The Walking Dead Season 1 is, in my opinion, the best storytelling experience that Telltale Games produced before their dissolution as a game studio. Out of the other seasons of the series, as well as their other storytelling games, The Walking Dead Season 1 has the most consistent and well-written plot, characters, and choices.

The game takes place in the US state of Georgia. You play the role of Lee Everett, a history professor that is now convicted in the back of a police car after murdering a senator that slept with your wife. In the past few days, the zombie outbreak has started spreading. The police officer crashes the vehicle after hitting a zombie in the road and Lee is knocked unconscious. The infection has spread even further after Lee wakes up and comes face-to-face with the shambling corpses, now having to fend for himself in this new world and given a second chance after committing his crime. He comes across an 8-year-old girl named Clementine, who is all alone after her parents went on vacation to the city of Savannah and never returned. It's up to Lee to take care of her and help find her parents, as well as looking for a safe place to reside with fellow survivors amidst the apocalypse.

The game primarily consists of making choices for Lee, being "tailored to how you play". There are numerous actions and dialogue choices that the player can choose in order to shape Lee in their image. Whether you choose Lee to be a good-willed pacifist, a rude jerk, or keep choosing the "..." dialogue option, the choice is yours. Another common mechanic in the game is being able to roam around the vicinity and interact with people and objects in order to complete objectives to progress the story. The final mechanic in the game would be the QTEs (quick-time events), which are very common.

As Lee and Clementine look for a safe area to protect themselves from the zombie scourge, they come across many survivors, both friends and enemies; Lee can choose to side with or against some, or try to appease or alienate those that are already set in their ways about him. Many characters will start to form their opinion of Lee as they interact and through Lee's actions. Some choices will be bigger or smaller than others, but all of them matter in some capacity.

As the plot of the game progresses, Lee, Clementine, and other characters experience many emotions, being minuscule or life-changing. They experience joy, anger, loss, grief, shock, and most of all, death. Many characters come and go along the way, some being your friends and some being your enemies, but most of them will choose which they are based on your decisions. The story builds up to a climactic and tense conclusion, growing onto these characters and forming a bond with them through Lee. The ending to the final episode was the first time I had ever cried over a video game, specifically, over a character, and is a memory that sticks close to me to this day.

The Walking Dead Season 1 includes an extra episode that is unrelated to the main story. The story follows the paths of 5 survivors and their experiences as the zombie apocalypse reshapes the world, from the first few chaotic days of the outbreak to hundreds of days in when society has slowly rebuilt. These characters have a cameo in Season 2 based on your choices during their stories in order to try and make it feel more meaningful. Playing this bonus episode is completely optional and doesn't effect the story or your choices whatsoever, even in Season 2, save for the aforementioned cameos (though one particular character plays a more major role at some point).

All in all, I feel that while Telltale's The Walking Dead is very lacking in the gameplay department, it makes up for it with stellar story and character development, actively engaging the player into interacting with the world around them, forming friendships and grudges against certain characters. Through the eyes of Lee Everett, the player experiences the zombie-infested world these characters reside and struggle to survive in, making both menial and thought-provoking choices as it continues based on what they believe is morally just. The game is tailored by how you play, and that tagline of Telltale's narrative-driven games very much holds up in this case.

The Walking Dead Season 1 is, in my opinion, the best storytelling experience that Telltale Games produced before their dissolution as a game studio. Out of the other seasons of the series, as well as their other storytelling games, The Walking Dead Season 1 has the most consistent and well-written plot, characters, and choices. [h1]The Story[/h1] The game takes place in the US state of Georgia. You play the role of Lee Everett, a history professor that is now convicted in the back of a police car after murdering a senator that slept with your wife. In the past few days, the zombie outbreak has started spreading. The police officer crashes the vehicle after hitting a zombie in the road and Lee is knocked unconscious. The infection has spread even further after Lee wakes up and comes face-to-face with the shambling corpses, now having to fend for himself in this new world and given a second chance after committing his crime. He comes across an 8-year-old girl named Clementine, who is all alone after her parents went on vacation to the city of Savannah and never returned. It's up to Lee to take care of her and help find her parents, as well as looking for a safe place to reside with fellow survivors amidst the apocalypse. [h1]The Mechanics[/h1] The game primarily consists of making choices for Lee, being "tailored to how you play". There are numerous actions and dialogue choices that the player can choose in order to shape Lee in their image. Whether you choose Lee to be a good-willed pacifist, a rude jerk, or keep choosing the "..." dialogue option, the choice is yours. Another common mechanic in the game is being able to roam around the vicinity and interact with people and objects in order to complete objectives to progress the story. The final mechanic in the game would be the QTEs (quick-time events), which are very common. [h1]The Characters[/h1] As Lee and Clementine look for a safe area to protect themselves from the zombie scourge, they come across many survivors, both friends and enemies; Lee can choose to side with or against some, or try to appease or alienate those that are already set in their ways about him. Many characters will start to form their opinion of Lee as they interact and through Lee's actions. Some choices will be bigger or smaller than others, but all of them matter in some capacity. [h1]The Journey[/h1] As the plot of the game progresses, Lee, Clementine, and other characters experience many emotions, being minuscule or life-changing. They experience joy, anger, loss, grief, shock, and most of all, death. Many characters come and go along the way, some being your friends and some being your enemies, but most of them will choose which they are based on your decisions. The story builds up to a climactic and tense conclusion, growing onto these characters and forming a bond with them through Lee. The ending to the final episode was the first time I had ever cried over a video game, specifically, over a character, and is a memory that sticks close to me to this day. [h1]The DLC[/h1] The Walking Dead Season 1 includes an extra episode that is unrelated to the main story. The story follows the paths of 5 survivors and their experiences as the zombie apocalypse reshapes the world, from the first few chaotic days of the outbreak to hundreds of days in when society has slowly rebuilt. These characters have a cameo in Season 2 based on your choices during their stories in order to try and make it feel more meaningful. Playing this bonus episode is completely optional and doesn't effect the story or your choices whatsoever, even in Season 2, save for the aforementioned cameos (though one particular character plays a more major role at some point). [h1]Conclusion[/h1] All in all, I feel that while Telltale's The Walking Dead is very lacking in the gameplay department, it makes up for it with stellar story and character development, actively engaging the player into interacting with the world around them, forming friendships and grudges against certain characters. Through the eyes of Lee Everett, the player experiences the zombie-infested world these characters reside and struggle to survive in, making both menial and thought-provoking choices as it continues based on what they believe is morally just. The game is tailored by how you play, and that tagline of Telltale's narrative-driven games very much holds up in this case.