The Walking Dead (PS Vita) Review

COlNThLYvpZAeI September 16, 2013 No Comments Videogames

Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Platform: PS Vita
Release date: August 20th, 2013 (US)/ September 4th, 2013 (EU)

By now, every gamer around the globe must have heard of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, the amazing adventure/point-and-click game that’s recognized for its emotional plot. The game was already available to purchase on PS3/XBOX360/PC/iOS since last year, and now after a long wait VITA players can enjoy this one too.
What’s different in the Vita version? How does it work on a portable device? Should you get this one if you already have the console version? Keep reading …

Like I mentioned before, The Walking Dead is a game that solely relies on it’s story and the decisions you make along the way. Without any unnecessary spoilers, the game introduces you to Lee Everett, a convicted felon that was on his way to jail when the world fell apart. Luck or coincident, Lee is a free man now, and like everyone else he does his best to survive.
But he is not alone.
Soon after the game begins, Lee finds an eight year old girl named Clementine. You see, this poor little child has survived on her own, waiting for her parents to return from a vacation they took prior to the outbreak. Lee quickly understands that her parents won’t likely to be coming back, and decides to protect Clementine from any harm.

The relationship between Lee and Clementine will grow stronger as you progress through the game. At first, Lee is just trying keep her alive, but later he becomes like a father to Clementine. She asks him questions, shares her feelings with him and confronts her fears; Lee is the only person Clementine can count on. Those heart-breaking moments would make anyone cry.
Another thing that works great in the game is decision making. Sometimes, it’s all that matters because the main events will change depending on your choice. There is always more than one option to choose from, so even if you have finished the game once you can come back to it and try different routes.
It’s been a long time since I played a game that made me care so much for its characters, therefore I would more than recommend you to get this one if you haven’t already.

Instead of focusing on the game’s aspects, I’d rather give you my opinion on the Vita version specifically, as most people have already played the consoles version and want to know how well it works on the device.
First, the Vita version is the complete pack of the series, meaning that it contains all 5 episodes and the recently released DLC – 400 Days, which introduces you to the characters of the second season that’s coming out later this year.
As for the technical side, The Walking Dead looks amazing on the Vita’s 5″ OLED screen: the textures are super sharp, bloom effects are amazing and it plays just like the big screen version. Telltale even included an option to use touch screen instead of buttons, so you can simply click on objects to interact, similar to the iOS version.

The only problem that bothered me is the constant frame drop that occurs before each scene. Every time you make a decision, the game starts lagging or moving to loading screen. In some cases you can clearly see that it jumped 2 second forward, leaving you with less time to interact. It doesn’t ruin the whole experience, and the game is more than playable, but it’s a problem Telltale must address with a patch and the sooner the better.
If you haven’t played this one yet and want to play it on the go, the Vita version is perfect for you. For those of you who played it already on PC or PS3/XBOX360, I don’t see a reason to purchase again as it has the same contents, unless you really want to take it everywhere you go.