The Walking Dead: A New Frontier Review (PS4)

Two hits were big by the time The Walking Dead: A New Frontier came out at the end of 2016. You have template that the second game followed. Here, it gets a different take on the apocalypse and breathes in some needed fresh air to keep from getting monotonous a third time around. Not as good as the other two, but still a great effort altogether.

We get a new family in the form of the Garcia family. Leading the way is Javier, who has been protecting family on the road for four years. A bad encounter while on a supply run leads him to many situations and he must do what he can to protect the ones he loves. I like the angle as it gives you different perspective. Nice touches include showcasing the past of the family. The heroine of the series, Clementine, works together in the story and you see what she has encountered since Season Two. Put in a few surprises and the story works much better than you think.

Gameplay wise, it's more linear than the last game. You're still making choices with the time limit. Not much exploration, not many puzzles. Hell, not much exploration, though you'll have a couple moments with it. A lot of quick time events. Tons more action and focus on humans quite a bit and how things can spiral out of control. Javi controls very well. He runs, interacts, and talks. No different than the other games.

Graphically, it's an improvement. Better character modeling with a more polished look to them. Cleaner textures in some spots and better backgrounds to go with the usual animation that is smooth. That gritty comic book style and art direction continues to be fantastic. The same can be said for the audio. Strong voice work for the characters. Music that settles the calm when things are fine and frantic when the action gets intense. It all clicks together.

The difficulty is still on the easy side. As before, my complaints are the time limit in choices and a couple quick time events. My preference would have been more similar to the second game, but New Frontier is still a must play. Going a different route isn't a bad thing.

Score: 8 out of 10