The Walking Dead: A New Frontier “Above the Law” review for PC, PS4, Xbox One

Platform: PC
Also On: Xbox One, PS4, iOS, Android
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: Yes
ESRB: M

It?s been a bit, but Telltale?s The Walking Dead: A New Frontier Episode 3 is finally out. Dubbed ?Above the Law?, this episode deals quickly with the ramifications of Javier and crew discovering that Javier?s brother David is still alive and well, and apparently a key figure with the New Frontier group. Keep in mind, this is the same group responsible for destroying Prescott and killing Mariana, David?s daughter.

I was pretty surprised with how quickly things escalate in ?Above the Law?. Without going into heavy spoilers, David walks a real fine line between unlikable jerk and caring family member, in a way that makes a number of decisions kind of tough here. This is certainly when Telltale games are at their best, when you have to struggle with the decisions on hand, bouncing between moral righteousness and flatout revenge. And there?s a hefty amount of that decision making in episode 3.

On the flip side, this entry is pretty light on player interaction. You?ll have plenty of dialogue choices, and a bit of action, but no real exploring or movement that isn?t controlled by the game. While The Walking Dead has never really been about exploration, I still enjoy when the game gives you a moment or two to check out your surroundings. And considering the new locale featured in this episode, I thought we?d get a bit more of that. This isn?t a huge negative for me, but still a little surprising.

That said, the episode does move the story along at a pretty good clip, and it feels like a pretty substantial and dangerous shift for the group as a whole. The ending has a big cliffhanger, and it?ll be interesting to see how that resolves in the next episode. Hopefully the wait for that isn?t too long, because The New Frontier certainly has its hooks in me thus far.

Grade: B+