The Walking Dead: A New Frontier: Episode 3 - Above the Law
Score: 85% Publisher: Telltale Games Developer: Telltale Games Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure/Action/Survival Horror
Previously on The Walking Dead: A New Frontier: A New Frontier’s first two episodes were released at the same time and it was our first glimpse into what has happened to fan favorite, Clementine, a character from the first two installments of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead franchise. Clem was reintroduced not as the main character she was in the second installment, but as a supporting cast member with players actually controlling newcomer Javier Garcia. In the first two episodes, we learn that Javi has a brother, David, that had gone missing for quite some time. In that time, Javi and David’s wife, Kate, have been getting closer and closer as they jointly raised and protected David’s two children. During their travels, they met up with Clem and some members of Prescott. At a junkyard, David’s daughter is shot and killed by bandits that turn out to be members of the New Frontier, what appears to be a gang of thugs. Kate is also shot, and is in critical condition with a desperate need for help. Like a good thriller, the twist at the end reveals that David is actually alive and well, and a leader in the settlement of Richmond, and home of the New Frontier.
Flashback to a New Beginning: Like other portions of A New Frontier’s storyline thus far, we immediately enter another flashback (or backstory) of Javier and Kate, along with children, Mariana and Gabe, getting ready to leave their house. We find out that David has been gone for three months and has never returned to his family. Fearing the worst, the decision is made to leave and we find our lead characters entering the vehicle they were first seen in at the start of this series. After some credits, the series continues from where we left off in Ties that Bind: Part II, and so begins The Walking Dead: A New Frontier: Episode 3 – Above the Law. The group finds David at the gates of Richmond, and after some raised guns and tension between the groups, David rushes Kate through the gate and our group ends up imprisoned in a room. David and Javi finally have a moment alone and they discuss how Mariana died. The tension that lies within the entire episode really starts here as there are undertones of having to either believe and trust David, or having to push back against him. These decisions, of course, are recorded.
A Power Struggle: While we are originally led to believe that David is the leader of the New Frontier, we soon realize that there is a balance of power, divided between four leaders in different disciplines within the safe zone. Dr. Lingard is another leader that we first see looking after Kate’s recovery. David informs Javier that he and the group will need to convince the doctor, as well as the other two leaders, of their intentions. Soon enough, Javier is also taken before Clint (who oversees food production) and Joan (who oversees contact with other settlements), the last two leaders in Richmond. They begin to question Javier’s intentions and learn that there is bad blood between our group and some of the people in the New Frontier. Joan questions the situation and decisions lead to action.
Expelled & On the Road Again: After being officially kicked out of Richmond, Javier and the gang are told to meet David at a location on a map. Typical to the series, another horde of walkers surrounds them at the building and they must fight for survival. It is here that a balance in the stories' characters comes to fruition, and here where the real fight begins both externally and internally for Javier. While The Walking Dead: A New Frontier: Episode 3 – Above the Law really relied more on story than on action, there were some moments when the game put some tension in the air. Most of the tension, however, surrounded decisions about whether or not to trust David. The flashbacks (including a playable Clementine moment) continue as the series pushes on. While I usually prefer a more linear storyline and was honestly annoyed by these backstories coming out of nowhere, they are finally tying together and have me interested to find out what is coming next in Episode 4 – Thicker Than Water.
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
Related Links: Official Website of The Walking Dead Our Coverage of The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier: Episode 3 - Above the Law Project Highrise: Las Vegas