'The Walking Dead Season 2: Amid the Ruins'
Overview -
Telltale Games overcomes the hump as they turn out the fourth episode in season two of 'The Walking Dead.' 'Amid the Ruins' deals with the fallout of episode three's climactic, violent finale. Clementine's journey continues down a dark path. Can Telltale drum up the stakes for the fifth and final episode?
Video Review
Telltale had a bit of fun with the environments this time around, plunging our group of characters into a National Park and a Museum. The opportunity for imagery and quiet consideration did not go wasted. That said, we're still walking through a whole bunch of cel-shaded forest.
The facial animations are also quite lively, as usual.
Audio Review
The voice acting remains emotive in coherence with the script. The yelling and the weeping all hit their highs and lows, even if the words in-between feel empty. More than ever, however, the music seems to be taking a back seat. The rumbling drums and yearning violins pique here and there, but it's not an element that ever breaks open a scene.
Final Thoughts
Gameplay-wise, I was happy with this episode as a function of my relief. The controller brought me back into the world a number of times, and I found myself thinking for Clementine in the quieter moments, instead of only allowing the game to think for her in the louder ones. On the story side of things, if it's Telltale's intention to replicate within me the frustrations of a zombie apocalypse, then they've recently hired a genius. An evil genius. I was driven to murder at any possible moment I could over the course of 'Amid the Ruins,' but I'm pretty sure it's not a good thing to turn sociopathic during what is supposed to be an emotional journey.