Gores Truly is femme-driven but certainly not man-hating. Occasionally, we want to give our readers a chance to contribute to the horror-fest that we all adore – including those wielding the Y-Chromosome. The following article has been Murder-Her approved. Watch out! It’s an Invasion of the Y-Chromosome!
Episode 3 of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead series takes us to the midpoint in Lee Everett’s journey. The midpoint of any story is where the stakes are raised and things can look very bleak or very hopeful. Episode 3 gives you a little of both.
WARNING: It’s hard to refrain from spoilers because much of the story depends on your actions in the previous games. I’ll do my best not to reveal everything and I’ll mark each spoiler separately.
The game opens with Lee and Kenny on a supply run to the depleted pharmacy store in Macon. There’s no mention of how much time has passed since episode two, but judging by the fall leaves and Kenny’s attitude the lapsed time is measured in weeks, not months. Your relationship with Kenny is affected by episode two and my choices led to a strained friendship.
It’s hard to trust someone when you’ve seen the worst of them.
It’s not a combative relationship, at least not at the beginning of Episode 3 anyways. Both men think they’re doing the right thing just like Rick and Shane. They respect each other but they’ve also seen the worst of each other.
Screams from another building are followed by a haggard woman running from zombies. She sees you and begs for help. Kenny wants to run away and leave her as a distraction. What do you do?
This is where the game gets interesting because FINALLY they introduce active gameplay. I get to manually shoot with the rifle. YES! I put the crosshairs on the head of the zombie attacking the lady. BLAM! And I shoot the lady in the head. NO! WTF??!! Who set the sights on this thing?
Turns out you didn’t have the option of shooting the zombies. The test was whether you’d shoot or run away with Kenny. I wanted to play the hero and instead became a murderer. I’m innocent!!
[SPOILER] Back at the motel, which lacks a continental breakfast, Lilly is losing her shit. Her father died in episode two and she’s none too happy about it. She thinks someone’s stealing supplies and conspiring against her. This little mystery is a nice touch and gives me a chance to play detective. And by play detective I really mean click on objects and talk to everyone.
By the time I find the missing supplies, bandits show up and threaten everyone. This is where the game gets better. Remember the manual gun control that I’ve been begging for? It’s finally here! You have to shoot it out with the bandits and protect the survivors while they board Kenny’s RV. The crosshairs are slow to move which increases the difficulty but it’s still fun as hell.
Everyone makes it to the RV safely (if someone dies you start over) and it’s a road trip. Next stop, Disney World. Okay, they’re going to the coast to find a boat. But seeing Disney World overrun with zombies would be cool. They’d probably still charge you admission.
Clem’s still here and she’s still adorable.
[SPOILER] This is where things go downhill. Lilly’s still batshit and accusing people of stealing supplies. A blown tire sets the scene for the worst when Lilly guns down my favorite character. I saw her go for the gun but there’s no option to physically stop her. I had to watch her murder someone in cold blood. Damn. Still… that’s only a shadow of the horror to come.
After dealing with Lilly the RV makes it to a railroad crossing with a train blocking the road. You spend the better part of an hour trying to get the train working and dealing with relationships. You also meet a new character, Chuck. A kind, old man that lives on the train and agrees to accompany the group as far as the train will take them.
This is where things get edgy. During the motel escape, a character gets bitten by a zombie. The group agrees to let this person stay with the group until the time comes to… you know. The time comes and no one’s sure who should pull the trigger. Telltale show’s their grit by providing a scenario that’s novel to this universe in that the comic and TV show haven’t approached it. The comic comes close in volume 1 when Joe (Jack?), the mechanic, gets bit. His wish is to be left under a tree near Atlanta. This time, it’s an execution. And you have to explain it to Clementine.
Before I get to Clem and forget to mention it, I feel that the episode should’ve ended at this point. It’s a low point and the group is either dead or splintered. There’s maybe four or five of us left. Yet, the game trudges onward.
Now you have to strip Clementine of her last ounce of innocence. You have teach her to defend herself. Cue Kyle Broflovski‘s mom: “Wh-Wh-Wh-What?!” Yes. You teach her to shoot a gun bigger than her head.
She can shoot the head off a lollipop at 10 paces.
The game ends with the train heading for Savannah, where Clem’s parents were staying during the outbreak. Lee and Clem make a plan to try to find them. I only mention this because the preview for Episode 4 is very ominous. Clementine’s been holding onto a walking talkie that her parents gave her. It’s short range with nobody on the other end but it comforts her. Well, according to the previews, somebody’s been talking to her on the walkie-talkie and they’re pulling her strings. Mysterious indeed!
About the Author:
Billz hopes to one day prove that aliens are misunderstood creatures that really just want a hug – and to disembowel you. When he’s not running from Purple People Eaters, he’s likely watching monster flicks, or dreaming of one day filming his own.
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