The Walking Dead: Michonne “What We Deserve” review for PC, PS4, Xbox One

Platform: PC
Also On: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, iOS, Android
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: M

So with the last episode of Telltale?s The Walking Dead: Michonne mini-series upon us, I find myself feeling pretty lukewarm on the entire tale told here. The first episode started off well enough, the second episode was a bit of a let down, and the third…well, it?s better than the second at least.

The third episode, titled ?What We Deserve?, culminates in a brutal showdown between Michonne and the slightly unstable Norma at the homestead introduced in the last episode. The events that play out here aren?t necessarily unpredictable. We know, considering where this tale takes place in the timeline, that Michonne is going to make it out alive. But there?s a few curveballs thrown into the action that keep you guessing as to who the rest of the survivors might be.

walking dead michonne ep 3 002We also get a bit more of the flashback sequences, as Michonne tries to come to terms with the ghosts of her daughters. This culminates in the final sequence where Michonne dips in and out of reality a bit, and tries to carve out some semblance of peace with her past life. The revelations here aren?t necessarily mind-blowing for Walking Dead fans, but I found the final bit to be a pretty touching sequence that gave Michonne a bit more emotional depth than she had at the beginning of this series.

Another sequence that I enjoyed happens at the beginning of the episode, which features a small conversation between Michonne and fellow survivor Oak. This takes place before the series started, shortly after Michonne joined Pete?s crew, and it?s just a neat calm before the storm sort of moment that helps you care for at least one additional cast member in a way that you didn?t before. I wish that Telltale had been able to squeeze in more moments like this, as it would have gone a long way towards making me care about the additional characters introduced for this mini-series.

walking dead michonne ep 3 003Also worth noting is that ?What We Deserve? isn?t quite the technical mess that the second episode was. I didn?t have any forced restarts or reinstalls, and outside of one moment where I encountered a healthy amount of stutter, the game ran pretty smooth on PC.

Again, overall, I didn?t find the entirety of Michonne?s mini-series to be a must play experience. This episode was certainly better than the last, but it wasn?t enough of a swing in the right direction to make the overall experience feel worthwhile. That doesn?t mean I?m not looking forward to the upcoming release of The Walking Dead Season 3 from Telltale, but my expectations for their next release are certainly more tempered now.

Grade: B+