400 Days Later...
The tale of 5 different survivors: Vince, Shel, Bonnie, Wyatt, and Russell. That is what is told in The Walking Dead: 400 Days, DLC (downloadable content) for The Walking Dead: Season 1. Each story occurs at different points during the first year of the outbreak of living dead, and each has a unique story to tell. In one account you play the role of stoner on the run with his bro-buddy from a maniac, in another you are a big sister trying to protect your somewhat sociopathic little sister in this undead world. Every story is interesting...but lacks the character development and player involvement / attachment that really made season 1 work.
Neat...But Not Much More
Probably the best thing about 400 Days is all the clever little interweavings between the tales, even given how divergent the characters and stories are. In one of the earliest stories I witnessed a terrified policeman run away from the new zombie threat, in another I found out that my buddy had accidentally killed him, and in another tale he was a zombie. Similarly, in one story one of my fellow survivors stole something from an unknown group of people, and in a different tale I belonged to the group that was stolen from. Perhaps the best thing about these small relationships is the fact that they are not flaunted out there, you have to notice details and “discover” them yourself. Other than that though, there isn’t much positive to say about the game. The stories are well-written character introductions, but all they are, are introductions, they aren’t long enough to really get anybody invested with the characters. So, when you are faced with a “dire” decision, you don’t feel the weight of it as you did in season 1. The lack of player attachment to the characters really highlights some of the other flaws that have been in the series, such as the lack of real gameplay. The action segments are simplistic at best and the puzzles are almost non-existent, even by the series already low standards.
Credit: Telltale GamesFor the Hardcore
If you are looking for 400 Days to elaborate on the story that is told during season 1, you are in store for a lot of disappointment. If you are looking for another emotionally moving tale that will bring you near (or to) tears, you are in store for some disappointment. If you are a hardcore fan of interactive storybook games set the Walking Dead world, you will probably like this game...maybe even love it. It still remains to be seen how important (or unimportant) that the 400 Days characters are in all of The Walking Dead: Season 2, so this game could still be a pretty important chapter in the series, but, as it is now, this game is pretty skippable. I’d give The Walking Dead: 400 Days a 6/10 as it is a decent game...but definitely flawed and missing that emotional attachment and character development that really defined season 1.
