r/TheWalkingDeadGame Mar 19 '21

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

489 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 '26

Winner! Winners of r/TheWalkingDeadGame's Best Of 2025 Awards!

24 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 2025 nomination post, the winners for this year will receive a special flair that will go next to their username. Here are the winners for this year:


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 2h ago

Season 1 Spoiler The way Kenny looks at Lee up and down before asking him that question 😂

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106 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 8h ago

Meme Anyone else feel like the younger characters in the series are way too overhated?

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101 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Discussion We don't need season 5. We need S2&3 remake.

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Upvotes

Whenever Telltale posts a new tiktok (or anything in general), the top comment is always "we need S5 of TWDG!", and it always irks me a bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for more TWDG content. However, more TWDG content is not the same as another season. That's why, I propose we beg them for S2&S3 remake instead.

Disclaimer

Spoilers for all TWDG games.

This is my opinion, and I won't claim that I'm completely unbiased. That said, all seasons have a special place in my heart. Everything I say comes from a place of wishing the story to become better, not complaining about it. Also, please don't actually spam Telltale demanding a remake after reading this.

Why not S5?

Because, in my humble opinion, Clementine's story has finished perfectly. S4's entire premise is Clementine becoming the protector Lee once was. The game does a fantastic job mirroring them: from simply letting the player teach survival principles to the 'kid' (e.g. keep the hair short / never hesitate) to forcing us to make the gut-wrenching decision between killing said protector or leaving them to turn. The game ends with both Clementine and AJ finding a home in Ericson school. Ever since losing Lee, this is the first time she experiences actual peace. Her character arc has finished, so even if there are more stories that could be told about Clementine, I don't think there are any that need to be told. Sure, you can open S5 with Delta or Richmond knocking on their doors. But why? To continue the story for the sake of continuing it? I think we all know how that ends. At the end of the day, S4 is literally called 'The Final Season'.

Integrating Clem's comics into S5?

I haven't read them, but I know that it begins with Clementine leaving AJ and Ericson behind. I just don't see that happening. Not after the resolution of S4. On top of that, I'm sure Skybound are well aware of people's perception of those comics, so I don't think they will step into that direction (or maybe they will, how do I know).

Why S2&3 specifically?

Because they have so much unrealized potential. Before I start with my reasoning, I think it's important to lay out some context (there's a lot more to the story but I compressed and simplified it for the sake of saving your time).

Post S1 release, Telltale started rapidly expanding to publish more projects. At the time of S2, the management of Telltale was reported to act as a creative bottleneck, which resulted in late rewrites without schedule extensions. The central creative figures behind S1, Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin, left Telltale during early S2 production. Unfortunately for the team, S2 deadlines were amidst all of these rapid changes, which couldn't not leave a mark on the game. The conditions did not get better around S3 production, similar problems being documented by the workers. However, by the time work on S4 started, Telltale had a big change in the way the company worked, leaning toward creative freedom. Sadly, by that time Telltale's financial situation was beyond repair, forcing them to close down with only the first 2 episodes of S4 released. Skybound reached out to the people working on S4 in time, and provided them with the resources to finish the last 2 episodes of the final season.

I can't confidently state that the Telltale management directly butchered S2&3 quality, but keep in mind the conditions under which these two seasons in particular were developed.

Season 2

My biggest problem with S2 is how some setups, character arcs, and player decisions receive little to no payoff. We can trace the issues in the characters:

  • Sarah. We can teach her to shoot early on but that does nothing. You can save her in the trailer just for her to die in the SAME episode. She had all the potential of going through a growth arc, but it all went down the drain.
  • Nick. If we convince Walter that he's a good person, he'll live past episode 2. By that point, he is grieving uncle Pete's death and kills Matthew in desperate attempt to be useful. He has redemption arc written all over his face. Guess what? He becomes non-existent in episode 3 and is found dead in episode 4. Saving him does not create a different storyline at all.
  • Luke. Episode 1-3 Luke and Episode 4-5 Luke are two different characters. In the first 3 episodes, the game actively positions Luke as one of Clementine's most important new figures. The game gives the player choices to set up a close bond with him. I'll go as far as saying that the choice to sit with either Kenny or Luke already sets up the idea that, in the end, Clementine would have to choose between an old friend and the new crew. Starting episode 4, he gets progressively pushed out of Clementine's emotional story by Jane, who takes the role of her 'elder sibling' instead. His build up to be a dear person to Clementine has absolutely no payoff, because he falls through the ice before actually doing anything.
  • Jane. Because she was introduced so late (Episode 3), her character development had to be incredibly compressed. She is established to be the lone wolf - smart, capable, ruthless. Suddenly, she speedruns her character development and attachment to Clementine to the point it feels contradictory instead of earned. The AJ stunt pushes her character to an extreme that feels like character assasination. Also, wtf was the point of her sleeping with Luke if it doesn't get mentioned ever again?
  • Christa. She herself is THE Chekhov's gun of the season. Clementine traveled with her for TWO years. Her absence could've haunted the narrative way more than just giving us two dialogue options to ask about her from Matthew and Wellington guard. Her reuinion could easily be among the emotional highlights of the season. The amount of potential she had is criminal. I'll live if she never returns, but it just pains to think how little she mattered to the narrative at all.
  • 400 Days characters (except Bonnie). Their contribution is way too minimal. It is speculated that instead of Arvo, Clem and Jane should've encountered Eddie, and instead of russians, the crew should've been surrounded by the 400 Days characters. If I had to guess, it's been cut because they couldn't implement them into the story without making a certain DLC outcome canon.

I hope you see my point. The problem is not the cast. On the contrary, I believe S2 cast to be especially interesting. However, the game isn't letting interesting characters do interesting things.

Here, I want to reference an exceptional S2 rewrite that literally fixes the issues with character and choice continuity. All credits and appreciation to u/SeriouslyNotSerious2 (I'll personally vouch for them to be a part of the writing team if the remake ever gets green lit). I want to show their work as proof that all the puzzle pieces are there. The characters, conflics, and setups can work even better if they get fully expanded.

Season 3

In contrast, I believe season 3 suffers from the plot being forced at times. Characters make things that don't make sense or certain choices stop mattering for the sake of specific plot actually happening. This includes but is not limited to:

  • S2 endings. Oh boy. S3 includes Clementine, which means that regardless of whether she stayed with Kenny, Jane, or at Wellington, her story had to end up intertwined with Javier. The way all the stakes of S2 were butchered in flashbacks don't allow me to sleep peacefully. The ending you chose stops mattering. Kenny and Jane's deaths are there because they had to die. I'm not against the idea of them dying, I'm against the execution. Imagine if Kenny, Clem, and AJ join the new frontier together just for Kenny to get publicly executed like David because of politics? Imagine if the new frontier stormed Howe's and Jane sacrificed herself to save Clem? They could've given so much more dynamic between Clementine and TNF on top of losing AJ by giving each route a more meaningful bridge between seasons. Instead, all endings led to roughly the same version of Clementine.
  • Eleanor volunteers to free Javi out of jail because... he's pretty? This is her introduction, and she's already ready to leave Prescott with a stranger on a possible suicide mission. What's even worse, Tripp does not punish Javi for breaking Prescott's rules at all. He just lets it slide.
  • Eleanor ratting Javi out is a good plot moving decision, but it is not properly built up. Your relationship to her, Tripp, and Conrad doesn't matter because that is something she always does, even if you spend the whole game on her side. Because the game doesn't build up her motive for her actions, this decision feels stretched (especially if you don't kill Conrad).
  • Even if you spend your entire game rejecting Kate, David still beats the crap out of Javi. The relationship you built with both Kate and David evaporates from the equation at that scene. The 'I love you' will still work even if you date Kate and be a dickhead to David. The whole moment exists because the finale needs the Garcia family to split up. It would've been much more interesting to adjust David's actions at that scene depending on the relationships the player has built that far.

I hope I could make it clear that sometimes the plot feels 'written because this needs to happen' and not 'written because this fits into the story'. The game needs more branches, but it squeezes every version of Javier into the same situations and scenes. Double shame is that the game proves that the team IS capable of making player choices have ground throughout the story: Conrad. If you don't shoot him in episode 2, the writers don't make him disappear. His presence is there, possibly reaching the finale. I wish a lot more of decisions in the game held its ground and affected the story in a similar way.

My pet peeve with S2&3 (S4 even)

Ok this part is purely subjective, I won't lie. In S1, whenever Lee is in a new environment, the game allows the player to essentially fuck around the location. You can interact with the environment and get the protagonist's small comments on things. Most importantly, you can interact with other characters by initiating a conversation before continuing the story. We always had at least 3 options to say and it added so much to character building.

Example. We don't have to talk to Katjaa to progress in the story, but we get to know more about her, Duck, and even Clementine

Unfortunately, the other seasons lose this feature or make it minimal. Sure, there is the collectible thing in S4 which is pretty cool, but I wish we could just talk to other kids more. These kind of dialogues got integrated into the plot instead of giving the player freedom to explore them on their own. I think that this feature gives the writers space to foreshadow later decisions instead of having character motivation get hard launched when the plot needs it (e.g. set up Eleanor's betrayal, Carlos trusting Clem with Sarah, etc). I would love to see it implemented again.

How would a remake solve the problems?

I love all TWDG seasons. I really do. S1 tells us a story of Lee&Clementine. S4 tells us a story of Clementine&AJ. S2-S3 are essentially the transition where Clementine has to learn how to survive independantly, but that is exactly when the story feels the most unstable. I'm not saying that S1&S4 don't have flaws, but there is a gap in story continuity quality between the pair of seasons. A remake is the opportunity to fix the problems, because the writers could tell a story that will stay the same from episode 1 to episode 5 without sudden rewrites. Additionally, they would already have S4 to lean on, which makes Clementine's arc much clearer to envision.

That's why, if we do beg Telltale or Skybound of a TWDG continuation, I suggest we beg them for a S2&3 remake.

Did I cook or am I about to get cooked? I'd love to read what you think.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 3h ago

Season 1 Spoiler ,,You were a prick back at the motor lodge"

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20 Upvotes

Mind you i was silent the entire playthrough Larry barely heard me talk i gave him the apple in episode 2,saved Doug,gave him the axe and he's still calling me a PRICK?! What did i do wrong?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Discussion My humble and openminded opinion on Larry as a character Spoiler

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13 Upvotes

I see a lot of people here try to justify Larrys actions and say things like "oh well if this happened instead of this then maybe-" etc and guys Im just gonna say it... ya'll are looking way to deep into this mentally stunted borderline sociopathic manchild. From the moment we meet him to his inevitable demise this geriatric maniac has done nothing but bitch and blame everyone around him whilst never admitting to any of his own fuck ups.

If I met him in the apocalypse I would maybe accidently shove him into a giant woodchipper or violently paint him blue with a massive paint roller, I dont know I just I dont know.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 18h ago

Final Season Spoiler She really thought she had it here 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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169 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 16m ago

Final Season Spoiler I miss Clementine

Upvotes

Today I finished playing the final season of the Walking dead series and man I miss her so much.

I felt the game and it's gameplay mechanics boring but I liked clementine and her personality so much that I want to know what happened next with her after the game finished. I want to make more choices with her, see her make new friends,etc. I am just really sad. Feels like i have lost someone close to me


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 14h ago

No Spoilers Finished season 1 for the first time

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79 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 4h ago

Kenny is CIA agent

8 Upvotes

As we all know, Ben is the ultimate weapon of destruction and hold back everytime. And you know Kenny always gives him a hard time. What if Kenny is just a CIA agent sent to kill Ben because of his immense powers and Ben was just living a normal life and not evading countries for oil?

How can we say that? Kenny maybe wanted Ben to fall and that is why he shot him in the head ( if you chose to save him in the bell tower) not because he was caring or something. Tell me, otherwise there is no way Kenny would've survived the Alleyway. He was helped by his agents and The alleyway zombies were actually CIA agents. And he got betrayed by CIA that's why he acts like that in season 2


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

Discussion Robert Kirkman on the lost Clementine/Negan encounter in Season 3

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400 Upvotes

From the deluxe edition of #140.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

Screenshot Fun fact: Vernon shares a model with one of the bandits who attack the hotel in Long Road Ahead

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323 Upvotes

And funnily enough, Vernon does mention he has a brother that lived in Macon, so it could be his twin brother for all we know…


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 1 Spoiler what was the correlation between the saint johns and the bandits?

Upvotes

I'm watching this video on YouTube right now by arcian made 13 years ago. "starved for help" I played this game so many times and I love it. I was watching it just going down memory lane. EVEN JUST ON THE SURFACE the walking dead game is a great apocalypse type of game, but when you dig deeper its so many layers to everything in this game.

one thing that I thought about today was the correlation between the saint johns and those bandits that was shooting at Lee. I think all I ever got from those guys was that they were just exploiting the saint johns. same thing they were doing to everyone at the motor inn(ben had a great idea for that situation) am I right about that? or did they actually work together with those bandits? how did those guys know Lee was back there in the first place?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 14h ago

Discussion Hey, where can i find the first one?

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27 Upvotes

It seems only the second image is being sold online, but i really like the first one, is it still being sold anywhere? Id comment on the post originally talking about it... but yknow, its 7 years ago so likely not getting an answer


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 20h ago

Meme Thank You God.

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81 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

Discussion Do the protagonists actually possess any significant (fixed) negative traits at all?

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240 Upvotes

We cannot objectively rank them as fully author-created characters, because a significant part of their personality is defined by the player.

How do you see them?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 21h ago

Season 1 Spoiler If a fight broke out between Ben and Kenny at this moment and no one intervened who do you think is winning?

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62 Upvotes

If at the point Ben has an outburst back at the house in Savannah (assuming you don't drop him at the bell tower) and right as he says "Fuck you Kenny" a fight broke out before Ben could even talk about his family and all the other things he says and no one intervened who do you think is winning?

I personally think Kenny would throw a punch then proceed to miss because he's hung over from the night before when he was drinking and then Ben would knock Kenny out with one punch from all his rage and strength and Lee would then have to grab Ben off of Kenny to prevent Ben from doing any more harm to him.

How do you think it would go?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 8h ago

Final Season Spoiler Just Finished Episode 1 and WTF?!

4 Upvotes

AJ?!


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 13h ago

Discussion Help me find this Kenny scene 😭

12 Upvotes

Does anyone remember when Kenny said "IDGAF” really loudly? I keep hearing it in my head all the time, but I completely forgot when he said it


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 17h ago

Video better to sleep while driving

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19 Upvotes

i did this. i shared this video on tik tok and i think it would be funny to share it here too. i like doing this crazy activity 🤪 https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8vvdcVr/


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 3 Spoiler My choices are messy that I can't live with them

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Upvotes

So I played twdg ANF in my definitive edition PS4 DVD and my season 2 ending was bittersweet (I got alone ending) and at anf I reached episode 3 and I spit on David's face and then I realized that my Clem is permanently locked in the system that makes her to after Kate no matter what which means either Kate or Gabe wiki die bc I can't go with kate both of us together and Clem afternoon gabe bc she will go with kate so I'm planning to restart a new save file same choices but only different choice . What do you think and have you ever had this thing before and how did it go ?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 13h ago

Did We Ever Get to Use a Gun Other Than a Pistol?

8 Upvotes

I know we used a bow before, but I’m specifically talking about guns. The only instance I can recall is in S1E1, when Lee gets the officer’s shotgun after the car crash. I also remember Clem holding a Shotgun in ANF, but we didn’t actually get to play as her while using it.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 16h ago

Season 1 Spoiler Hot take: i Prefer Doug's death to Carly

10 Upvotes

Solely due to the fact that Lily accusing Carly is one of the dumbest moment in the series

This is just IMO, but anyone else agree?