The Walking Dead Episode 1 For iPad Review

No one was home to listen to the wind chime. Lee leaned against the oak tree, put his hand on his right knee and winced. He didn’t think his leg could take him any further. The blood orange sky darkened.

With each step Lee took towards the house, pain splintered up the back of his leg, and down to his toes. He knocked on the patio door, called for help as the wind chime became erratic. Inside a TV flickered with white noise, a patch of blood covered the carpet and kitchen tile. Tables and chairs had been toppled over, paper scattered about, family portraits had fallen from the walls.

Lee yanked open the sliding door, and asked any if any one was home.

“I’m not an intruder,” he said.

“I’m not one of them,” he reassured, quietly.

The stench of death lingered in the house; the same smell that the police officer had before Lee killed him. A smell like beef left out on the counter for too long on a warm day…

The Walking Dead is, so far, immersive, scary, heart wrenching, and shocking. The first few minutes of the game set up the atmosphere and tone of a world being taken over by zombies. This isn’t an action game, nor a murder as many zombies as you can with guns you purchase from an in-app store. It’s not even a game where you try to survive a zombie apocalypse. It’s a game where the player is in control of the narrative, and the narrative is fucking well told.

I like to think that the player is in control of Lee’s (the protagonist of the story) consciousness. Lee even admits, when one of his choices is questioned, that he isn’t quite sure why he made the decision he did. Ironic, because Lee is struggling to build relationships based on a first name basis, as he hides from a terrible decision he made before Z-day.

Tension keeps rising as the zombie horde grows, and the decisions Lee (the player) makes effects the group. The little decisions count. Lie to a character, and they will remember, and perhaps hold it against Lee later on. If Lee comforts a character, gives them food, and so on, I suspect in later episodes they will be willing top risk their life for Lee.

The Walking Dead relies heavily on story telling to keep the player interested, and it works well. I’m already excited for episode two, but I am unaware of the release date for the iPad — it has already been released for the PC.

I enjoy the puzzles required to progress through the game. Puzzles are no more than picking up items and talking to characters in a specific sequence. As a result, the first episode takes about a couple hours to beat at the most, and second play throughs should only take an hour, if choosing to skip the dialogue that reveals a character’s history.

The Best Zombie Game For The iPad?

Maybe. There isn’t much gameplay, which could put some gamers off. But I think The Walking Dead stands out for its story telling. Being put into the head of Lee, and having to make decisions in seconds (literally), provides a unique experiences simply shooting zombies doesn’t offer. I think this one is worth purchasing if you are a zombie fan.