Rating: 
The Walking Dead has one of my favorite ongoing series since the original release in 2012. I know I’m not alone in this obsession – teenagers tend to have a huge crowd of gamers, me included. This series has been a hit to play ever since it came out. Now, it’s nearing the end. Skybound’s “The Walking Dead: The Final Season: Episode 4: Take Us Back,” released on March 26, 2019, is the last episode of the long-running game series. Episode 4, which is available for XBox One and PS4, starts off immediately after the climatic ending of Episode 3. It’s the series departure, and has been one of the best episodes in a while. It has an amazing and engaging story, gameplay, and unique artstyle that the creators have consistently used to great effect.
Storyline: 5/5
Episode 4 of “The Walking Dead: The Final Season” starts off directly after the climatic ending of the third episode. The goal of the characters was to simply escape from all of the walkers and bandits surrounding you after exploding the bandit’s boat. This episode was easily the best in the season because of these amazing moments of great and intense action. There were some plot points I wish had more playtime like the bandit war, but all in all, that wasn’t a huge problem. The story also moved by very smoothly, and felt like there was no filler to take up time.
Gameplay: 5/5
There was never a dull moment in the gameplay, since it always kept me going with constant conflicts to face with little time for casual conversations with the other characters. The episode was around the same run-time as the others, but it went by in a snap with how fun and interesting the game itself was. The other episodes felt so long that it was a chore to play through them. Playing the episode reminded me of the first two seasons, which were honestly the best of all the seasons in the entire series.
The game ran smoothly with no lag or loading times between gameplay and cutscenes. The previous games suffered from long loading times, and I’m very impressed that this episode didn’t suffer the same fate.
The decisions in previous episodes have actually impacted how this episode turned out in very significant ways. Although it goes through the same story no matter what, there are drastic conflicts with different people depending on your previous choices in other episodes.
Graphics: 5/5
“The Walking Dead”’s graphics are focused on a really unique comic-book art style, which relates to the origin of the series’ story. Comic book art style really makes “The Walking Dead” game series as a whole really stand out on its own.
Characters: 5/5
All the characters that I encountered all seemed to have reasons behind their actions and personality. Good character development is always key in any episodic medium, and this part nails it. I was really satisfied with the characters, because the first two episodes were extremely lacking this with almost all of the people feeling hollow. They needed more developed backstories, which would have made them more interesting from the get-go of the season. There was also an amazing villain in this episode that actually seemed insane with a motive that made no sense, just like how every villain should be made.
Episode 4 of “The Walking Dead: The Final Season” has been the best episode in the season – maybe even the best episode in the SERIES – from the past couple of years. It really got everything completely right! I’m really happy that Skybound stayed to finish the piece, and created a satisfying ending to an iconic series of games. It’s sad that the series has ended, but it’s great to have a good ending that ties everything together other than having a disappointing conclusion that was rushed.
