The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episodes 1 & 2 - Ties That Bind Reviews
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is a great new entry in the Telltale franchise. Fans of the series should go into this not expecting much to change in the overall structure of story delivery and setting.
There hasn’t been a better time to start playing Telltale’s The Walking Dead series, and with the addition of group party play, you can also enjoy the story with some friends during the holidays. If you are wondering whether or not you should jump into the game despite not having played the last two games, I’d certainly recommend it. Unlike some of the episodes in previous seasons, there wasn’t a moment I found myself waiting for particular boring sections to end. The storytelling pacing in these premiere episodes has been perfect. If Telltale manage to maintain this level of quality, this could end up becoming the best season of The Walking Dead yet.
A return to form for Telltale and their most notable series. A few of the usual problems still exist, but the world-building and character development is very strong. Based on this two-part season opener, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is shaping up to be an emotional, visceral ride.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 1: Ties That Bind (Part One)'s title may appear to promise something wholly original, but this is the same old episodic adventure that you're already familiar with. That's no bad thing, though, as Telltale appears to be on top form with this third series, setting up a compelling new cast of characters while re-introducing the most important of them all: Clementine. The same old quirks remain, but you should know by now whether the engine issues or lack of player agency will affect your enjoyment. If you're comfortable with the usual shortcomings, then this is a strong start to what promises to be another compelling season.
A New Frontier, despite its name, really is sticking with what’s worked before, and it’s not made to convert.
If "Ties That Bind" is any indication of the level of acting, pacing, and writing to be seen this season, fans can rest assured that The Walking Dead will remain high atop their must-play lists.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 2: Ties That Bind (Part Two) maintains the opening episode's great pace with a more action-heavy instalment. The new characters continue to compel, even if you'll see the closing twist coming a mile away. Telltale's definitely getting better at directing these narrative-centric experiences, and while the creaky engine still sticks out at times, the production values in this particular instalment are above and beyond anything that the developer's done before.
The first episode of a New Frontier promises a really interesting game where the main danger are not insanely wandering zombies, but people itself. Sharp dialogues, Clem's memories, a strange weed episode, taking care of children, with an unexpected ending and the impending love triangle give the story deep feeling, which is missed in season two.
Review in Russian | Read full review
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 2: Ties That Bind Part Two is weaker than the first episode, but still successfully keeps the attention of the players, telling interesting story. The ending creates suspense, but if you never played the original project and not a fan of the genre, comics and the television series, you can reduce the final grade at one point.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Like its name implies, “Ties That Bind” and its two-part premiere serves as an excellent introduction to The Walking Dead: A New Frontier that establishes a world for both longtime players and new players alike. Players bound by their emotional connection to Clementine and several other characters from the first two seasons will find much to enjoy from catching up with them and what their new state in this post-apocalyptic world are like, while the season promises many new experiences – both heartbreaking and otherwise – to explore in this wild new frontier with plenty of new choices to make, decisions to act on, and a whole new world to take in.
Maybe we can expect wonders from the third season of Walking Dead. The first two episodes have great characters and a very impressive plot.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Walking Dead Season 3 makes two very strong starts. Splitting the first episode into a two-parter means fans are treated to a double-whammy of excellent storytelling and get to spend more time with these immediately engaging and relatable characters.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier deserves to be played by everyone that enjoys a well-written plot.
Ties That Bind Part II was exactly what was needed following the chaotic events of the first episode. It established the group, laid the foundations for some interesting character dynamics, and ended on a tense closer that has a number of significant consequences attached to it.
Ties That Bind Part I was the perfect way for The Walking Dead: A New Frontier to start. It reintroduced us to grown-up Clementine, provided ample time for us to get to know Javier and the rest of his group, and gave us plenty of moments for us to decide what kind of a guy we wanted him to be.
The first episode of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is the strong start that the series desperately needed.
As a re-introduction into Telltale's Walking Dead world, A New Frontier does just about everything right.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier's second episode has stronger moments than the debut, but also treads too much familiar ground by reusing story beats that Telltale has already explored.
Ultimately, these first couple episodes show a promising beginning, and I’m excited to check out the rest of the season when it appears.