The Walking Dead

05/12/14

I enjoy the Walking Dead. The television series and the adventure game from Telltale Games. I will probably enjoy the comic if I ever get around to reading it.

There are some problems I have with both, however. The writing can be sketchy, and the show gets a lot of flak for it. But the games? There is very little talk of the bad writing in the game.

The games are all about the illusion of choice. Basically, the game strives to show you how the choice you made was wrong, regardless of the choice you made.

Normally, the game does an excellent job of casting this illusion. It really makes you ruminate over the actions you have decided to make.

But sometimes, the game fails to deliver a choice that it really should. It fails to do so, purely so the narrative can move as the developers desired.

For example, there is one section of the game where you leave your gun behind. You "forget" it while going to retrieve something you dropped. There is no option to take the gun with you.

This is like those moments in the show, and in horror movies in general, where normal human beings are suddenly stupid to advance the plot.

Except it's even worse. As I am supposed to be in control, and now I'm the one who did something stupid. And characters in the game even blame me for it.

It's rare in the games, but it really ruins the experience when it happens.