The Walking Dead: The Final Season

Lore & Background

The Walking Dead: The Final Season takes place some years after The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, set in West Virginia in the same continuity as the comic book series. The game follows Clementine, now an older teenager, as she raises Alvin Jr. (AJ), the son of Rebecca, in a world collapsed after a zombie outbreak. They join a group of troubled teenagers surviving out of their former boarding school, led by Marlon, and encounter a hostile group of raiders called the Delta, led by a figure from Clementine's past, Lilly.

The game represents the first major release by Telltale after a major restructuring, aimed to return to themes and elements from the first season. It was anticipated to be released over four episodes, with the first episode released in August 2018. However, due to the sudden closure of Telltale in the following month, the last two episodes were overseen by Skybound Entertainment, using as many of the former Telltale development team as possible, as Robert Kirkman felt it necessary to properly complete Clementine's story.

Gameplay follows the graphic adventure format, with the player controlling Clementine to examine items, initiate conversation trees, and react to quick time events. The Final Season introduces a collectible mechanic and more open-ended action sequences. Decisions can affect future episodes, and the game can use previous saved games from The Walking Dead or a web-based Story Builder tool to carry over choices.

Reader's Guide

The Walking Dead: The Final Season is notable as the concluding chapter for Clementine, a character central to the series since the first season. Its development was marked by Telltale's sudden closure in September 2018, after which Skybound Entertainment oversaw the completion of the final two episodes, ensuring the story was finished. The game was included in The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series, released on September 10, 2019, which featured graphical overhauls and a way to carry over choices. The Final Season's significance lies in its role as the final main installment of Telltale's series, returning to the themes of the first season and providing closure for Clementine's narrative arc, as intended by the developers and Kirkman.

Did You Know?

• The game consists of four episodes released between August 2018 and March 2019.
• The last two episodes were overseen by Skybound Entertainment after Telltale's sudden closure.
• The Final Season introduces a collectible mechanic where certain items can only be obtained based on player choices.
• Players can use a web-based Story Builder tool to create a cloud-based save if they have not played previous seasons.