I’ve been a big fan of Telltale Games for a very long time. From their revival of Sam and Max to their wonderful take on Borderlands, they almost single-handedly brought back the “point and click” genre, albeit with a new twist.

A few years ago, when they began their journey into the world of The Walking Dead, I was a bit nervous. How would the world that writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore created translate onto the interactive, small-screen?

As it turns out, extremely well. That first season of The Walking Dead hit me in the feels like no other game had before; from cringing when having to sew up a cut, to feeling the heartbreak of a making a tough decision, and even to crying when a major death occurred. Yes, I am man enough to admit that it made me cry like a little girl. It was an emotional game, and it paid off in spades. The second season was almost as good, falling just short of the original, but still pretty fantastic.

So when Telltale announced they would be doing a short, 3 episode series on everyone’s favorite sword-wielding badass, Michonne, of course I was excited. Now, you have to remember that the game is set in the world of the comics, not the television show, so things here are slightly different. We know a little bit about Michonne’s past in the comics, but not a whole heck of a lot. Diving into it, and seeing who she was before she joined the series, was a great period of time to focus on.

While Michonne herself is an incredibly strong character, and totally carries the entire episode, I finished this first part feeling a little unfulfilled. The plot isn’t as complex as previous games, often times bordering on a bit cartoon-y, but the well-paced, tense moments sprinkled throughout make up for it.

The game opens with a look at trauma from Michonne’s past, one that she is running from, and trying to forget by slicing and dicing walkers. This keeps her distracted and focused on the task at hand, but not entirely a good way to heal.

These ghosts from her past haunt her quite literally; while others cannot see them, Michonne’s visions tend to led to violent outbursts. These flashbacks are tastefully done, and while one or two seemed a bit silly, for the most part, they nail some sort of emotional impact. Her struggle is much different than others we’ve seen in The Walking Dead games before, so her on it is a refreshing look at a world we’ve seen many times before.

However, some of the story points seem redundant to thing’s the series has done in the past; a makeshift settlement with leaders who aren’t up to snuff, and psychologically messed up survivors. We’ve seen it before, and quite frankly, we’ve seen it better.

That said, the things that work well work very well. I’ve never hated Telltale’s quick time events like over gamers have, and it seems to be taken up a notch in the sequence when Michonne is bouncing back and forth between fighting walkers in the present and events from her past. Exploration is fun, too, and at times, suspenseful.

Overall, even a slightly uneven game is a solid entry into Telltale’s The Walking Dead franchise. If you’re a fan of the first two seasons of the game, or even if you’ve never given it a shot before, this is the perfect entry point.

You can find out more about the game, and how to purchase it, by visiting Telltale’s website.

Thanks to Telltalle for providing a review copy!