When we left the story at the end of the Walking Dead Episode 1, Lee Evert and his ‘adopted’ daughter Clem were setting up a shelter at the Motor Inn with an assorted group of friends.  Episode 2 picks up three months later; just as the group is starting to run out of food.  Things are getting tense.  

Distribute the Food
The game starts with Lee out hunting with a new member of the party, Mark.  Mark was brought into the group between episode 1 and 2 because he had a large store of food.  Unfortunately that food is almost gone.  They are out hunting, looking for birds and rabbits and any game they can turn into a meal.  Unfortunately, things quickly take a turn for the worse, as Lee and his companion come across another party.  The eldest member has his foot trapped within a bear trap of some kind and it is up to Lee to try to get him out as the Zombies start to enclose them.  No matter what you choose, you’ll soon be treading a hasty retreat back to the Motor Inn.

Things are getting tense at the home base.  Kenny and Lilly are at odds at who should be the leader of the group. Lilly is currently in charge of distributing the rations and after an argument, it becomes Lee’s responsibility to distribute the food rations.  Lee is your playable character, so you’ll have to make the decision as to who eats and who doesn’t.  You have four rations for 9 people.  It’s up to you to make the tough choice of who do you feed.

Exploring the Dairy
Once you’ve fed as many people as you can, you’ll get visitors.  They are from St John’s Dairy, a place that promises security and protection.  All they want in return is some gas to power their electric fence.  This sounds too good to be true, but the group decides to investigate anyway.  It turns out the dairy is like a paradise.  The electric fence keeps out the walkers and what we have remaining is a thriving farm with green grass, growing produce, and even a cow for fresh milk.

  
Lee and company decide to warm up to the folks from St John.  They perform some maintenance including fixing a swing and helping remove dead zombies from the fence.  Unfortunately they are attacked by bandits and Mark is hit by an Arrow.  A quick escape is plotted back into the Dairy.  The full group is invited over for a nice big dinner; while Mama St John tends to Mark’s wound. 

Oh No They Didn’t!
Lee and one of the St John Brothers go looking for the bandit camp in order to prevent future attacks.  They come across a single person in a single camp.  They argue with her and things go downhill from there.  Without any idea where the rest of the bandits are, they head back to the dairy.

      
Lee and Kenny get a chance to explore the Dairy some more; trying to decide if the paradise really is a paradise.  They poke and prod the area and find a locked door in the back of the barn.  Before they can get through, it’s time for dinner.  Lee asks where Mark is; and Mama St John insists he is fine, just resting upstairs.  Lee slips away in suspicion to check on him.  From here, the rest of the game is a whirlwind.  I won’t spoil the surprise, but I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming.  Telltale did a good job.

Final Thoughts
My major complaint about the last episode was that the controls were horrible on a PC.  This has not changed.  But, this episode does introduce a few elements that might almost be considered traditional adventure game puzzles.  If you’re a seasoned adventure gamer, you won’t be stuck, but nevertheless it’s nice to see them try to strike a balance between thought puzzles, combat, and conversation trees.  This game walked the balance better than the previous episode.

  
I was a bit indifferent at the end of Episode 1; however the story behind Episode 2 blew me away.  It’s hard to go wrong with an encapsulating story that surrounds some tense zombie moments and a few sparks that will make you think twice.  Try it out, you won’t be disappointed.