So after 6 months we have finally hit the midpoint in Season 2 of Telltale's immensely popular episodic game series based in the comic book universe created by Robert Kirkman.
With the cliffhanger to the last episode leaving bums teetering on the very edge of seats it was hard to not be excited by what In Hams Way was going to offer us, TWD's take on The Great Escape.
So after another couple of hours with Clementine & co. I'm ready to share my verdict on the latest action packed entry.
In Harms Way is very difficult to talk about without spoiling either itself or its predecessor, A House Divided, so unfortunately there will be spoilers for the last episode.
So when Bonnie from 400 Days finds Clementine's group at the end of A House Divided she brings with her the man they have been running from this entire time, Bill Carver, they are taken hostage and brought back to a hardware store where Carver has a survivor settlement established.
They are thrown into prison and over the course of three days do work to keep the settlement up and running all whilst plotting to escape from their captors.
The episode is largely a chance for you to decide what kind of person Clementine is going to be from now on, whether you want to keep her as the innocent little girl we knew from Season 1 or whether you are going to let her grow into the strong survivor she is destined to be. Though your hand is forced more to the side of having her develop, its during the games more tense moments where you can chose to go forward or to stand by the sidelines.
Episode 3 manages to strike perhaps the best balance between calm, character building moments and blood pumping action sequences by consistently throwing you off guard thanks to fantastic antagonist Carver; and by allowing you to decide who in both groups of survivors you should and shouldn't trust.
Again one of my biggest problems with Telltale's games is the poor quality performance. Episode 3 is plagued with a juddery frame rate and lengthy loading screens, despite the last two episodes having significantly improved performance since the first season.
The new lighting engine really gets given a chance to shine in this episode with a bold representation of light and dark, significantly aiding the dramatic quality. There is one section in particular towards the end of the episode involving Kenny where the lighting gave the scene so much more power and fear than near enough any scene in either seasons thusfar.
A couple of the new characters introduced that look set to stick around for a little while join the roster of top notch voice talent, but yet again Carver steals the show with some of the best dialogue in the series to date and really giving the games a much needed antagonist equal to the likes of Philip 'The Governor' Blake and Negan.
Before I finish up the review I want to talk about the one thing that annoyed me and it is one of the most important points of the episode so if you don't want it ruined skip to the end of the review.
So my only problem with In Harms Way is that Bill Carver is killed, though the way he is killed is fitting and on fine form for a Walking Dead antagonist, he has had very little time to show us what he was really capable of and to ever be too much of a threat.
Yes there are several points in this episode where he does manage to show just how evil he can really be, but he was never too desperate and we therefore never got someone as truly evil as The Governor and that's what Telltale's games are really missing. We need a bad character that is around long enough for us to truly begin hating them ourselves or for us to begin to see sense in their ways much like the comic book has done numerous times.
Carver was an excellent opportunity for Telltale to go somewhere with a character that didn't care who or what got in his way to get what he wanted and unfortunately we will never get to see a progression of that now.
In summary, In Harms Way is the best episode of Season 2 and aligns itself neatly with the best bits of Season 1. But this is the first time I haven't been left on the edge of my seat at the end of an episode, I mean don't get me wrong it ended on a cliffhanger but due to the event that I mentioned previously, I'm not entirely sure where the story can go that it hasn't been already. But only time will tell and we have plenty of that until the next episode will arrive.
The Walking Dead Season 2
Episode 3: In Harms Way – 9/10
+Great Pacing
+Carver is an Excellent Villain
+Great Lighting Effects
-Technical Issues
-That One Story Related Thing
