Read our The Walking Dead No Time Left Episode 5 Review to understand why you should get this episode!
Telltale surprised me and I think everybody with their take on The Walking Dead universe. What they crafted, the experience they delivered is like nothing we've ever seen. The first three episodes were amazing. The setting, the story, the character development, all was delivered in a phenomenal way. The fourth one continued this trend and made the wait for the fifth and final episode unbearable. Finally the final episode is here and it is outstanding.
Episode five picks up immediately were the fourth left. Lee has been bitten, Clementine has been taken from a creepy dude and the world... The title of the episode "No Time Left" says it all. This is Lee's final struggle to find and save his beloved Clementine. He is turning slowly and the sacrifices he has to make in order to save Clem are bigger than ever. The relation between Lee and Clementine grew bigger and bigger with each episode and here it reaches its apex. Lee knows that he cannot be saved, he is going to die so the conversation with Clem is very direct, no more sugarcoating like before. Everything must come to a closure and this is done perfectly.
The choice mechanic here changes. Now the choices become yes or no, right or left, there is no middle way like in the past. I will not spoil anything, you better experience it yourself and then go and cry in a corner. Yes this episode will do that to you. The final part is one of the most powerful and emotionally charged moment in all gaming history!
Depending on how you played, what choices you made in the past episodes, your experience may vary. During the past episodes for every choice you made a message appeared on the top left of the screen " He or she will remember that". Well the other characters who are still with you, will react differently to you. They might or not help you, they might or not follow you, they might or not trust you. The choices you've made come to "haunt" you. The interaction with the other characters and the dialogue will play differently. This is your story, you "created" it! In the end choice really mattered.
The sense of exploration that the past episodes had, here it is very small nearly nonexistent. This was clearly a design choice from Telltale to emphasize on what was more important here, there's no time left. Puzzles are easy enough and they don't pull you out of the experience, instead they reel you in. Apart from the puzzles, there are also some action sequences. but particularly one of them is outstanding. What a man can do when he cares about a person... I have goosebumps when I think of that moment. Kudos to the guys at Telltale for delivering one of the most amazing action sequences ever!
Visually the game retains the cell shaded graphic novel look. This style helps a lot on delivering the gruesome moments of this episode. The voice-work is fantastic. The sounds and especially the use of music is done greatly here. Different tones are used for different moments and the end results are better than ever.
This episode concludes everything and it does it with a perfection I have never seen in a videogame. The emotions that this episode deliver are very strong. I can't find a word to describe the final moments. Everyone should get this, fan or not fan of the series, hardcore gamer or a casual one. Stop playing that dumb FPS everyone is talking about and start playing a true game, this masterpiece. Thank you Telltale Games for delivering us this gem and start making a place for all the incoming awards! You can download it right now for PC, iOS and consoles or you can wait for the [retail version.
10/10-Editor Choice
