Clementine still lives, but can she survive the first episode of Season Two?
If you have yet to finish Season One of The Walking Dead, I’d suggest beginning there as you can import your game save with your choices over to Season Two. The end of S1 pulled at our heart strings as Lee finally saved Clementine from her kidnapper, but sadly lost the fight against the zombie bite he got at the end of Episode 4 (even if you chopped his arm off, cruel Telltale!) and saw him teach Clem what she needs to survive on the road before she either left him to die or shot him in the head…
Season Two picks up shortly after and luckily Clem bumps into Omid and Christa from S1 who Lee asked to look after her in the first place, or at least I did. The series is so great at making you decide whats best for the characters around you, but also brutal in its choices and now you are actually playing as Clementine just a year after an incident leaves her wounded and alone.
She comes across a new group who mistake her wound for a bite and are lacking in trust when it comes to outsiders, let alone one with a bite. I won’t say what happens, but there are some tough moments that actually had me wincing as I had no choice but to push on, Telltale are geniuses at these cringy, gut-wrenching moments and it’s here in Season Two in spades in the first episode.
In terms of length, I breezed through the episode within 1-2 hours but it was hugely memorable and made the wait for Episode 2 all the more excruciating. The new cast has their issues, some are hiding secrets and others are seriously maladjusted when it comes to judging poor Clem, but the episode is great in showing that she’s had to grow up so quick and gives you options to be vindictive, even bitchy at times. It just goes to show what anyone can become capable of, even someone as innocent as Clementine.
The visuals aren’t a huge leap from Season One but are still impressive, there are still the odd framerate issues during the more action-packed scenes, but nothing that makes it unplayable or spoils the narrative. The voice-acting is just as superb and believable as before, while the music is just as memorable and emotional.
The Verdict
All That Remains is a great way to kick off the second season of The Walking Dead. Clementine has been forced to grow up almost overnight and has a sassy, twisted side to her that is obviously a survival instinct. It concludes with a tough choice as did the very first episode, one that will have some ramifications…of that I’m sure, I just wish the wait wasn’t so long.
