Telltale Games' adaptation of The Walking Dead returns Dec. 20 titled not as "Season 3," but A New Frontier. A two-part episode will be available at launch, reintroducing players to Clementine, and pairing her with a new protagonist, Javier.
Clementine is one of the all-time great slow-burn video game heroes, emerging from the frightened grade-schooler for whom you put your life on the line in Season One, through an expedited adolescence where she accepts very hard lessons about people in Season Two. Now, as a teenager, she's acting first, and no longer being acted upon by this cruel world. Zombie stories are best when people realize the will to live and fight for it, and that is the truth of Clementine’s character.
Javier is her companion and another playable character, the first time a player may direct two in this franchise. Javier is, like Clementine three years ago, searching for his family. Teaser copy suggests he and Clementine have more in common than they may think.
If the trailer looks sharper or more lucid, that's probably the new engine that Telltale rolled out in its Batman series, which wraps up on Tuesday. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier launches on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS and Android. A retail release is coming Feb. 7 that entitles the buyer to all episodes of this season.
