Telltale's The Walking Dead series has been a landmark in gaming over the past few years, signalling a shift in mature storytelling in gaming as well as bringing with it the rise of episodic gaming. But there has always been a big problem of Telltale's The Walking Dead sharing the same universe as the comics it is based upon, yet never actually making an effort to connect with them beyond a small cameo from fan favourite Glenn in the premier episode of the first season. The Walking Dead: Michonne sets to change this by providing gamers with a mini-series focussed on one of the comic books most mysterious and beloved characters; and though it never quite manages to reach the heights that the previous two seasons have achieved, it does provide some brilliant steps forward for the series.
For people following the comic books, TWD: Michonne takes place after 'All Out War Part Two', wherein the epic battle between Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom against Negan and the Saviours concludes. Michonne mysteriously takes off from Rick and the other survivors at Alexandria and sets out on her own, in an effort to come to terms with her inner demons following all the terrible things she has done to survive in the apocalypse so far. Finding her on the verge of suicide, Michonne is taken in by Pete and his crew on their boat who believe it is safer to survive on the water than it is on land. However, when their boat is put out of action by a wreckage under the water, Pete and Michonne get caught up in a quarrel between two young teenagers and the survivors settlement of Monroe. In the three episode series, Michonne and Pete must help the teenagers escape with their lives from the deadly group of survivors as they are hunted down relentlessly by Monroe's leader.
TWD: Michonne provides a story that whilst entertaining does little to make itself stand out from typical zombie survival stories. It does provide plenty of action, as well as a situation that isn't quite as clear cut as it initially seems which certainly give the series its driving force but don't go in expecting quite what you would normally anticipate from Telltales TWD games.
Being the character she is, Michonne's story has little emotionally driven downtime. After everything she has endured she is cold, battle hardened, and the complete opposite end of the spectrum from previous series protagonists Lee and Clementine. But that doesn't mean that TWD: Michonne doesn't have it's more emotionally driven sections. These involve Michonne and her desire to find out what happened to her children, who she has not seen or heard from since before the apocalypse began. It allows for character development she has not had outside of AMC's The Walking Dead, the equally good TV show adaptation that plays fast and loose with its faithfulness to the source material. These sections add a whole other dimension to the typical zombie action, introducing elements of psychological horror which go out of their way to play on the mind of the player and provide some pretty spectacular sections of gameplay.
For people following the comic books, TWD: Michonne takes place after 'All Out War Part Two', wherein the epic battle between Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom against Negan and the Saviours concludes. Michonne mysteriously takes off from Rick and the other survivors at Alexandria and sets out on her own, in an effort to come to terms with her inner demons following all the terrible things she has done to survive in the apocalypse so far. Finding her on the verge of suicide, Michonne is taken in by Pete and his crew on their boat who believe it is safer to survive on the water than it is on land. However, when their boat is put out of action by a wreckage under the water, Pete and Michonne get caught up in a quarrel between two young teenagers and the survivors settlement of Monroe. In the three episode series, Michonne and Pete must help the teenagers escape with their lives from the deadly group of survivors as they are hunted down relentlessly by Monroe's leader.
TWD: Michonne provides a story that whilst entertaining does little to make itself stand out from typical zombie survival stories. It does provide plenty of action, as well as a situation that isn't quite as clear cut as it initially seems which certainly give the series its driving force but don't go in expecting quite what you would normally anticipate from Telltales TWD games.
Being the character she is, Michonne's story has little emotionally driven downtime. After everything she has endured she is cold, battle hardened, and the complete opposite end of the spectrum from previous series protagonists Lee and Clementine. But that doesn't mean that TWD: Michonne doesn't have it's more emotionally driven sections. These involve Michonne and her desire to find out what happened to her children, who she has not seen or heard from since before the apocalypse began. It allows for character development she has not had outside of AMC's The Walking Dead, the equally good TV show adaptation that plays fast and loose with its faithfulness to the source material. These sections add a whole other dimension to the typical zombie action, introducing elements of psychological horror which go out of their way to play on the mind of the player and provide some pretty spectacular sections of gameplay.
Speaking of gameplay, if you've played a Telltale game before you know exactly what to expect of TWD: Michonne. There are no significant additions to gameplay, though it is how the game is presented that has certainly evolved, providing one of the most cinematic and well directed Telltale games ever produced.
The camera in TWD: Michonne often imitates handheld camera work, tracking around characters and environment as it moves through the environment, in comparison to the relatively static camera work in Telltale's previous games. During action sequences the game also changes aspect ratio from 16:9 fullscreen to letterbox format, dramatically increasing cinematic quality. There is also much fewer jarring transitions and graphical bugs that the Telltale games are widely criticised for. Characters also have smoother, more realistic annimations in comparison to the relatively robotic movements that have plagued Telltale games for years. The overall presentation standard in TWD: Michonne is much higher than any Telltale game previous to it and it goes a long way in making TWD: Michonne much better than it would have been relying on it's story alone.
My biggest criticisms of TWD: Michonne come in both its length and surprisingly the main character. Each episode weighs in at about an hour each and that's even with exploring the environment heavily and interacting with pretty much everything you can. These are among Telltale's shortest episodes ever created and considering that the series is only 3 episodes long that adds up to roughly 3 hours worth of content. My complaint about the character Michonne is in reference to Telltale's 'pick your path' approach to telling its story. As a long time fan of both the comics and the TV series I have a pretty set in stone impression of Michonne, therefore most of the options you're given to do in the game just feel out of character for Michonne. She will always seek dominance over anyone who stands in her way, even if they have her captive. She is never one to dwell on mourning a loss, she is never one to be easy on people. She is for much of the comic pretty emotionally devoid and speaks with her silence. The game allowing you to choose to be submissive to a group of captors is completely out of character for her and in many ways ruins her characterisation. However, as you grow to learn more about her over the course of the game you begin to sympathise with her and understand why she is the way she is in the comics, making it easier to naturally see things from her perspective.
The camera in TWD: Michonne often imitates handheld camera work, tracking around characters and environment as it moves through the environment, in comparison to the relatively static camera work in Telltale's previous games. During action sequences the game also changes aspect ratio from 16:9 fullscreen to letterbox format, dramatically increasing cinematic quality. There is also much fewer jarring transitions and graphical bugs that the Telltale games are widely criticised for. Characters also have smoother, more realistic annimations in comparison to the relatively robotic movements that have plagued Telltale games for years. The overall presentation standard in TWD: Michonne is much higher than any Telltale game previous to it and it goes a long way in making TWD: Michonne much better than it would have been relying on it's story alone.
My biggest criticisms of TWD: Michonne come in both its length and surprisingly the main character. Each episode weighs in at about an hour each and that's even with exploring the environment heavily and interacting with pretty much everything you can. These are among Telltale's shortest episodes ever created and considering that the series is only 3 episodes long that adds up to roughly 3 hours worth of content. My complaint about the character Michonne is in reference to Telltale's 'pick your path' approach to telling its story. As a long time fan of both the comics and the TV series I have a pretty set in stone impression of Michonne, therefore most of the options you're given to do in the game just feel out of character for Michonne. She will always seek dominance over anyone who stands in her way, even if they have her captive. She is never one to dwell on mourning a loss, she is never one to be easy on people. She is for much of the comic pretty emotionally devoid and speaks with her silence. The game allowing you to choose to be submissive to a group of captors is completely out of character for her and in many ways ruins her characterisation. However, as you grow to learn more about her over the course of the game you begin to sympathise with her and understand why she is the way she is in the comics, making it easier to naturally see things from her perspective.
STORY: 7/10
GAMEPLAY: 7/10
PRESENTATION: 7/10
LIFESPAN: 3/10
SCORE: 5/10
On the whole The Walking Dead: Michonne is an ok entry to the Telltale series, though nothing spectacular. It is vital to TWD comic book readers, though what part it has to play in the Telltale TWD series is yet to be seen but perhaps TWD Season 3 will hold the answers we are looking for.