The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 3 - Above the Law Reviews
Telltale's The Walking Dead still keeps to the same high standards of storytelling that it always has, with fantastic characters and truly compelling tales. That being said, the frustrating technical issues end up having a major impact on the final product.
This new episode of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier plays it far too safe. Those looking for the rich storytelling or the deep gameplay elements found in previous seasons best wait for future episodes to see how things progress.
I'd rather be watching Season 3 of TWD than playing it.
A pedestrian episode which does little to shake the feeling that the series is in dire need of a shake-up.
"Above the Law" suffers from "the middle episode syndrome". It calms down the thrill from previous episodes, but also afraids going straight to the action, because there is still one stop before the finale.
Review in Polish | Read full review
In its rush to amp up the drama, A New Frontier forgets to offer gameplay to compliment the story. Javi and Clem are balanced quite well now that they have a common enemy through Richmond, but most of the episode is spent taking a backseat to the plot. The first half is almost entirely on-rails, with the occasional dialogue choice acting as the only source of interaction, while the second half tries to add more in the way of combat through quicktime events. The Walking Dead has been a story driven franchise since season one, but it's always tried to balance cutscenes with puzzles and action until now. At the very least, the growing relationship between the two protagonists and Telltale's emphasis on moving the story forward set up a strong, if a bit plot heavy, fourth episode.
In overall, "Above The Law" is a completely futile and pointless episode and leads the plot to a total cliche', but thanks to its professional voice acting and its smart director, we were able to witness some impressive scenes which would attract players attention to itself
Review in Persian | Read full review
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 3: Above The Law continues its remarkable success with advancing the progression of main characters, their pasts, and their relationships, but what struggles as a result is a clearer picture of the season as a whole. Of course, like is seen in the first two episodes, things can change mighty quickly, and it's definitely possible that it ends up finishing with a bang. For now, though, Above the Law does its job ramping up excitement for the next instalment, but unfortunately not for the same reasons that the first two did.
Unfortunately, this episode's strengths are all in superficial places. Nobody comes to a Telltale game looking for technical prowess, and plot is only a tiny part of what makes a good story. I hate to say it, but Above the Law falls flat in the places that matter most: the characters and depth that underpin everything else. Without that, the episode is particularly forgettable, which doesn't bode well for an episodic series that's already struggling with its release schedule.
After a good start, The Walking Dead : A New Frontier - Episode 3 slows down a bit. Even if a new character feels like a good way to make the player doubt, it just feels like we have already seen what's on the screen. And that the best part is probably coming.
Review in French | Read full review
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 3 uncovers the history of David's absence, as well as the secrets of his group, The New Frontier, providing an adequate gaming experience.
A satisfying story can't make up for the lack of action and interactivity in Above the Law.
Not a great effort: Above the Law does not deliver true drama, a good progression of characters, and some serious action.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Above the land is weaker than the first two episodes. The script of the game fails to make the intriguing plot evolve, letting it become too predictable.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I don’t know how they did it and how they continue to do it, but Telltale has done a heck of a job keeping this story engaging despite the fact that there really isn’t even much to do in this episode. For the most part, the episode is littered with dialog and all it’s really doing is shaping Javi’s character.
Telltale have surprised me before, and for Clementine's sake, I hope they manage it again by the end of this season. Otherwise, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier may join the series with a whimper, rather than a ferocious zombie bite.
Telltale took a big risk when it comes to setting players inside a fresh season of The Walking Dead with a new protagonist and different focus. And the developer has, for the most part, succeeded in providing an interesting new roster of characters but without losing The Walking Dead's strong writing and characterization. However, "Above the Law's" weakness in terms of moving the narrative forward is noticeable, especially with only two episodes left in the season. Hopefully we'll get a satisfying sense of where the season is heading before it's over.
Above the Law certainly delivers where it matters most. A New Frontier's third episode continued to tell its dark overarching story, while not forgetting about its rich characters and their motives.
Despite a disappointing amount of interactivity, Above the Law manages to be the most interesting episode yet of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.