The Walking Dead: 400 Days is a DLC for The Walking Dead: Season One and tells five different stories at various stages of the zombie outbreak. Each story takes place during the same time frame as the first season, but in entirely separate worlds, with totally different survivors. We have a wide variety of characters in 400 Days with each one being completely unique. The five characters include Vince (prisoner), Wyatt (normal guy with terrible taste in friends), Russell (a young boy), Bonnie (an ex-drug addict), and Shel (a sister trying to protect her younger sibling).
Players are able to learn more about each character through their story which allows us to relate to them individually. Shel is the older sister trying to teach her younger sister Becca to be morally conscious in a world that is anything but. Then we have Wyatt and his impulsive friend Eddie who play rock, paper, scissors to answer dangerous questions that could cost them their lives. 400 Days tends to focus on issues that most would never think about in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
Everything that you loved from The Walking Dead: Season One returns in 400 Days which includes its beautiful comic-book style graphics, well-written storyline and amazing voice work. The immersive gameplay is only heightened by the dialogue and mechanics. Players will experience different aspects of the game with each character rather it be hiding in a cornfield or deciding rather to kill a fellow survivor. 400 Days focuses a lot on the dialogue than your actions this time around, but still delivers the same intensity that the series is known for. However, The Walking Dead: 400 Days suffers from the same framerate problems and stiff animations that Season One did. There were also times when the audio was out of sync and the camera angles were a little off. While the glitches may have hindered the experience from being as seamless as you may want--it was never enough to stop you from enjoying the game.
Telltale Games has added in some intriguing new concepts which takes the story to a whole new level. 400 Days stepped up the gore even more this time around and there were even a few times were there was no timer to make your decision. A sense of priority was shown in particular scenes which was something we didn't see as much of in Season One. 400 Days was a short experience but still manages to give fans a small taste of what is to come and have you yearning for more. Although the DLC only delivers around an hour and half of gameplay, it is well worth the $4.99 price tag, if only to tie us over until we can catch up with our favorite cast of characters in Season 2.
Score: 8 out of 10
Game Information
Developed and Distributed by Telltale Games
Available for Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac
Rated M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language & Suggestive Themes
Game Features
- A tailored game experience.
- Your actions and choices will affect how your story plays out.
- You’ll be forced to make decisions that are not only difficult, but that will require you to make an almost immediate choice. There’s no time to ponder when the undead are pounding the door down!
- Artwork inspired by the original comic books.