The Walking Dead: Michonne – Episode 3: What We Deserve (PS4) Review

All’s well that ends well.

The third and final episode of The Walking Dead spinoff has arrived, and in a fairly timely fashion. Whereas with some episodic games before coming at a zombie crawl pace, this miniseries released fairly quickly, which is good as it helps keep the game fresh in players’ memories. An enjoyable title for sure, and a unique idea for a spin off, but was it ultimately worth it?

As in the previous Walking Dead games in the franchise, we see our main character, Michonne, continuing her journey against a rival group. The tables have sort of turned depending on what choices players make leading up to this, and it leads to a rather nerve wrecking finale. Not so much in the fact that what happens is shocking, but knowing what choices will lead to what outcomes (even if ultimately there is little variation) gives the feeling of being on the edge of players seats.

michonne3_02

MSRP: $14.99 (for entire series)
Price I’d Pay: $14.99
Multiplayer: N/A
How long to beat: 1.5 hours

The build up to this moment is rather slow though. Episode 2 had a heavy dose of traveling, action, and constant progression in its pacing. Here we have a slower and more subdued pace from the start, and this doesn’t really pick up till right towards the end when the confrontation occurs. I’m all for games that do narrative, emotional story beats and punch, but I’d be lying if I said it all felt anything more than a little empty here. Partly due to the fact that anyone familiar with the series knows Michonne won’t die. It definitely takes away some of the tension and mystery of this journey. The other characters do draw the player into their plight, but it’s almost as if we’re just getting a glimpse of something we’ll never see the results of. We know the main character is going to live, we know the results of their actions will be felt within the confines of the story, but what else is there? Not much.

It might sound like I’m being overly negative for the franchise, I’d have to say even with these problems, this miniseries was still a lot of fun and worth checking out, if players find themselves either huge Walking Dead fans or into the genre. The ideas behind this third Walking Dead game seem to be stretching thin though, as with each one there seems to be an emotional pack or punch lacking from each new release. A shame as the first game was a knock out success and gut punch to emotions. Maybe we’re just used to it by now? Either way, something has to change, even if slightly, to keep this franchise staying fresh, otherwise the potential to run this series into the ground is very possible. With somber filled emotions, a surprise or two, and some intense action moments, I’d absolutely recommend it to franchise fans. Just don’t expect it to totally blow you away in the process.

Favorite moment: The standoff was both intense and had me doubting which angle to play with the confrontation. It was nail biting and stress inducing at its finest.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Intense conflict moment
  • Action sequences still interesting
Bad
  • Weird stutter effect at brief moments
  • Still extremely short
7
Good
Written by
Justin is a long time passionate fan of games, not gaming drama. He loves anything horror related, archaeology inspired adventures, RPG goodness, Dr Pepper, and of course his family. When it comes to crunch time, he is a beast, yet rabies free we promise.