Xbox One Review: The Walking Dead – The Final Season: Episode 1 – Done Running

Can Clem and AJ get a happy ending?

The Last Frontier series ended with Clementine heading off to be reunited with AJ, after being separated from him. The Final Season takes place some time after, AJ is older and can handle a gun, but he’s still only a kid. Clementine is battle-hardened and the two are dependant on each other, though AJ is somewhat unpredictable.

After a close call with some walkers at a building near a train station, Clem and AJ are rescued by a group of young kids and teenagers who have taken refuge in an abandoned boarding school. The group welcomes Clem and her skills, though have little resources to share. During the episode, you’ll get different paths to take to hunt for food and get to know the core group. The episode ends with a revelation and a dramatic twist that I didn’t see coming. Suffice to say, it’ll be tough going forward for Clem and AJ.

It would have been nice to have some form of chapter select so you can grab missing collectibles or miscellaneous achievements. Most of the other Telltale games have this, so I’m baffled why it’s not included. I now have to go back through an entire playthrough of Episode 1 to get the rest, which is hardly ideal.

Visually, Episode 1 looks amazing. It’s highly detailed, runs smoothly and the load times aren’t too long. For the Telltale Tool’s swansong, The Final Season is doing it great justice. Voice-acting is great as always, with some great performances from Clementine, AJ and the new group. The soundtrack is also superb as you would expect.

The Verdict

1 episode into our final 4 of Clementine’s story and my nerves are already a mess. I can’t see a happy ending on the horizon for either of Clem and AJ, plus the cover art for The Final Season is just like Season 1 with Lee and Clementine…kinda feels like foreshadowing. Let’s hope we get closer to a resolution next month with Episode 2.

Score: 9.0