The Walking Dead: Michonne

Previously: Episode 2

Episode 3 of Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Michonne attempts to wrap up the story initiated in the first two episodes in dramatic fashion. Regardless of the decisions the player has made, Episode 3, ‘What We Deserve,’ puts Michonne in conflict with Norma as the latter looks to rescue her brother from our protagonist’s clutches. With Norma on her way, Michonne and her supporting cast must prepare for the fight.

While Episode 2 was much more exciting than the initial offering, Episode 3 feels a lot more like Episode 1, which unfortunately means slower in pace and sometimes plodding. With such an exciting and interesting character, Telltale could have given the players something more interesting. While the tension ramps up at the end of the episode, it almost feels like too little-too late and less rewarding as it could have been. The Walking Dead: Michonne is a three-part miniseries, but unfortunately the first part of this final episode is still focused on character development instead of building up to this final confrontation. Regardless, being Michonne is still enjoyable at times. References to previous traumatic experiences almost give the lead character a Bruce Wayne/Batman energy. Even without the comparison, Michonne is tough and it is incredibly refreshing to experience a Telltale game utilizing a character who has that much presence.

Just like the previous episodes, the gameplay suffers when players are transitioned from story to action. A player might end up moving Michonne in the wrong direction or not knowing that it is time to participate in one of these actions. This issue continues to take the player out of both the story and gameplay. Players will probably get Michonne killed a couple of times if they are not paying the closest attention to the transitions. However, even if the player is paying attention, this part of the game is not very user friendly and is something the developer needs to improve before producing another The Walking Dead game.

These issues with the gameplay are disappointing, but not as disappointing as the story. The Walking Dead: Michonne’s shortened format of 3 episodes instead of the usual 5 means that the characters are not as developed as they could be. Even the moral decisions that should matter to the player fall short because there is nothing to invest in the characters. The good moments in the story and the excitement of being Michonne feel like good icing on top of dry cake. Episode 2 was good, if not great, and was enough to have players look forward to Episode 3: ‘What We Deserve’. Regrettably, the players, Robert Kirkman’s source material, the television series, and this popular character all deserved better treatment.