The Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day

A New Day is the first episode of the first season of a five-part series based on the AMC TV series and the original The Walking Dead comic book series. The game is set in the United States at the start of a zombie outbreak. It takes place in the original universe but does not rely on characters or locations from the comic book or the TV series. Instead it tells a parallel story through a new character Lee Everett, but some original comic characters such as Glenn and Hershel make a cameo appearance throughout the series. Everett was a professor at the University of Georgia who was convicted for murder when he came home one day and found his wife cheating. In a fit of rage he murdered the man and was convicted. At the start of the game Everett is transported to prison, but the car crashes and that way he manages to escape. His main concern is then to flee from the zombies and he plans to travel to Macon where his parents and brother live. He soon meets a small girl called Clementine whose house has been overrun by zombies and he takes her along. Afterwards he meets many more characters and travels to different locations. The episode ends at the point where the team decides to stay at a Motor Inn as their home and build up a defence.

It is played as an adventure game with action and role-playing elements. During many sequences the character can freely look around the environment and interact with items. Compared to Telltale's previous title Jurassic Park: The Game there is slightly more freedom in exploration and more traditional adventure game elements such as examining objects, storing them in an inventory, and applying them in the environment. Many of the action sequences are shown as a cinematic or through quick-time events for the player to act quickly. When they are not performed in time, the character dies, and often Everett also has the option to save characters or to let them die in the hands of the zombies. While exploring different icons show actions such as examining, interacting or using an item. Inventory items also appear here and the player does need to interact with the inventory or combine items before they can be used.

During conversations there are multiple options that can alter the outcome of events. A timer runs down during a conversation option and if none is chosen there is one selected by default. At the start of the game two display styles can be chosen. Standard shows more of the UI and helps with important choices, while Minimal turns of UI hints, help, and choice notifications. The setting can still be altered mid-game. Crucial choices during events and conversations are remembered and carried over to next scenes and episodes.

This episode is not available separately for the PC versions. For the Android, iOS, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions it is the base episode required to play the other four that can be purchased separately. For the PS3 and Android version a season pass is also offered as an additional option to receive the entire game in the same vein as the PC versions.