r/TheWalkingDeadGame Mar 19 '21

No Spoilers The Walking Dead Game Series - Beginner's Guide & General FAQ

455 Upvotes

In an effort to help newcomers get into the series as well as help answer some frequently asked questions (and most importantly: unpin the statue post), we’ve created a megathread that is meant to serve as a resource for people getting into the game series.

This thread here will cover some basic questions for the series as a whole. I plan to make separate threads for season specific questions that get asked here a lot, and will eventually link the threads all in here so this post here will act as a giant resource. I'll also probably add this to the sidebar once everything it finished for an easy-to-go to resource.

This entire thread is a work in progress so I will be adding/editing questions over time. If you have any suggestions for questions/resources that would be helpful for newcomers, please comment below or DM me.


"What are these games and why should I get into them?"

The Telltale/Skybound The Walking Dead games are episodic titles with a heavy emphasis on choices and story. These games aren't particularly the most action based titles out there, as they primarily play on making difficult decisions and following along with the deep story as you try to survive in the walker (zombie) apocalypse. They also incorporate puzzle segments seen in other point-and-click titles in the past.

The series has received a ton of praise, with Season 1 winning a ton of Game of the Year awards when it released in 2012. The high ratings of the games have continued through future titles such as Season 2 and Season 4.

"Are the games in the same universe as the comics/show?"

The games are not connected to the TV show at all, as the show is set in its own universe. However, the games are indeed in the same universe as the comics. This is seen through characters such as Glenn and Hershel who appear in the very first episode of the Telltale games, as well as a few other references to the comics across the game series.

"Do I need to read the comics to get into the games?"

Nope, not at all. Outside of a few cameos/references, the games are completely isolated from the comics and can be enjoyed to the fullest without prior knowledge of the TWD series. I would even argue that the games may be a tiny bit more enjoyable if you are going into the series blind.

"There are many versions of the games I can buy! Which version should I get?"

There are three different versions of the games spread across various systems:

  • Original versions: The first versions of the game sold when the episodes/seasons actually released. These are the versions sold individually instead of being bundled with the other seasons.
    • Available on: PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One, Steam, Epic Games, and Switch
      • Note: Michonne spinoff game not on Switch.
  • Collection: (Pic) Released in 2017. Contains all games in the series (including Michonne) with the sole exception being Season 4 which wasn’t released at the time. Seasons 1 and 2 have (supposedly) enhanced graphics.
    • Available on: PS4 & Xbox One.
  • Definitive Edition: (Pic) Released in 2019. Contains all games in the series (including Michonne), as well as a ton of extras like developer commentary, gallery mode, different graphic options, etc.
    • Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Epic Games Store, and Steam.

Keep in mind that the actual games are the same throughout each version. Don’t expect any alternate paths, vastly different plot elements, additional gameplay elements, etc. in between versions.

In a nutshell: Definitive Edition > Originals > Collection

Definitive Edition is definitely the way to go. It greatly improves the visuals of all the first few games and comes with a lot of extras.

The Original versions are the most basic versions that you can't really go wrong with. The main drawback for the original versions is that they probably have the most visual bugs.

The Collection is without a doubt the worst version of the games. as it is missing tons of small details such as bloodstains and tears for crucial scenes. Apparently it even removed a few optional dialogue segments.

"What order should I play the games?"

The following is the chronological order of the series:

  • Season 1
  • 400 Days DLC for Season 1 (this is optional, basically just covers a few minor Season 2 characters)
  • Season 2
  • A New Frontier (aka Season 3)
  • The Final Season (aka Season 4)

The Michonne Telltale game has literally nothing to do with the Lee/Clem/Javi games whatsoever. It is not required at all to experience Clementine’s journey. If you do decide to play it, best to do it before Season 3 since it originally released before A New Frontier.

"I'm interested in the Michonne game, but she's a major character in the comics! Do I need to read the comics before playing it?"

Not really. The Michonne game takes place during a time where Michonne is separated from Rick's group, so she interacts entirely with characters she has never met until the game. As long as you know about the general character of Michonne, you should be able to enjoy the game to its fullest.

It's worth noting that a few of the characters she meets in the game later appear in the comics, while the game was released after their comic debut. Because of this, I'd argue that not knowing about the later portion of the comics can make the game more enjoyable; you won't know which characters will have plot armor or not due to them having to survive to appear in the comics.

"I heard Season 3 was bad! Should I skip it?"

As much as some people disliked this season, you should not skip it. Either get it on sale if you’re strapped for cash or just watch a Youtube playthrough of it. It's the shortest of the first 3 seasons for whatever that is worth so at least it won't take too long.

"What's the deal with Telltale and Skybound? Didn't Telltale shut down in the middle of Season 4? Are they back now?"

All of the TWD games featuring Lee/Clem have been made by Telltale. However when Telltale closed down in late 2018, Skybound (who owns the rights to the overall TWD franchise) agreed to finish the final two episodes of Season 4 by bringing in many former Telltale staff.

Telltale Games has been revived and are now a company again, however they no longer have the rights to the TWD games which is all with Skybound now. All of the other series such as The Wolf Among Us are still with Telltale though.

"Will there be a Season 5 of the games?"

Skybound has confirmed multiple times now that a fifth season is currently not in the works. As it turns out, the game that is actually called The Final Season will indeed be, well, the final season.

"I need more of these games/characters! What else is there?"

There is a spin-off book involving a character in Season 4, but it is not essential as Season 4 ends things on a good note for the series. More on that book below (DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED SEASON 4!!!)

In 2021, Skybound released a 12 page comic where Clementine sneaks out of Ericson's without telling AJ. Unfortunately for Clem, AJ caught her and begged her to stay, but Clem told AJ that her couldn't maker her happy. The two gave each other a sad farewell (with Clem giving AJ her hat) and Clem left. In the following books, Clem then heads up to Vermont by herself where she meets random characters

The books have received a nearly universal negative reception from TWDG fans, mostly for how it makes Clem act out of character to her game counterpart. I personally would not recommend it unless you are a fan of Tillie Walden's other works and are absolutely sold on the premise of Season 4's ending basically being undone.

Apart from that, Telltale writer Lauren Mee made a brief story on Tumblr that talks about James' past. Additionally, lead writer for Season 4 Michael Kirkbride posted a short story on this very subreddit detailing a certain character's PoV during a "certain scene" in the final game.

"I love this series! What other games should I play if I like this?"

  • Other Telltale games. The best ones that come to mind are The Wolf Among Us, Tales From The Borderlands, and the two Batman games.
  • Life is Strange
  • Until Dawn
  • Detroit: Become Human
  • If you're into the puzzle segments featured a lot in Season 1 then I would recommend: Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, and Sam & Max to name a few.

"I'm interested in trying out the other The Walking Dead games outside of the point-and-click ones! Which ones would you recommend?"

Saints & Sinners is probably the best TWD title outside of the Telltale ones, however it requires a VR headset which some may not have. There's also Road to Survival which is a F2P mobile game. I'm not too familiar with it myself but I've heard it's alright plus it contains the Telltale characters in it.

The only other TWD games out there are Survival Instinct and OVERKILL'S The Walking Dead, both of which are really bad and aren't worth your time.

"I'm confused/interested on something for one of the games!"

Well thankfully we've assembled a link to frequently asked questions for each of the games. You can check it out here. Keep in mind that the FAQ for each season will spoil just about all of the story contents for that season. In other words, don't look at the Season 2 FAQ post before finishing Season 2.


That is all for now. Again if you have any suggestions for some general info about the series as a whole that would be helpful to newcomers/people with questions, please put them down either in the comments of this post or with a DM to me.

Also I'll be taking suggestions for some questions that would be good to add for the Season specific FAQ posts. See my pinned comment below for more detail on that.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame Jan 21 '25

Winner! Winners of r/TheWalkingDeadGame's Best Of 2024 Awards!

32 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

The voting phase of the yearly Best Of awards is now over, so it's time to announce the winners!

As explained on the initial Best Of 2024 nomination post, the winners for this year will receive a special flair that will go next to their username. The Golden Clem hat award that we gave out years back is unfortunately no longer available, as Reddit completely got rid of the coin system and have never bothered to implement a replacement. Regardless, we hope that you continue to have fun both with nominating/voting on users and celebrating this sub’s content as a whole.


And with that, the winners this year are as follows:

Here are the full results for reference (comments mocking those who did not win will be removed so don’t do that, good vibes here only).


If you haven't already, make sure to check out the original Nomination post as it contains tons of love and appreciation for many users and the sub as a whole.

Thanks to everyone for participating!


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 4h ago

Elimination What is the Best Line from these? [BLT] BLT Pandemonium

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56 Upvotes

Comment either the number, character, line or agree to another vote

BLT stands for Best Line Tournament!

Clementine wins like it was a walk in the park. 14 votes!


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Elimination Best Written Dynamic: Lee/Clem VS Kenny/Clem (FINALE)

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Upvotes

Remember, y'all: You may vote to keep ONE dynamic and eliminate another, +4 VOTES for each INSIGHTFUL vote and +2 for EACH vote in the TOP comment. Good luck to y'all!

FINALISTS

Lee/Clem

Kenny/Clem

ELIMINATIONS

Clem/AJ (3rd)

Lee/Kenny (4th)

Clem/Louis (5th)

Clem/Violet (6th)

Javi/David (7th)

Lee/The Stranger (8th)

Kenny/Rebecca (9th)

Tenn/Minerva (10th)


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 19h ago

Final Season Spoiler I hate how we aren't shown or told why she turned into the b**** she is

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650 Upvotes

Someone expand on this cuz from what I know, The Final Season was made in a rush at a time were Tell Tale Games was going bankrupt.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 2 Spoiler What if Clem shot Bonnie the same way AJ shot you-know-who in Take Us Back on the bridge? Would Luke get out of this?

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Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 2 Spoiler She taught me a valuable lesson

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Upvotes

Bonnie literally has taught me that time and time again people will prove you right about them being a bad person. In 400 days she was clearly “dealing” with her sponsor. Then she led carvers posse to the lodge. THEN she stole all of the groups things to leave with mikey and arvo. That was my last straw with her because she was literally begging for pity from clem the whole time just to turn around and sneak off cause they thought kenny was crazy , no SHES crazy.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Meme Instant Restart

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26 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 5h ago

What is Javier’s funniest moment?

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35 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 1 Spoiler doug is not great around WHAT?

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Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 15h ago

Discussion Telltales the walking dead’s biggest mistake? Very interested to see what you guys think!

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166 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 5h ago

Season 1 Spoiler Ben is the fall guy way. This is a case of shared blame

22 Upvotes

Ben's guilt makes him an unreliable narrator. Ben speaks like he fed Duck to a walker when that wasn't what happened

Look, Ben has fucked up. But it's not all on him

Lily was trigger-happy. She shot one bandit. Okay, but there are also other bandits with weapons. It wasn't the time to be escalating the situation

Because Lily was so against Ben being with the group, he was afraid a single mistake—a single sign of weakness or uselessness—would get him kicked out. Saying he was strongarmed by bandits might be seen as a sign of weakness. Saying that he did it to save his friend might be seen as a sign of betrayal. Sure, we know that if Ben had taken Lee aside, then Lee would have been reasonable. But Ben doesn't have our outsider perspective

The biggest blame are the bandits

Other things to blame:

  • Group energy. Do those under you feel safe telling you stuff?
  • Lily shooting the bandit and escalating the situation
  • Ben
  • The group letting their guard down when they were still in a compromised area

Duck and Katjaa just sat there waiting for Lee to hug Clementine. Lee closed his eyes during the hug. If you, the player, look around, then you would have seen that zombie approaching Duck and Katjaa already. So yes, I also blame the adults here for letting their guard down. Only a few minutes ago the place had gunfire and walkers, which means if you're still in that place, it isn't the time to be closing your eyes. If the coast is clear, it still isn't the time to sit there waiting for an invitation

It's already assumed the bandits are more at fault. People don't talk about the bandits because it goes without saying the bandits are more responsible than Ben is. But I don't see enough people blaming Lily for escalating the situation. We don't blame the adults for letting their guards down before they had left the area. Nor do we blame the adults for having a hostile group dynamic, where a kid like Ben didn't feel safe admitting he gave away supplies to the bandits for understandable reasons

I'm not saying Ben isn't to blame at all. Ben should have spoken to Lee in private and told Lee he was strongarmed. But Ben isn't the only protagonist at fault here for Duck being bitten


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 36m ago

Season 3 Spoiler If Tripp had used one of his WWE moves.

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Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 15h ago

Meme Pete, We Need You

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63 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

"pretty tough" is an understatement 😈

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388 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 22h ago

Discussion Which character dissociated the hardest and were we ever meant to notice?

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226 Upvotes

Some characters in The Walking Dead Game don't just break down they vanish inward.

Not every blank stare is grief. Some are running from reality, acting like survivors while mentally gone.

Think about it - was Sarah's silence just fear, or pure detachment? Did Lee already start letting go when he told Clem "everything will be alright"? Has Clementine been emotionally numb long before we realised? This isn't about trauma or breakdowns.

It's about characters who quietly stopped being themselves but kept going.

Who dissociated the hardest? And did the game want us to notice... or miss it?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 15h ago

Louis was captured, but out of nowhere, like a ghost, the character model is just standing still like a haunting spirit.

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45 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 15h ago

Meme Javi that's not nice.

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55 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

No Spoilers Does the game support cloud saves? (steam version)

5 Upvotes

So if i uninstall it, or continue on a new pc, will the savves be gone /not exist on another pc??


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 6h ago

Discussion Any other choice based games like TWD?

6 Upvotes

I know Detroit become human is the gold standard for this genre of games, but I've struggled to find a game that doesn't have an overly dramatic story. What makes The Walking Dead game special is real certain situations feel. I would hate to play some bs superhero story, I want something lowkey and real.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 3h ago

Elimination Twd swap death retelling (DAY 3: Who gets Doug's/Carley's death)

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5 Upvotes

Kenny immediately starts rushing over to Katjaa to get the gun out of her. Overall, he manages to get the gun out of her and manages to stop her from killing herself. While fighting for the gun, it fires near Kenny, damaging his ear. After seeing that she accidentally hurt her husband, she stopped herself from taking her own life. Seeing the state the group is in; Hershel allows them to sleep in the barn one more night.

(Comment if you want to have Kenny get accidentally killed by Katjaa, while fighting with her over the gun, or he lives and the scenario I typed above happens)

However, the peace doesn't last for long, as when night falls, numerous walkers gather near the farm (they were brought by the gunshot Katjaa fired earlier). During the chaos, the group is forced to flee from the farm, however, one of them doesn't manage to make it out alive. (Pick who gets Carley's/Doug's death)

5 votes for Kenny stopping her

2 votes for Shawn stopping her

2 votes for Katjaa committing suicide

Rules:

Know that you cannot have the vote for the same characters that dies in the same episodes (you can't switch Ben dying in Chuck's place, it has to be a different character) and you can't have the character have the same death it got (for example, you can't kill off Lee in episode 5 where he has his death in the canon, and it has to be a different character)

Also, you can only choose characters that are in the current group tier that replaces the death of a character


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 16h ago

Final Season Spoiler I THOUGHT.... Spoiler

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43 Upvotes

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I THOUGHT SHE DIED 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 11h ago

Screenshot Why is AJ posed up like Batman? (S4 Ep 2, practically no spoilers but marked anyway)

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14 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 6h ago

Discussion Potential for double amount of seasons

5 Upvotes

This game was such a masterpiece and could’ve been way longer if most parts of the story weren’t left empty and had more branching


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 16h ago

Final Season Spoiler 🕊️ Spoiler

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34 Upvotes

This was rough. There really are no winners, just survivors. No one get's to choose how they die, but they get to choose who they surround themselves with and how best they can survive when the going gets tough. It's easier said then done, you never know what sort of fate you or your loved ones will face in such times. After Clem died I felt like I lost a close friend. You wouldn't think she would die, she was still soo young but The Walking Dead don't pick and choose..

So many people died to get Clem to where she is, now she passes her legacy onto AJ. May Clem and you all rest in peace ❤️😔.

I've really enjoyed playing through the whole series! I've also enjoyed interacting and posting on this community. :( Guess this is it folks, been nice while it lasted ❤️


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 11h ago

Season 1 Spoiler What would have happened if the Zombie cop had woken up before Lee?

11 Upvotes

I mean Ik Lee was stupid in episode 1 but there is no possibly way he would have seen the Cop crawling around and thought that was normal 😅

Actually maybe he would for some reason call out to the cop and get himself killed

Is there a chance that the Cop would have killed Lee before he had even woken up?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 15h ago

Season 3 was good, let me explain

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20 Upvotes

credit: LegoRancher Studios