and won't take you long to complete, but Michonne is an intriguing character and she has a lot of emotional baggage. Seeing how she will develop in the next two episodes is enough to make you want to come back for more. Those who decide to jump into the game will likely have experienced Telltale in one form or another; the gameplay remains the same as previous TellTale experiences and occasional lag unfortunately creeps back in.
This won't create any new fans of the series or bring anything extremely different to the foray, but it's still a solid first start to a 3 part miniseries. I do hope the other two episode play out just a little longer than the 90 minutes this lasted, but otherwise, I'm definitely down for the next episodes.
I'm still kind of let down that the core gameplay remains mainly unchanged over the years. Telltale is great with character choices and delivering a striking painterly color palate, but all of that can grind to a halt since the hacking and slashing gameplay feels repetitive, especially compared to last year's adventure breakout Life Is Strange. Telltale is still the king at what they do, making the active conversation in a game feel tense, urgent. I just hope that's enough for the remaining two episodes of The Walking Dead: Michonne.
The first episode of "The Walking Dead: Michonne," serves up nice production values and a strong protagonist that commands attention. At the same time, it lacks the tension and suspense of the debut episode of Telltale's first Walking Dead game, which should be a strong point for a story-driven game based on a horror-survival series. With the setup out of the way, let's hope this new series steps up its game and freshens up its familiar story-adventure formula in the following episodes.
As the first episode of a new series, In Too Deep is a very strong start. The gameplay formula isn't any different from past The Walking Dead games, sure, but Michonne is a great character and the story has the potential to be very good. Unfortunately, the first episode has no real story payoff, due to how the whole series is structured, so it will be Episode 2 and 3 that will make The Walking Dead Michonne great, or just another adventure game based on a popular franchise.
Telltale have a written a compelling start of a trilogy that manages to immerse you without tweaking the formula.
To be fair, it's standard Walking Dead fare from Telltale. There isn't much of a difference, and to those who didn't read the graphic novel, and don't know what happened to Michonne during her disappearance from Rick Grimes' group, there isn't much to be said here.
The Walking Dead: Michonne's premiere episode feels like a mixed bag. It's got fantastic action sequences and a great plot lying underneath all the uninteresting characters, lack of decisions and lackluster ending. If you're a fan of Telltale's previous work with the license, you should probably still give this one a go, but if you're new to this universe, there are much better places to start
Will you enjoy In Too Deep if you liked Telltale's other The Walking Dead series? Absolutely. Does it stand up to our expectations based on the previous series? Not really. A Walking Dead game in shape and form, Michonne just lacks the tension in atmosphere and decision making.