When a company closes its doors and jobs are lost, it’s always a tragedy that impacts those who rely on the company for their livelihood. It’s not often that a closure has a ripple effect that devastates a community as a whole in the way that Telltale Games’ closure did, especially in the midst of the final act of their landmark title that put them on the map for many and won countless praise from gamers and critics alike. Skybound Games stepped in and allowed many of the same hands that shaped the game to finish the product, and now Clementine’s story is complete. Does it live up to the legacy set forth by the previous entries and bookend the series in a way that will put our minds at ease? Let’s take a look, but be mindful that minor spoilers may be found within, for this entry as well as the past seasons.

When we last saw Clem at the end of the previous season, she was setting off on her own to find the missing AJ after the series took a detour to follow a new cast of characters (which was a bit of a misstep in the series). The final season picks up some time after the events of this, with AJ and Clem reunited and seeking out a permanent place to call home. Soon enough, they come into contact with a small settlement comprised of children that reside in a decimated school. Because nothing in the zombie apocalypse is easy, they are in the midst of dealing with some missing members of the group as well as the threat of another group invading their territory, all while someone from Clementine’s past is lurking in the shadows.

Since the story is such an integral part of the Telltale experience, I won’t speak much more on the story, but I will say this – Skybound/Telltale provides a fitting conclusion to the story without taking the easy route, which is how many of us speculated the finale would be concluded. The decisions you make have never felt more linear yet impacting at the same time, as the trickle effect never becomes overly obvious until late into the season. This is in part due to the difference between how AJ and Clem spent their childhood, making which character had the more tragic up-beginning highly debatable, often causing my wife and I to pause and talk it out, more so than any past entries in the series. As a parent, the fear of raising a child properly in a civilized society is enough to keep you awake at night, but imagine having that same weight on you while the world around you is in shambles and every day is a struggle – the stress increases tenfold. Regardless of what option you pick when these choose your own adventure style decisions rear their head, it feels like the story would push you in that direction anyways, with the impact on AJ’s young mind being the only consequence.

Despite being an entire episode shorter than most of the previous seasons, the pacing is still a bit of a problem. Throughout the journey, the characters stop what they are doing to take part in small tasks to raise morale, despite the lingering threats. While these succeed in some minor character developments, they often overstay their welcome and cause some scenes to drag on and disengage the player. The Last of Us used these events to initiate conversation between the protagonists during exploratory segments, but this only succeeds in giving us a window into AJ’s fractured mind, since parties and play are things he’s never really known and quite honestly, could’ve been cut down substantially.

The action segments have gone through a massive overhaul in this entry – the QTE and button mashing segments are still present, but exploration plays a much bigger part in the overall journey, as well as allowing for more freedom during some of the more taxing encounters. On multiple occasions you’ll have to work your way through open areas while dispatching zombies in a specific order, adding a bit of a challenge to the overly simplistic combat that was at the forefront of the previous seasons. For a first in Telltale history, I had to repeat multiple encounters a few times in order to get the timing or actions down, providing a true challenge which was as refreshing as it was a surprise. As a way to encourage exploration, collectible items have been included which are easily missed and can be displayed in a new hub like area that is visited frequently.

Going in, I was afraid the change of hands would have impacted the game negatively, as these things normally do. I can say without a doubt, this is going to be Telltale’s swan song and features the tightest presentation in the history of their releases. The occasional bug comes into play here and there, often in the form of an overly long black screen that alludes to the game freezing, but it rarely broke immersion. While every addition to this series has improved visually, it’s saddening that it took until the final season to actually blend the comic book-esque cel-shaded visuals with some facial animations that blur the line between what looks real and stylized so perfectly.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season is clearly a labor of love and a fitting conclusion for one of The Walking Dead‘s most beloved characters. If you’ve invested any of your time into Clementine’s journey, you owe it to yourself to finish it out. If you’re one of the people who’ve never welcomed her into your heart, you should drop what you’re doing and jump into the series now – just don’t forget the tissues.

9 out of 10

Pros

• Well Written Conclusion to Clem’s Story
• Improved Visuals
• A Series High For Action Segments

Cons

• Some Minor Pacing Issues
• Occasional Visual Bugs

The Walking Dead: The Final Season was developed by Telltale Games and published by Skybound Games. It is available on NS, PC, PS4, and X1. The game was provided to us by Skybound Games for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of The Walking Dead: The Final Season, check out the official site.

 

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