If there's anything that we've learned to expect from developer/publisher TellTale Games over the years, it's a high quality product. Their story-centric, semi-point-and-click series for The Walking Dead catapolted them into fame with the 2012's first installment, and the company has been gaining huge momentum ever since. In the last two entries the playable characters were derived from the brain of TellTale's crew, but The Walking Dead: Michonne puts you directly in charge of a protagonist straight from the comic books and TV show.
It's undeniable that Michonne is a strong female character, not only in physique but in mentality; she's a deadly force to be reckoned with either way. This mini-series explores the events that were previously untold when she disappeared from the comics from issues 126-139, or in TV terms after the group was separated at Hershal's farm and before finding Woodbury. However, none of the other cast is mentioned in the game and Michonne finds herself aboard a ship called the Companion, with a small gathering of new comrades that include a couple of guys named Pete and Oaken. Pete picks up a distress signal on the boat's radio, and he and Michonne set out to help the senders. What they don't expect is the hot water that they land themselves in, and they pay dearly throughout three episodes for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
If you've played any of the other TellTale games, then you'll already be familiar with all of the mechanics here; nothing new has been introduced. When interacting with other characters, you're given three dialogue options plus the ability to not say anything at all; what's really cool though is that all of the verbal replies are something Michonne would definitely say. TellTale has done an outstanding job keeping the in-game persona meshed with that of the comic. Characters will remember your decisions and some of your dialogue choices, and your actions will carry over to the next episode. The title sticks with the same cell shaded, comic style graphics from the prior two releases, though the color is more vivid and there is quite a bit more gore.
Ultimately, your enjoyment of The Walking Dead: Michonne will depend on your view of the character; if you don't like her, you won't find any love here, but if you do enjoy her then this will be right up your ally. It's a great title that pieces together the threads of Michonne's past, and where she disappeared to for so long. Although I must mention that there are still some minor technical problems with the game, such as load times that shouldn't be as long as they are, being able to walk through some obstacles, a small freeze during the third episode (it corrected itself for me), and for some reason when you enter an action sequence the game puts up black bars at the top and bottom of the screen; though if you die, they go away for the remainder of your current session. Also, it's a short ride of about 4 hours, so I recommend grabbing it for 50-75% off. Other than that, for any fans of Michonne this game is a must play.
Join my Steam review group:http://steamcommunity.com/groups/bhhreviews