Game – The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 3 What We Deserve
Release Date – April 26th, 2016
Platform – Xbox, PlayStation, PC, mobile
Developer/Publisher – Telltale Games
The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 3 What We Deserve is the perfect ending to Michonne’s story and culminates with what redemption really means once it seems the world has lost all hope. Locked in the mountain top home of Paige and her family, both Michonne and Pete must make decisions that will decide who lives, who dies and what the final result of their endeavors will be.
We pick up right where Episode 2 leaves off. Randall is captured and Norma wants him back. As she makes her way to retrieve her brother, Norma reveals a new piece of information that will drastically alter how Michonne, Pete and the rest of Sam’s family formulate their plan. A flashback scene at the beginning of the episode provides a look into just how quickly everything spiraled out of control for Michonne. It takes place two weeks before the story begins, and provides a glimpse into the commaraderie she is beginning to feel with Pete’s crew. This scene isn’t necessary at all to the plot of the story, but it does help to influence the decisions you make later on in the game.
As noted in our previous reviews of both Episode 1 and 2, The Walking Dead: Michonne is a new take for Telltale. Being only a three episode mini-series, both action and emotion figured to be more intense than previous games. Episode 1 In Too Deep focused more on emotion and the turmoil that Michonne was experiencing. Episode 2 Give No Shelter expanded on this emotional stress and the potential tragedy of her children, and compounded it by adding  intense action sequences. The lines between perception and reality blurred for Michonne as it becomes increasingly difficult for her to go on. In Episode 3 What We Deserve, Michonne becomes face to face with her struggles. Her decisions are made not simply out of her desire to help Sam and her family, but also out of personal redemption. It’s a fascinating blend of both emotion and action that tie all of your previous decisions together.
This redemption is increased exponentially as we learn the true happenings behind Michonne and her daughters. Not only do we find out what happened to them, but we learn  that Michonne knew the entire time as well. The flashbacks and hallucinations she experienced are not Michonne trying to figure out what happened, but rather struggling with personal acceptance. Surprisingly, there are no cliff hangers at the end of Episode 3 What We Deserve. Each and every surviving character is accounted for. What that future holds, however, is all dependent upon a single decision Michonne makes. Do you give in or do you persevere? Do you accept or deny? Do you show strength or weakness? Which ever answer you choose, you will have an answer to all of these questions.
Often times in mini-series’, we are left with the classic “What if?” response. We wonder what happens to certain characters and where they are going to go from here. Telltale made sure to dot all their i’s and cross all of their t’s. Not only does it nicely wrap up Michonne’s story as well as her personal struggle, but it provides a seamless transition into her return to Rick and the rest of the crew without messing up the story. Emotion is key in The Walking Dead: Michonne and no where is that more evident than on the face of Michonne herself. Somehow, someway Tellale was able to portray both the emotional and psychological struggle that Michonne was experiencing. It was pulled off flawlessly and truly makes the player focus on one’s in game decisions.
Telltale has made many games. Some focus on large, arching story lines like Game of Thrones. Others provide only glimpses into side characters while placing emphasis on the main character like A Wolf Among Us. The Walking Dead: Michonne and its organization makes it the best and most complete Telltale game to date by far. Every character in the game has a backstory that is explained in detail without taking away from the story despite it being only three episodes long. It is this encompassing level of detail that makes The Walking Dead: Michonne mini-series a must play experience and the best Telltale game to date.
- Audio:Â As the first two episodes, standard for Telltale and don’t impact the game that much
- Graphics:Â Rather remarkable. Somehow, Telltale was able to portray both emotional and psychological distress that a cartoon character was going through. Michonne and her struggles and front and center the entire episode
- Gameplay:Â The first two chapters are mainly scenes with a few choices. After that, Michonne is full throttle and pedal to the medal on emotion and action. Overall the most complete and best Telltale game to date.
[rwp-review id=”0″]
