When Telltale Games released the original incarnation of The Walking Dead in 2012, many people instantly felt attached to the characters and story. It obtained critical acclaim, and deemed among the best of that year by many. The game was designed to be based around "player-choice", adhering to the plot and characters resulting from your decisions. Most of the NPC outcomes were inevitable, but the moment of the story when this happened varied. The Walking Dead: Season Two follows this same format. The story stars Clementine, a main character from the first game, as she survives in this post-apocalyptic environment. After getting separated from Christa, a supporting character in the 2012 game, she stumbles upon a new group of survivors, and is instantly placed with a variety of unjust accusations. From there, the story spirals into a journey that should by no means be spoiled, but experienced by the individual.
Despite being a direct sequel to the original episodic video game, The Walking Dead: Season Two adheres to more mature themes than those that were attributed to in the original. The original The Walking Dead focused around the development of a father-daughter relationship between the two main characters, Lee and Clementine, as they journeyed through the post-apocalyptic United States, looking for the little girl's parents. While the narrative was by all means a tragedy, it had light-hearted intentions all the way through. The game didn't try to tackle any complicate themes, as they went with a format that is frequently done in the form of entertainment (most recently, The Last of Us). The Walking Dead: Season Two attempts to emphasize a sense of trust. The first episode throws Clementine in with these new characters suddenly, almost without warning. This new group becomes as much of an enigma to the player, as they are to the character of Clementine. Betrayal and injustice asphyxiate the atmosphere, as the survivors themselves become a much greater threat than the walkers. These themes are executed extremely well, as they only enhance the story.
It's hard to explain why exactly The Walking Dead: Season Two is among the most powerful narratives found in video games. The themes tackled are bigger than the game itself, and is just executed perfectly. I really don't want to say much more than that, as it's just a game no one, by all means, shouldn't miss. The writing is perhaps the best I've experienced yet, and the characters are round and stretched out so more much than one would initially presume. Just play The Walking Dead: Season Two, and I can guarantee you it'll be your best decision that you've made this year.