Here we are. The final season of Telltale’s take on The Walking Dead. Over the past three seasons, we have seen friendships lost, death, betrayal, and much more. All through the eyes of a little girl – who isn’t so little anymore – named Clementine. In many ways, clementine’s experiences have hardened her and made her into a mature survivor well beyond her years.
The addition of Alvin Junior, or A.J., brings even more responsibilities for Clem, as she has to care and provide for the little guy much like Lee did with her in season one. The similarities between Clem and A.J.’s relationship with that of Lee is something both touching and fascinating. Since most of the lessons she bestows upon A.J. are lessons she learned from Lee.
Episode one plays out very much like most Telltale series that don’t end with cliffhangers. The new group that rescues Clem and A.J. are of similar age, taking shelter in an old boarding school hidden amongst woods from the outside world. Meaning there’s a lot of exposition relayed to the player about the state of the world and the past histories of the people that lived in it. One example is a moment between Clementine and a new group of teen’s who saved her and A.J. from an intense walker ambush. The moment in question see’s Clementine playing cards – war to be specific – with the new group. If the group wins she has to answer their questions in order for them to get to know her; and vice-versa.
Clementine goes on to talk about certain things that have happened in her past. It’s very similar to her explaining her past around the kitchen table in season two. It’s just another example of ways for the player to learn about Clem’s story if they haven’t already, or act as a refresher for those that may have forgotten. It’s still a nice gesture to have.
Plodding is a word that comes to mind when watching this episode play out. Besides the few – yet intense – action scenes, most of Done Running’s pacing is dealt between character interactions between A.J. and the new group. Interactions between Clem and A.J. are wonderful in establishing a sort of adopted mother/son relationship that feels genuine in what Telltale’s trying to convey.
It’s nice to get to know the new cast of characters, but when some of the character interactions are thrown into the story that adds no real progress to the overarching story it came seem tedious. One character Clem and A.J. meet named Tenn, for Tennessee. He’s of similar age to A.J., so both of them bond over the same stuff, yet over the course of the episode I found that I was consistently talking to this character with no real outcome.
In typical Walking Dead fashion, the episode is full of twists and turns that slowly become unraveled as the episode progresses. It’s not the most compelling of stories thus-far, but it definitely has the potential to be greater than the sum of its parts. Interactions with the new group, however, can feel like they overstay their welcome.
Telltale has also changed the way some game mechanics work. The similar quick-time events are still in place; there’s no real change there. What has changed is the necessity to seek out things in the environment, as well as replayability. Searching the environments reward Clem with collectibles that can be added to her room at the boarding school later in the game. Replayability can add fresh new perspectives, as certain points in the story require the player to make a choice that cancels out the other.
The end result is an episode that feels unique and character driven, while also being somewhat slow and long at times.