The Walking Dead: Episode 2 - Starved For Help

Editor's Notes

Introduction

After beginning its life in print, Robert Kirkman’s zombie epic, The Walking Dead, has become a pop culture success over three mediums. First came its grotesque television adaptation, and then an interactive video game followed, providing us gamers with a window into the zombie apocalypse that only Telltale Games could have ever created.

Mixing intense dramatic moments with cringe worthy and incredibly difficult moral choices, The Walking Dead: Episode 1 – A New Day wowed the gaming community when it debuted on our favourite digitally enabled platforms in April. Though, as impressive as it was, it became obvious that the inaugural episode’s elements were just a tease of what would follow. After all, this is a five part series that promises to blow fans of the franchise away with a progressive storyline that is designed to build upon the choices players make.

Enter The Walking Dead: Episode 2 – Starved For Help, which recently shambled its way towards Xbox LIVE Arcade, the PlayStation Network and Steam.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

With The Walking Dead: Episode 1, Telltale Games’ talented members were able to build upon one of the company’s strongest suits: the development of point and click adventure games. By choosing to take a stroll down a digital route that had not been travelled much, if at all, by digital flesh-eaters, the company created something unique. That is, an experience which doesn’t have to throw hordes of zombies at players in order to create tension. Not to mention one which is able to succeed without employing first-person shooter mechanics. For that, they deserve applause.

Now that the game’s much-anticipated second episode has launched, those of us who’ve been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to jump back into its survivors’ perilous situation now have a chance to do so. However, the group that we’re introduced to during the opening segments of Starved For Help is slightly different from the one that we left at the end of A New Day. Three months have passed since the aforementioned conclusion, and a new member has joined the fold, having traded food for a chance to stay at the group’s makeshift motel haven.

From the get-go, the new member becomes a major player. He’s shown on an excursion with the more dominant male survivors, including our assumed playable character, Lee. Out patrolling the nearby woods, the group comes across a teacher and two youthful students who need their help. That event and the choices it brings with it kick start the game’s best episode thus far.

Since The Walking Dead is such a story-driven experience, it’s important that spoilers are kept out of this synopsis. After all, there’s nothing worse than ruining a fictional work of art for someone else. With that being said, it’s still important to note that, while not much has changed at the old motel, dwindling food supplies have made suppressed emotions come to the forefront. Arguments have become a common occurrence, as some of the digital protagonists are running on fumes.

After forcing gamers to make yet another incredibly difficult decision related to the noted food shortage crisis, an opportunity presents itself. Two backwoods brothers appear outside of the group’s stopgap barriers, sending alarm throughout the parking lot. Though, as it turns out, the two apparent farmers have some sustenance to offer Lee and his hungry peers, as long as they receive something in return. It’s that chance meeting that kick starts Starved For Help, sending the group on a trip to the duo’s secluded and well-protected farm. However, looks can sometimes be deceiving, and paranoia quickly sets in. Though, whether it’s a justifiable feeling or simply a symptom of the times is something one must find out on his or her own. Spoilers be damned.

While we spent most of A New Day learning about Lee, Starved For Help is a much more group-centric episode. Its aptly titled narrative is still heavy on the relationships shared between each of the survivors, but its choices predominantly centre upon what’s best for everyone, forcing players to put common good ahead of the wishes of just one character. And, since Lee is the apparent leader of the group, whether everyone likes it or not, he’s more responsible for their safety than anyone else.

On the gameplay side of things, not much has changed in-between the two acts. Going in, one must still expect a heavy dose of dialogue-based content, where selected questions and/or responses can significantly impact the way that the game’s storyline will play out. If you make someone mad, there will be repercussions, and the same goes for some of the more dire choices that must be made. Chances to revisit choices are nonexistent, and some dialogue trees are only available for a limited time, creating realism out of tension. Plus, intrigue is also added by each episode’s final screen where players’ choices are compared to those made by the community at large.

Even though it focuses heavily upon its four-pronged dialogue tree, the amount of tension that this game delivers is almost unprecedented. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever played a game with more mature decisions than this one, which is a true testament to the quality of the experience. That’s especially true considering just how unforgettable some of the available outcomes are, with Episode 2 containing choices that significantly increase the underlying tension created by its predecessor. This is powerful stuff, folks, and it’s something that most dramatic games only aspire to.

Now, the mention of dialogue heavy gameplay may scare some gamers off, but it really shouldn’t. Though it creates a slower-paced experience than what a lot of folks are used to, that is far from a bad thing. However, that’s not to say that there’s a lack of action to be found within this second act, as that’s truly not the case. Puzzles must be solved and time-sensitive actions must be completed in order to survive, with some of those featuring physical contact. Most of the latter part of that detailed equation relies upon quick-time events and those which task players with repeatedly pressing a button. Those quick-time segments tend to make seasoned gamers groan, these ones work quite well within the design that Telltale has lovingly created.

Overall, The Walking Dead: Episode 2 – Starved For Help is an incredibly impressive achievement, which features approximately two and a half to three hours of gameplay. There’s a ton to like about the episode, as it improves upon everything that its predecessor introduced just a few months ago. There’s something for everyone, and even those who normally dislike point and click games will find themselves enthralled by what this experience offers at an affordable price point of five dollars per episode.