The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 2: Ties That Bind Part II (PC) Review

One of Episode 2's biggest problems is that it's simultaneously the second episode in a season, and the second half of Episode 1. Much like that, Part II opens with a flashback to Javi's family life pre-outbreak. It's a short, simple scene with minimal impact, but the moment of brevity after the hectic ending just gone is much appreciated. Unfortunately, the opening flashback ends up being the only scene that's actually benefited by the episode split. If the two were released as one, the opening to Part II would feel completely out of place and forced in, but every other scene would have flowed in and out of each other quite naturally. The story doesn't jump ahead in time, and the episode remains wholly consistent with the themes laid out already.

Lengthwise, the two collectively only make up about two and a half hours of content, give or take - around the same game time that previous episodes of The Walking Dead clocked out at. What's all the more disappointing is that Episode 2 is a noticeable improvement and fixes everything that went wrong with Javi and Clem in the first section. Javier gets the development he needed to stand out as his own defined character, and Clem's presence as an outside force feels genuinely justified. It's great that Part II swiftly turns Part I's problems around, but if they had just been combined into one episode there would be no problems to speak of.

Ties That Bind Part II, while an improvement in many ways, isn't entirely without fault outside of the episode split. Telltale once again brings in pre-established characters from the canon - a problem that plagued Telltale's take on Game of Thrones - this time in the form of Paul Monroe, also known as Jesus. Brandon Keener does a great job as Jesus, bringing plenty of life to the role, and he's written generally consistent with his comic portrayal, but his mere presence brings any and all tension to a screeching halt. It's clear at this point that Telltale's interpretation of The Walking Dead takes place in its own continuity, but it clearly has no desire to contradict any of the comic's canon if it can avoid it. The problem isn't nearly as prevalent as it was in Game of Thrones since Jesus, admittedly, doesn't play an enormous part in the episode, but he's still present enough where it does remain a problem.

A New Frontier, so far, has been strange in terms of quality. Episode 1s problems were so quickly squashed in Episode 2, but the split feels nothing more than a way to milk five episodes out of a story that must not allow for five full episodes. By separating what is effectively the opening of the season in two, players are left with two rocky halves instead of one solid, if still problematic, whole.