The Walking Dead: Episode 3 - Long Road Ahead

 PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. ZTGD
    Sep 4, 2012
    95
    Episode 3 is the one episode that really makes you think. It's a rough emotional ride that will make you want to replay the episode to see what exactly would happen if you changed your choices. It really is the best episode in the series so far. It will be very difficult to top this one. The cliffhanger to this episode will guarantee that you will want to play the next. I highly suggest the entire series, and especially this episode, without any doubts.
  2. Games Master UK
    Oct 24, 2012
    92
    This is better - so much better - than the AMC series, and it's quickly become some of the most essential gaming of this, or indeed any other, year. [Dec 2012, p.90]
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 29, 2012
    90
    Perfect storyline, strong emotions and connection to previous episodes – adventure series of The Walking Dead grows better and better with every new part. [Oct 2012]
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  5. Gaming Nexus
    Oct 24, 2012
    90
    If you hate sadness and heartache, then Long Road Ahead is not for you. This is a journey fraught with triumphs and setbacks, often happening simultaneously. This is yet another strong episode that reinforces my opinion that The Walking Dead is one of the best games of the year!
  6. Armchair Empire
    Sep 10, 2012
    90
    From Episode 1 to Episode 3, only three characters I started with are still part of Lee's struggling cadre of survivors. New characters are added to fill the character void but how those voids were created... It's not a "fun" experience in the usual sense, but it certainly is gripping to the point where there's only one thing left to say. Mama?
  7. Hardcore Gamer
    Sep 7, 2012
    90
    Episode 3 is an emotional thrill ride that had my jaw glued to the floor with spectacular ground-shaking events. If you thought the last episode was disturbing, you haven't seen anything yet.
  8. IncGamers
    Sep 5, 2012
    90
    The best episode so far and easily the most emotional, personal and affecting.
  9. Joystiq
    Sep 4, 2012
    90
    Telltale needs to retain a modicum of control over such an intense, intricate plot. In doing so, it has found the balance between personalized gaming and coherent drama. Enjoy the journey.
  10. Destructoid
    Sep 1, 2012
    90
    The brief respites from the unrelenting horror of the situation -- being Batman to Duck's Robin, telling stories of better times to Clementine as she falls asleep on your lap -- merely exist to make the sequences which follow all the more painful.
  11. DarkStation
    Aug 31, 2012
    90
    Now that Telltale Games' zombie epic is more than half done, I feel confident saying that The Walking Dead will stand as a shining example of how narrative can be used creatively in games to create a strong emotional reaction. Rather than abiding by a moral code that the game suggests, I am having a blast playing through each episode of The Walking Dead and just doing what I feel is right.
  12. NZGamer
    Oct 1, 2012
    88
    With only two episodes left until the end, it is hard to imagine any kind of happy ending for Lee and the gang (whoever will be left by then, that is) and yet I cannot wait for episodes four and five to come out so I can slog through the rest of this journey with them to whatever (I'm assuming) tragic ending awaits us.
  13. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 13, 2012
    87
    Episode 3 doesn't quite reach the high points of the previous episode, but it still manages to deliver some really memorable moments. The decisions are brutal and there are some really unexpected "that didn't just happen!" scenes along the way. Also props for Telltale on creating the most believable child character ever, Clementine. [Oct 2012]
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  14. Multiplayer.it
    Sep 5, 2012
    87
    With so much action, drama and narrative twists, Long Road Ahead is the most powerful episode so far.
  15. 4P.de
    Sep 11, 2012
    85
    This is the most dramatic episode of the season so far.
  16. GameWatcher
    Sep 6, 2012
    85
    Episode 3 is back up to the quality of Episode 1, and is easily proving to be the best series Telltale's ever put out. If you're not on board the Walking Dead train by this point you're missing out, period.
  17. Vandal
    Sep 4, 2012
    85
    Telltale Games knows what they're doing. They've managed to surprise us again and leave us waiting for the next episode. The plot is shocking and won't let us go till we finish it, and together with the evolution and the importance of the decisions of the characters make it a very recommendable title, whether you're a fan of the comics or not.
  18. GamesBeat
    Sep 2, 2012
    85
    As the midway point of the series, it could've easily become a filler episode, but the shocks, twists, and character revelations keep the story's momentum trundling along as steadily as the train Lee and company now ride on.
  19. GameStar
    Sep 4, 2012
    83
    Quotation forthcoming.
  20. RPG Fan
    Sep 10, 2012
    82
    As stated earlier, Episode 3 keeps pace with the other two installments, which speaks highly of its developers – the episodes truly feel like chapters of one long story, and not parts that jaggedly fit together. Unfortunately, the gameplay staggers wantonly while simultaneously stagnating in long adventure-style fetch quests.
  21. Adventure Gamers
    Sep 4, 2012
    80
    The freedom of choice is more illusory this time around, but Long Road Ahead still delivers tremendous emotional blows throughout its increasingly compelling story.
  22. AusGamers
    Sep 3, 2012
    80
    The Walking Dead has experimented on the typical Telltale formula, with a lot of success, over the course of these three episodes, and this is definitely one of the more interesting things it has done.
  23. Absolute Games
    Oct 11, 2012
    75
    This episode delivers excellent drama at the cost of killing the non-linear storytelling.
  24. Worth Playing
    Sep 10, 2012
    70
    The Walking Dead is still one of the most tightly written and plotted games on the market right now, with some of the best characters, and I'd still recommend it over the comic book to most people. This is a particularly obnoxious chapter, though, where the first playthrough is intense, often frightening, and emotionally draining, but then it caps itself off with multiple cheap deaths and the realization you cannot prevent or even affect most of what's just happened.
  25. GameSpy
    Aug 31, 2012
    60
    Speaking of puzzles, most in the episode are easy and you should have no problem finishing it in less than three hours. Another annoying case of "adventure game logic" rears its ugly head towards the end of the game, though: Lee appears to have the magical ability to fit a full-sized blowtorch and gas canister inside his back pocket and climb up a ladder unaided. In the real world, getting this contraption up the ladder would've been a puzzle in itself. For a franchise that depends on realism to sell the misery and horror of something so implausible as reanimated corpses, that disregard for authenticity is a step in the wrong direction.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best PC Game of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 287 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 226 out of 287
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 287
  3. Negative: 30 out of 287
  1. Limbo9
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    Once again, i have to give another The Walking Dead Episode a full 10. In my books, i've never felt a stronger connection to the wellbeing ofOnce again, i have to give another The Walking Dead Episode a full 10. In my books, i've never felt a stronger connection to the wellbeing of a character than that with clementine. As for the Episode: Its absolutely amazing once again.. i can't wait for it to see how it all turns out… Full Review »
  2. CrazyRah
    Sep 1, 2012
    9
    Things really went crazy in this episode. As food and paranoia becomes a serious issue, the people around you that you trust are now in aThings really went crazy in this episode. As food and paranoia becomes a serious issue, the people around you that you trust are now in a situation worse than ever before. Drama, death, chaos and unthinkable things will happen. This episode builds upon the two already amazing episodes before it. It tells a story that captured me and the characters around me made it feel almost real. Telltale games have a masterpiece right here and it's getting better and better by each episode… Full Review »
  3. TotalNyan
    Aug 31, 2012
    6
    I have to say this is the weakest episode so far. Episodes 1 and 2 evoked real emotion; it looked as though your choices would have futureI have to say this is the weakest episode so far. Episodes 1 and 2 evoked real emotion; it looked as though your choices would have future implications and you really began to form attachments with some of the characters. I loved the style of the games and how they really made you think about what you were about to do or say. Unfortunately, Episode 3 is a mess. You end up finding that many of the choices you made have very little impact on the outcomes - the same major events end up happening whether you tried to stop them or not. Characters interact with you the exact same despite how you treated them. The game starts to feel less interactive, and more like a movie at times. Despite my criticisms, the action sequences are still good and the presentation still excellent, and the overall interaction with other characters is still interesting, if a little confused. Everything just feels less organic than previous episodes, and I hope they can rectify that for the remaining episodes.… Full Review »
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