The Walking Dead season 1 was something special. A true masterpiece in storytelling and character development. It was a true 10/10, and the finale made me feel a sadness I've never before felt in a video game. So how does season two stack up in comparison?
In season one we played as Lee, doing our best to protect precious little Clementine. In the second season we play Clementine herself. The difference is that we are met with an older, more mature and independent Clementine. This season really cements her as a true protagonist, and a damn good one at that.
One of the biggest drawbacks in my opinion when it comes to the second season is that the majority of characters we meet feel like completely dead weight, unable to perform even the simplest of tasks. It seems ridiculous that a bunch of adults put all the responsibility on an 11 year old girl, but game has to game I guess. Not all characters fall into this catagory though. In fact, the second season hosts a multitude of amazing characters, that you will either end up loving or hating depending on how you play. In my opinion season two gives us THE most complex character in the entire universe, and I'm not talking about Clementine. It also has arguably the greatest villain in the entire Walking Dead universe.
The early part revolves around getting to know new characters, and being introduced to old ones as well. The later half of the game focuses on a sort of rivalry between different characters, and you as the player has to choose which side you are on. The ending (depending on how you play it) is again very emotional, and though it's hard to replicate the impact of the first seasons ending, in my opinion it got pretty close. I won't tell you which ending I got, but I will say that it involved a hard to swallow good bye that was absolutely excellent.
Season one introduced us to a young girl, that we would die to protect. Season two gave us a development in Clementine that is hard to accomplish. She is still a young little girl, but a fierce survivor that beyond all else tries to navigate the moral dilemmas she is faced with. It's hard to create a character that the player really connects with, but TellTale has gone beyond that with Clementine. I felt a responsibility and admiration I've never felt for a character in a video game ever. In my book Clementine is the greatest video game heroine of all time, and season two is pretty damn close to the masterpiece that was season one.
