by Joseph Knoop
(minor spoilers ahead)
It's hard to forget that among all the shambling corpses and darkness, the first season of Telltale's Walking Dead spent its second episode branching off the main path entirely. Derelict town streets and an empty pharmacy were traded for the light of day and a suspiciously charming dairy farm. Characters we met in the haze and confusion of multiple zombie attacks were expounded upon at a comfortable pace, while providing the player a compelling mini-plot to supplement the world building.
The problems present in season one's first episode were, without a doubt, assuaged by the extended character interaction and set pieces of the second. This is where "A House Divided" makes its biggest mistake. In attempting to progress the story further, Telltale forgot to make every interaction meaningful.
A House Divided picks up exactly where players left Clementine, struggling to escape a sudden walker attack on the bank of a river. Though your choices will determine the fates of a few characters, like most episodes you'll end up at a nearly identical conclusion within a brief period of time.
The episode draws its strengths on what interaction it can glean from a mysteriously sinister newcomer. Without spoiling too much, its safe to say that the conversations held between Clementine and this new player are some of the most tense and intriguing of the entire season so far. You'll feel every pregnant pause, catch every flit of a character's eyes, and sweat each very, very real threat.
It's a shame that level of interaction doesn't translate as well into many other characters, including the more youthful Nick and Luke, as well as the hostile, childbearing Rebecca. Though the characters reveal tidbits about their pasts, or their motivations for previous actions, it never seems quite natural. Some characters just straight up admit it to you, with little provocation. Though Clementine is still a little girl, it's hard to believe that people would just open up to her without the level of approval she nearly died to attain in the first episode.
Plenty of critics lambasted the feeling that this new cast of characters felt like the first season's with a fresh coat of paint. In terms of meaningful interaction and deep characterization, Telltale is getting there, but the problem isn't being nearly as addressed as it ought to be.
Gameplay, including battle and exploration suffer from similar problems. Who could forget the dairy farm in season one, with its hidden passages leading to terrifying realizations about the family that operated the place. Or the painfully slow standoff between the mother and Lee, culminating in one of the most clever downfalls in Walking Dead's repertoire.
A House Divided provides very few of these experiences. You'll shoot walkers, dodge their iron grasps, and make frantic decisions in the heat of battle, but the weight of these actions is rarely felt. Once, I completely missed a prompt to dodge a walker's attack. Instead of suffering any consequence, the game simply placed Clementine back at the location the attack started at. No death animation, not even a slightly redder screen. It made no sense, and seeped quite a bit of threat away from these undead beasts.
Similarly, a distinct lack of puzzles or environment searches make what moments the player does have outside cutscenes a little disappointing. This becomes especially frustrating when the player must search a ski lodge for a few items. The path through is so phoned in that stopping for bits of character interaction, like discussing each other's favorite Christmas decorations feels forced. Or when the player must rewire an electrical box under the threat of a walker attack. It ended up being two simple prompts, not the engaging, nerve-wracking thrill it could have been.
Not to slag on the entire episode, however. As many frustrations as their may be, A House Divided had plenty of moments that had me nervously muttering (or loudly swearing) at an interaction between characters or their demise. Much like the episode trailer teased, you'll be excited (and possibly a little stunned) to find out who joins Clementine on this leg of her journey. Though some of the characters still seem a little flat, it's good to know they aren't the total cardboard cutouts we saw in "All That Remains."
Overall, while this second episode certainly ranks among the lowest, it advances the story enough to be meaningful, while setting us up for the threats to come. Much like I said for All That Remains, the highest praise I can give it is that I was left wanting more. No other game can simultaneously instill this much enjoyment, while forcing me to scream "No...No! No! No!" quite like this one.
+ That iconic Walking Dead intensity
+ New characters bring life to where there wasn't quite enough
- Lack of meaningful character building
- Dull middle section
- Gameplay starting to become noticeably stale
7/10
