Clementine (The Walking Dead)

Concept and creation

Clementine was "literally the first idea" for developing the game, according to creative lead Sean Vanaman, with her emotional climax at the finale of the fifth episode established before any other dialogue was written. The development team considered including a child in a dark storyline similar to elements from Robert Kirkman's comic but had difficulty selling the concept originally. They used Clementine as the "moral compass" for the main player character, establishing her as a "smart, honest, and capable girl" that would reflect on player choices. Telltale considered other backgrounds, such as her being from a single-parent family or the younger sister of the player character, but found the pre-established emotional bond did not fit well, instead making Lee Everett her father-figure. Clementine is Afro-Asian.

Her design was based on art director Derek Sakai's own daughter. Sakai described her as having "a crazy sense of fashion," selecting beloved clothing items to wear regularly, and she was given an iconic baseball hat serving as her connection to her parents. Sakai advised that Clementine would appear smarter if she said less while still pointing out character flaws. Much of the game focuses on changes to her appearance and personality as she adapts to the zombie-infested world; she starts in a clean white dress that becomes dirty and soiled, "reflecting her loss of innocence."

Melissa Hutchison, who had worked on other Telltale games, was selected as the voice. Prior auditions failed because children could not grasp the emotion and adults could not achieve the intended voice, leading Vanaman to feel they might have to remove Clementine from the game. Hutchison related to the character as her life mirrored Clementine's and easily fell into the role during auditions.

Appearances

Clementine is introduced when Lee Everett takes shelter in her suburban home in Georgia to find refuge from walkers. She is hiding alone in a tree house, as her parents had left for Savannah before the apocalypse. Lee offers to protect her, hoping to find her parents. They join a group of survivors including Kenny, his wife Katjaa, and his son Duck. After weeks struggling to survive, the group decides to head to Savannah, believing a boat could provide safety. As a player choice, Kenny and Lee are forced to euthanize Duck or leave him to re-animate after he is bitten, causing Katjaa to kill herself. Lee teaches Clementine survival skills such as using a gun and keeping her hair short. Near Savannah, an unknown man contacts Clementine via walkie-talkie, telling her to meet him at the hotel downtown where her parents would have been.

The survivors meet others in Savannah and find a boat, but Clementine and the boat go missing. Lee, bitten by a walker while searching for her, convinces the remaining survivors—including Kenny and friends Omid and Christa—to help locate her. Kenny is lost during a walker attack, and Lee becomes separated from Omid and Christa. Lee goes to the hotel and finds Clementine held hostage by an insane man who blames Lee for his family's death. They kill the man and escape. Lee covers them in walker guts to mask their scent; while walking through a horde, they find Clementine's parents, both turned. Lee passes out, and Clementine drags him into a shelter. Knowing he will turn, Lee gives her last advice and tells her to meet Omid and Christa, then asks her to kill him or leave him (a player choice). Clementine leaves the city safely, returns to Omid and Christa, and they journey across Georgia.

Reception

The character has been acclaimed by critics and fans. Many journalists consider Clementine an emotional centerpoint of The Walking Dead game, an accomplishment few other video game characters have made. Game Informer's Kimberley Wallace described Clementine as having "broken through the barrier [of the television screen], securing a place in the hearts of many." IGN's Colin Campbell said Clementine is designed to elicit "super-protective instincts" in the player, noting that without her, Lee is just some dude trying to stay alive, but she allows him to be sympathetic.

N.D. Mackay in The Herald described the relationship with Clementine as "the heart-breaking bedrock of the game." Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton wrote that Clementine is a well-done, real-feeling character, calling her "one of the most realistically drawn kids I've encountered in a video game in some time." GamesRadar's Hollander Cooper and Sterling McGarvey stated that the hopelessness of the world would be infectious if not for her constant optimism, giving something to fight for, and that her innocence keeps hope alive.

The Sunday Herald stated that "Clementine is the real emotional heart of this game." Polygon included her and Lee among the 70 best video game characters of the 2010s, with Colin Campbell writing that later seasons show her debt to Lee and the lessons she learned. Samuel James Riley of GamesRadar listed Clementine and Lee as the best video game duos, calling their story touching and ultimately tragic. Kevin Wong of Complex included her among the best supporting characters in video games, stating that "It's hard to think of a video game character that's made more grown men cry than Clementine."