*Readers Beware, there will be some Spoilers*
There are a number of problems I have noticed with the The Walking Dead Season Two, and I want to shed some light on some of those problems . Now while I thoroughly enjoyed Season One of the series, despite the outcome always being the same no matter what decisions I made throughout the game, I really didn’t really mind. The story was powerful, and so engaging it got me hooked instantly.
Season 2 on the other hand, while it has has strong similarities to Season One, doesn’t have any of the in your face plot twists and changing mood currents in the story to draw you into their world. The characters in my opinion are fairly boring, with only one real stand out Janet and maybe Kenny. The rest of the characters either annoy Clementine with ridiculous requests or whinge, cry, and moan at her. Which is extremely ridiculous, considering they are whining and crying to a little girl. It shouldn’t matter that she is able to handle a gun and survive on her own. In the end she is still a little girl and should be treated as such. I see no logic in the world, where sane adults would endanger the life of a child.
I have heard arguments on blogs and websites bringing up Last of Us by Naughty Dog. That they too use a young girl in a similar fashion, but it’s not the same. The Last of Us main character never intentionally puts the girl in harms way. Hell, the main character Joel is always trying to keep an eye out on Ellie to make sure she is safe and does a majority of the heavy lifting. Plus the plot line for the story is completely different, instead of pushing the young girl straight into danger, when she isn’t ready. The Last of Us shows us this continual growth, where the young girl is becoming less of a burden and more of a trusted team player.
In Season Two of The Walking Dead however, Clementine is consistently thrust into these situations, that an adult in my opinion would never allow, until they feel truly comfortable she can handle herself and even then they would be cautious. For example in Season two, Clementine and an older girl are left all alone in a house, while everyone else goes out to search for someone. And Clementine is expected to keep watch over the older girl, where’s the logic in that? It would make more sense to either bring them along or at least leave an adult behind to guard them. It’s far too early in the story for the party to be relying on her like that.
Another thing that peeved me was the way Clementine’s opinions carried so much weight, that it would often upset characters. Again, it makes no sense. I have never heard of a parent, taking advice from a child, and actually following through with it. If they do, I would love to hear about it, but I am fairly certain that is rarity.
My last point, and you’ve probably heard this complaint many times before, Season 2 was far too short. I could probably have finished the game in three hours, maybe even two. And there weren’t any real decisions that made you think, “Hmmmm, maybe I should go back and do that scene again, because it might bite me in the arse later.” Whereas Season One, I was constantly changing my mind and replaying scenes, so I could see what would happen. Honestly, I was more interested in getting Season Two over and done with, rather than wanting to replay it again.
Don’t get me wrong, I love The Telltale Game Series and I will likely pick up Season Three, but I really don’t want to see the same problems come up again.
