REVIEW – I’m starting the review over for the fourth time. Not even trying at 5:30 AM helped me – I just couldn’t get my thoughts together. Then, while I’m suffering from a massive lack of sleep, inspiration struck: cliché. It’s 7:10 PM now, and I’m probably going to get asked when I will be done. That’s when I’d throw my desk out the window. Not the game, though.

So the episode has quite a few endings and changes based on your decisions, and no, there’s no such thing as everyone surviving. You WILL lose someone, no matter what you do. You might see someone crossed out with a red marker at the end who you never expected to be dead. That’s the warmup.

Richmond

…is in sh_t, as Kate (now that the full season is out, I don’t think I have to be worried about spoilers… I don’t want to have a take 5 on this goddamn review) ran into a wall that resulted in a massive breach that made Richmond anything but safe. We start off with a 2.5 minute, unskippable recap, followed by another Javier-memory, as usual. It concentrates on one family member, whose promise will be referenced during a fight with someone, albeit I don’t know if it has an effect or not. We are now monsters, as it is all our fault. An argument, possibility to forgive, David’s mind goes off the rails – it starts to feel a bit like a CLICHÉ.

Standing on the rooftop with one or two people, a meeting with a character that got into danger the last episode, then some planning – the goal is far, but it’s possible to reach without reaching the ground level. Helicopter, accident, one person less than before. Clementine’s idea referencing the first season (which you SHOULD give a try, wholeheartedly!), and now I’m going to quote a sentence from the game, I don’t care. „Do you just literally eat shit, all day long? Is that why you smell so bad?” The plan helps, but not for long…

David and Javier face each other, while Javi’s and Kate’s relationship also gets into the limelight. Can you love someone who inflicts pain upon you? Can Telltale be more human than this scene? Clementine interrupts, and I think she does it in two ways – my scenario was the happy one. We are divided, Clem and Kate make us pick a choice. Following Kate’s idea, I decided to save Richmond, and we will end up meeting a character randomly, who seems to wear some Gears of War-like body armor. We end up losing someone yet again. There is no happy ending; you WILL end up losing an important person, depending on your choice. (There’s also no Clementine memory scene in this episode. Why not, I wonder…?)

If you played cleverly, you might see quite a lot of people get through the season, and you will end up getting a recap of all the characters and their outcomes, not to mention the relationship you have built with David, Kate, and Gabe, as well as how you managed to shape Clementine’s character. I’m going to share my results: heartfelt, mixed feeling, safety first, spirited and assured. Clementine’s story will continue, and the ending is somewhat ridiculous. Go to hell, Telltale… at least the graphics weren’t bugging out like what I have encountered in previous episodes… except for a few animation flaws, as usual. I got used to those, lol.

The end

Putting hundreds of characters behind. Laying down that so-called gauntlet. Eh, at least I’m getting „there.” Still, I feel the power of those goddamn clichés. Easily this could be one of the downsides of the episode. Forget it, let’s get into a song now. It is my jam, and you can hear it at the end of episode five. Rubbing my eyes due to tears. Emotional? Maybe. Enough said, I love it, and no, I’m not going to censor it:

In fact, I can tell you that I have been listening to this song on repeat while writing these ridiculous amounts of characters and my random thoughts altogether. Give it just one listen, maybe it will get you a certain vibe… or maybe not.

I can rank the seasons of The Walking Dead. Season One? 9.5 points. Season Two? 9 out of 10. Michonne? 7, and I’m kind to the mini-series. A New Frontier? 8.5 out of 10. The end had a lot of humane attachments to it, but it still had some jumpy animations and different subtitles from the voice lines. The clichés made the game hard to find itself, and yes, there will be a season four.

If you can get this game for around 15 bucks, get it. You’ll get 7-8 hours out of A New Frontier. The episode itself got a weak 9 out of 10 in my eyes, but I need to point out that the rating is for the WHOLE SEASON. Make of it what you will.

-V-

Publisher: Telltale Games

Developer: Telltale Games

Genre: Episodic, adventure

Release date: May 30, 2017