Review: The Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 2 - "A House Divided"

I can still feel my heart pounding from this episode. Wow. The latest episode in Telltale's The Walking Dead series has finally released and it was worth the wait. “All That Remains” had improved upon the UI and adventure game elements of the previous season, but was poorly executed and failed to provide a satisfying introduction to the new season. I am happy to report that “A House Divided” has greatly improved upon the previous episode and fixed many of their mistakes. This finally feels like the The Walking Dead we fell in love with back in 2012.

“A House Divided” starts up immediately where “All That Remains” left off. Clementine is forced to face the choices previously made all while continuing to gain the trust of this new group of survivors. Unlike the first episode, Episode 2 spends more time focused on Clementine's interaction with the survivors as she learns more about their situation and Clem references her own experiences from Season 1. This is, largely, what was missing from Episode 1. There needed to be more time to develop these new characters and Telltale finally delivers.

In keeping more in touch with the comics and TV show, “A House Divided” introduces an antagonist to the series. Telltale has never truly explored the possibility of an opposition outside of the walkers, but it is handled incredibly well. This new character fits so well into the setting it's as if they jumped straight out of the page's from Robert Kirkman's graphic novel. Telltale also ensures this antagonist has a constant presence felt throughout the episode. Even during moments of relaxation all of the characters seem under constant stress; always thinking about this new opposing force.

Despite what the new direction Telltale is taking may imply, this is not an action-packed episode. “A House Divided” wisely slows down the pace a bit to allow these characters to flourish and, finally, become distinct. That's not to say this episode ever allows for the player to drop their guard. Episode 2 constantly bombards the player with new information that creates this constant tension throughout. Quite possibly the greatest moment comes from a choice that doesn't even have that panic-inducing timer attached. It's a decision that is so deceptively simple and subtle that I would dare call it ingenious. I stared at my screen for 20 minutes before finally advancing and I still thought it was the “wrong” choice. That is the sign of a good narrative decision.

This episode is still not quite as long as I would have liked, coming in at about two hours in length. I am ecstatic that it's not as short as Episode 1, but even just an extra 30 minutes would have made this episode near perfect. A couple of the more emotional moments do suffer as they just come and go too quickly for any real impact. With that said, however, “A House Divided” is still a large improvement over “All That Remains” in just about every aspect. The focus on character development, plot twists, and constant tension all make this a brilliant addition to Telltale's series. If Telltale can continue like this, then Season 2 could shape up to be even better than Season 1.

Final Score: 9/10