The Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day

Fans of both The Walking Dead comic book and TV series will be impressed with the great story and gameplay that is another excellent extension of the walker lore. And the scintillating second the episode ends, gamers will be anxiously awaiting the second episode, which if the teaser trailer at the end of the first one is any indication, will be even more tension-filled and exciting.

Fans of The Walking Dead comic book or TV show will love the character development and attention to detail this first episode takes. The only downside is a lack of replay value and the waiting for Episode 2.

Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day is a great opening chapter to the game and I can't wait to see what happens in the next episode. I'm also curious to see if it delivers on its promise that the choices that I've already made will affect the way the story unfolds from here. Even if the impact of these choices is minor, I won't be too disappointed. The game weaves one hell of a story and I want to see how it turns out.

Its production value has been put to good use, and the gameplay will really get you involved, even with the push-button segments. We can't wait to see just how much better this series gets.

This episode dazzled us. Everything from its brisk pace to its gorgeous, comic-booky visuals to Lee and Clementine's sweet friendship just feels right. Unlike so many zombie games, its story is human instead of hokey, and it helps make The Walking Dead, Episode 1 slam-bang entertainment.

The first episode of The Walking Dead is a great adventure and we can't wait for the second part.

A superbly shocking adaptation that drags the point 'n' click genre into the spotlight. [July 2012, p.84]

Those issues aside, there's no question that The Walking Dead: Episode One-A New Day absolutely nails the spirit of the story that inspired it, and it seems poised to become another winning, must-experience branch of Kirkman's über-franchise.

Running for a short and sweet couple of hours, "A New Day" is a damn cool introduction for what promises to be another sprawling saga from those talented guys and girls at Telltale Games. The cast is brought to life by intelligent writing and just about forces us, in no time at all, to find a soft spot for just about each and every one of them.

A New Day starts an adventure that we don't want to finish. The engaging story, brutal action and beautiful comic style make us eager for more and more.

The Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day is a fine example for what can be accomplished in the adventure genre. The story provides a great introduction to the world and merges well with both the comic and TV show.

It has a believable cast of characters and a great look. Sure, the puzzles some adventure gamers love are missing and there will be an audio hiccup here and there, but as an introductory hook to the five-episode series, The Walking Dead Episode 1 has just about everything fans could want.

A great starting point for the episodic series, with an involving story and deep characters: it will surely please every lover of story-focused games. Our main complaint is about the complete lack of italian localization, expecially seen the game's deep focus on storytelling.

For a few bucks, the first episode of the Walking Dead lets you slip into the well-traveled waters of the zombie blight and experience it from a new and interesting perspective.

Where a great narrative drives forward a game with beautiful crafting and insightful detail, occasional repeat conversations and low-lit confusion make it a little disjointed in places and can break the otherwise powerful immersion.

A great point and klick adventure, set in the middle of a Zombie outbreak. Focus lies on the people you meet and the stories they tell.

What Telltale has created here is a narratively-driven game that's as much about people as events, as much about inaction as it is putting walkers out of their misery, and as much about what cannot be changed as the countless choices the player is forced to make. If the developer can now make good on the game's initial promise, and deliver a truly branching narrative that adapts to the decisions taken throughout each episode – something, lest we forget, that not even the mighty BioWare could carry through the Mass Effect trilogy with any conviction – then The Walking Dead could be remembered as a genuine classic of the genre.

This is more story than game, so there's little challenge in the hours you spend fleeing and fighting and talking about the zombie hordes. But that approach works here, allowing the game to build upon the cruel, character-driven comic series and stand apart from more mayhem-oriented zombie games like Left 4 Dead and Dead Island.

It doesn't really feel like a point and click adventure, and sometimes it barely even feels like a game - but if you're in the mood for something different, this is superb entertainment at a fantastic price. If you're a fan of zombie movies, get involved. We're hooked: bring on Episode 2.

So while this first episode is a bit light on the adventure game tropes you might be familiar with, and certainly doesn't require much head scratching in the puzzle department, I think it still serves as an entertaining introduction to what could possibly be Telltale's best work yet.

A dark and serious take on an otherwise oversaturated genre. [Issue#86, p.102]

Like Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, this is short, and is going for 400 points, which is barely anything. It's not so long that you get bored, and it's not so short that you feel robbed with the cost, unlike a full retail game which can outstay its welcome. The Walking Dead Episode One is a great experience which makes an overused genre interesting once more and tells a nice tale along the way. Hopefully the next episodes can keep the momentum going.

A game like The Walking Dead ultimately lives and dies based on its characters and writing, though, which has always been something that Telltale's been good at. While it's a little weaker on average than usual, they've also never reached higher highs than they have here. The gameplay is much simpler, but they've shown the direction that the series is going, and with the promise shown here, I hope they can deliver the emotional heft that this series needs to survive.

The Walking Dead is not a traditional adventure game nor a survival horror: it's more like an interactive novel that complements the comic and the TV series.