The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is a five-part adventure thriller from Telltale Games. The first episode came out on April 24, 2012 for PC. It is based on Robert Kirkman's comic world, not the plot of the TV series of the same name.

The focus is on Lee Everett and the girl Clementine. You talk to other survivors, make decisions under time pressure and try to bring the group through a world threatened by the undead.

The first episode came out on April 24, 2012 for PC. The same year, releases began on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and iOS. The PS Vita version followed on August 20, 2013, Android in April 2014.

The complete first season hit shelves in Germany on October 30, 2014 for PS4, and one day later for Xbox One. Nintendo Switch received it on August 28, 2018, along with the additional story 400 Days.

The first season has standalone versions for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. Windows and Mac versions are available for PC. All versions are single-player experiences.

The PS4 version can be played on PS5 via backward compatibility. Xbox Series X and S also support the Xbox One version through compatibility. Neither is a separate release for the newer consoles.

You examine locations, collect items, solve simple environmental puzzles and hold conversations. Many situations demand quick reactions to button prompts on screen. Fights are staged as dangerous situations and are not the focus as they would be in an action shooter.

Dealing with other people is especially important. Answers can affect relationships within the group. Some decisions must be made before a timer runs out.

400 Days is an additional anthology of five interconnected short stories. They play out between the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse and the 400th day after. The events revolve around a service station on a road in Georgia and follow various survivors.

On Steam the expansion was released on July 3, 2013. It requires the base game there. The complete PS4, Xbox One and Switch versions already include it.

For the original Windows version, Skybound lists minimum requirements of a 2.0 GHz processor at Pentium 4 level, 3 GB RAM, an ATI or Nvidia graphics card with 512 MB video memory and 2 GB free hard drive space. The game uses DirectX 9.0c.

These details date from the original Windows XP era. Current use on Steam requires Windows 10 or newer. On Mac, Skybound lists at least an Intel processor at 2.3 GHz and 4 GB RAM.

Lee Everett is a convicted man who regains his freedom at the start of the zombie outbreak. He finds young Clementine alone and takes her under his wing. Together they meet other survivors whose goals and fears increasingly conflict.

The story is set in the US state of Georgia. Places and characters are connected to the world of Robert Kirkman's comics, but Lee and Clementine experience their own storyline.

In conversations you decide what stance Lee takes and whom he trusts. Even in dangerous situations, choices can determine whom you help first. Some characters react later to earlier statements and actions.

The central story remains coherent across five episodes. Choices change relationships and individual scenes, but they do not replace the entire plot with freely selectable campaigns.

The story begins with A New Day and continues in Starved for Help, Long Road Ahead, Around Every Corner and No Time Left. All five episodes build on each other. The releases of the complete season bundle these parts into one game.

If you want to experience the story in full, play the episodes in this order. The sequel Season Two continues important personal developments from the first season.

Lee and Clementine meet people who need each other's help yet distrust one another. Conflicts arise from scarce supplies, fear and differing ideas of what is needed to survive. Conversations give the characters more room than collecting weapons.

The choices therefore often concern loyalty and responsibility. The relationship between Lee and Clementine in particular runs as a common thread through all five episodes.

On PC you move your character and choose dialogue replies with mouse and keyboard or controller. On consoles, interactions are controlled with the controller.

The PS Vita version supports touchscreen-only controls alongside analog sticks and buttons. On smartphones the adventure uses the touchscreen to select dialogue and actions.

The PS4 and Switch releases offer English voice acting with German on-screen text. The Switch version also supports English, French, Spanish and Italian as subtitle languages.

Which text languages are available depends on the platform version. The German-language console offers are not the same as a German dub.

The Complete First Season combines all five episodes and 400 Days. The Switch version is based on a revised collection with improvements to graphics and performance.

The later release The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is a different bundle. It also includes further seasons and stories from the series. The first season alone should therefore not be confused with this more extensive edition.

Telltale Games developed The Walking Dead. The original episodic release began in 2012. The current digital editions are distributed by Skybound Games and Skybound Interactive respectively.

The game takes the world of Robert Kirkman's comics but tells its own story with Lee Everett and Clementine.