The Walking Dead: Episode 2 - Starved for Help

Walking Dead: Episode 2 – Starved for Help is the second installment in Telltale Game's episodic adventure game based on the hit television show. In the game, you play as Lee, a man who escapes from a police car at the start of the zombie apocalypse. After searching around town, Lee discovers Clementine, a young girl with missing parents, frightened of the zombies outside her door. Taking Clementine under his wing, Lee attempts to navigate the terrifying and deadly new world outdoors. Episode 2 picks up three months after the zombie outbreak, with Lee and Clementine now linked up with a group of survivors. Food supplies are dwindling, there is no more electricity, and the group has begun to fight among themselves. Unsure of where to go next, Lee and the group must persevere or perish.

Main Game Features

• Exploration and quick-time-event gameplay
• Moral decisions that change the story
• Dramatic and scary plot

Story

Like the first episode of The Walking Dead game, Episode 2 – Starved for Help puts players in the shoes of Lee, a paternal figure with authority trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse. Lee's most important job is to keep Clementine safe, whether from the shambling undead or other desperate survivors. At the beginning of Episode 2, Lee and Clementine are shacked up at a motor inn with the rest of their group, trying to figure out how to ration their remaining food. Just as things seem exceptionally dire, two brothers arrive at the motor inn looking for gasoline, offering food and shelter in return. Although the offer seems too good to be true, Lee and the rest of the group head to the farm in an effort to survive. Throughout the episode, Lee must make tough choices as characters reveal their true nature, resulting in a violent and upsetting narrative experience.

Gameplay

The episode Walking Dead game is a mixture of point 'n click adventuring and quick-time-event action, as players control Lee as he explores various environments. Apart from some open areas that require you to explore, the gameplay is mostly linear, guiding players down the main narrative path. As you progress through the episode, you'll need to discuss things with other survivors, fight off zombies, and make life-or-death decisions with limited time. There are a few puzzles to solve, which require players to find certain objects and combine them with pieces of the environment, but these puzzles are often straightforward and easy to figure out.

The main focus of The Walking Dead's gameplay is to put the player in tough situations where stress is high, forcing them to make difficult judgment calls. While the game is arguably slow-paced at times, there are plenty of frightening and action-packed sequences that will surely get you on the edge of your seat.

Conclusion

If you're a fan of the Walking Dead television show or other point 'n click adventure games like The Wolf Among Us, Telltale's Batman, or Minecraft Story Mode, you'll definitely enjoy this horror-themed journey. It's far more violent and serious than some of Telltale's other games, so those who are grossed out by gore might want to pass this one up. That said, The Walking Dead is one of the most interesting and intriguing adventure games in a long time, helping to re-establish the point 'n click genre. Generally speaking, if you like serious storytelling and zombies, this game will hit the right spots. Just make sure you play Episode 1 – A New Day first.

Pros

• Excellent characters and voice-acting
• Brutal violence
• Choices are tough to make and feel consequential

Cons

• Gameplay feels repetitive at times
• Not enough puzzles
• Somewhat predictable