The Walking Dead: Episode 3 - Long Road Ahead
Overview -
After debuting to critical acclaim, Telltale Games’ third episode of its point-and-click video game series based on Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead has now surpassed its midway point with the release of The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead. Greatly anticipated by fans of the print series, its television spin-off and video games in general, it has a lot to live up to. That’s because, in the minds of many, its two episodic predecessors were no less than great, setting the bar quite high for the three remaining episodes.
Those who’ve invested themselves into the game’s first two offerings will most-likely have already made their mind up regarding whether or not they’ll purchase Episode 3; however, for those who’ve yet to do so, this review will offer an in-depth look at the pros and cons of the two and a half to three hour-long experience.
Video Review
Although The Walking Dead has expanded since its debut, its roots can be found in the rich world of graphic novelization. There, pen and coloured ink combined to give detailed storyboards undead life, and Telltale pays homage to that heritage through this game. All three episodes have been beautiful to look at, thanks to a unique-looking visual style that resembles a combination of a comic book panel and a painting. It’s a great achievement which looks very good in action, apart from occasional hiccups like stilted animations, frame rate slowdown and an overuse of darkness.
Audio Review
The Walking Dead’s third interactive episode really allows its voice cast to shine, and most of them do. However, there were times where mumbled lines affected the experience, because I couldn’t understand what the characters were saying. Kenny’s wife Katja was the main culprit of this, but she wasn’t alone. Additionally, there was one instance where Lee seemed to speak a line that didn’t actually exist, which took me out of the experience for a moment.
Despite the issues mentioned above, the audio found in Long Road Ahead is of high quality – for the most part. Almost all of the voice acting can be classified as being very good, and the presented sound effects are quite loud and vivacious. Combined, all of those factors create a rich audible adventure.
