The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 2: Ties That Bind Part Two

Episodes 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier have my expectations incredibly high for the rest of the series. With strong new characters, important storylines, and beautiful artwork; I think Telltale may have another award-winner on their hands.

Fortunately for players old and new, Clem remains a crucial part of the story while Javi has given the series a fantastic new protagonist. If "Ties That Bind" is any indication of the level of acting, pacing, and writing to be seen this season, fans can rest assured that The Walking Dead will remain high atop their must-play lists.

This new adventure re-uses the same well known gameplay seen in every Telltale game, while adding an interesting new point of view to TWD universe with the introduction of the new main character, Jarvis. All in all these first two episodes represent a good start in an interesting storyline: if you liked the previous games, you won't be disappointed.

I'll admit that my interest in Telltale's well-worn adventure formula was starting to wane, but The Walking Dead: A New Frontier's opening episodes are proof positive that there's still plenty of life in it, as Ties That Bind Part 1 and 2 are both barnstorming episodes. Essential for any self-respecting The Walking Dead fan, regardless of whether you played seasons one and two in Telltale's series.

So far, a welcome and even more brutal return to Telltale's most successful series. [March 2017, p.78]

A really tense episode with good character development, some disturbing choices to make, some great fan service and a terrific finish.

Everything leads up to a hell of a cliffhanger, making me intrigued to see what happens next. I just hope Telltale doesn't disappoint with its result, as in the past some of the cliffhangers have had unsatisfying resolutions, not altering the story as much as I expected. While some things remain predictable, like needing to constantly look for resources or evil people showing up at the worst times, Telltale does a good job with its reveals and twists. As long as they continue to lead to interesting places, I'm on board for the rest of season three.

Family strife and dark secrets abound in Telltale's return to form. We're firmly on board for the ride. [Feb 2017, p.66]

The second season and occasional special episodes haven’t managed to recapture the emotional peaks of the series’ devastatingly emotional first season, and I’ve yet to see anything to suggest that this season will be any more successful. But it’s still well written, expertly acted, and filled with tense moments dealing with both the zombies and the true monsters of Kirkman’s world, humans.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier's second episode has stronger moments than the debut, but also treads too much familiar ground by reusing story beats that Telltale has already explored.

A New Frontier is definitely Telltale’s best attempt at serious drama since The Wolf Among Us, but it still makes mistakes that other series have already learned to avoid.