The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 4 - Thicker Than Water Reviews
Telltale has noticeably struggled in the past with the episodes leading into their season finales in previous titles, though by-and-large Episode 4 of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier manages to deliver some deep character moments and development while anchored by a tense conclusion that sets up its last episode for a big finish. Though some aspects of the episode may leave fans wanting a bit more, "Thicker Than Water" shows that family is just as much the root of some problems as much as it is the answer for them. Of course, the bigger question is how many of the Garcia clan makes it to the end remains to be seen, but the answers will be devastating either way.
With each new episode, we can see more and more clearly, that the developer doesn't know anymore, how to do original and engaging story. New season of The Walking Dead is huge disappointment.
Review in Polish | Read full review
A worthy flagbearer?
What should have been an ramp up in excitement for the finale descends into dull, familiar tropes with bizarre characterisation.
“Thicker Than Water” has its moments of enjoyment and incredulity, but the slow build-up and the meandering nature of the episode as a whole turns it into a frustrating chunk of a mostly consistent season. Players who stick through it will be well-rewarded with an intriguing finale setup that will hopefully pay off, but individually, the episode feels more like an obstacle than a continuation.
The fourth chapter looks like a regular episode from the AMC series: a few zombies, a lot of dialogues, characters who act stupidly. Still, the ending is well-structured, and delivers some good moments and decisions. Not as good as the second episode, way better than the third.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Managing to avoid the slower pace and lack of events the last episode presented, Thicker than Water continues the The Walking Dead: A New Frontier with a solid episode leading up to an interesting finale.
Perhaps if the entire season had taken place in Richmond, engrossing me entirely in how things work in the city, I might feel differently. But for now, I'm preparing myself for tons of QTE's, blood, and dramatic character deaths that I'll probably just shrug off as Telltale making sure they do their Telltale things.
This series has been disappointing so far. This episode is probably the best yet but the glitches and just general lack of improvement in the writing mean that it is still substandard. The last episode would have to be incredible to draw everything together into a meaningful arc which lives up to its predecessors.
The saving grace for the game is the characters and their relationships with each other (especially between Javier and Kate). I feel connected to them and I want to follow them onto the next episode to see how they resolve the major cliffhanger at the end of episode 4. Fingers crossed episode 5 steps up it's game!
It took four episodes, but things finally happened and are at least mildly interesting.
Although Episode 4: Thicker Than Water once again deprives players of all agency, it's actually handled relatively well in-universe, making for a second-to-last episode that actively marches towards the finale. Characters are finally reaching a point where they feel fully developed, the story has found a suitable emotional centre, and the stakes have been raised high enough where Javi and Clem will naturally find themselves challenged in Episode 5. It isn't as strong as it could have been - in large part due to A New Frontier's overall structure - but Thicker Than Water stands out as the strongest chapter in season three thus far.
Telltale has seriously upped the ante with more action and tougher decisions to make, and Thicker Than Water has definitely been my favourite of the series so far.
Thicker Than Water is the weakest episode so far. It has a major focus on relationships between characters but it lacks logic.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The conclusion of Thicker Than Water is exactly what you'd expect from the series, and that's not a bad thing. For action fans, the setup means that the final episode is sure to be full of gore. For everyone else, though, having to spend so much time with some unlikeable and underdeveloped characters makes the episode feel like a drag, so the end is met with relief rather than longing to see the conclusion. It shouldn't be long before the final episode hits, but here's hoping things end on an upswing.
Telltale's third season of The Walking Dead had a great start, but it's getting worse every new episode. Thicker than Water is the weakest point in the story, bringing an unbalanced and inconsistent narrative. Its climax rests upon Javi's flashback, which reveals more about the relationship with his brother David. Remaining only one more episode to save this season, it's time to question if the series can hold another one, or if Telltale's formula is already saturated.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The fourth episode of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is all build up and no payoff. The erratic behavior that occurs when going slightly off-script absolutely shatters any semblance of a cohesive narrative. Here's hoping the next chapter offers a more consistent and well-written story.
With a high-throttle ending leading to a satisfying conclusion for Thicker Than Water, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier finally heads back on track when it comes to finishing up the job. While another cliff-hanger, it's one that feels like it'll actually lead somewhere instead of predictability lingering at the forefront. Things are set up beautifully for the finale, and players will see if all the risks going into this season end up being worth it.
An amazing emotional experience that trips and stumbles, but shows what Telltale is capable off.
Ignoring the graphical issues and the crashing, this is almost a return to form. The story gets back on track and is truly engaging, character development continues to excel, and the choices remain difficult. This is topped off with another superb cliff-hanger that delivers a sequence that will make players want to immediately go back and see the fallout from the other branching option, not to mention eager to get their hands on that final episode. If only it could be bug free...