Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, this is a tough one to recommend in 2025. Back in 2016, Telltale's Walking Dead series was innovative and compelling. A New Frontier continues that tradition with meaningful choices and genuinely difficult moral dilemmas that make you think about what you'd do when everything falls apart.

But let's be real: this game is aging like milk. The graphics were already dated on release, the quick-time events feel clunky, and Telltale's closure means this is a dead-end franchise. More importantly, it's brutally violent and relentlessly grim—severed heads, finger amputations, child endangerment, the works. The M rating isn't a suggestion.

For adults who love narrative-driven games and can stomach the gore, there's value here in the storytelling and character work. But even then, you're getting a 69/100 on IGDB for a reason—it's the weakest of the three Walking Dead seasons. Unless you're deeply invested in Clementine's story arc or really love zombie apocalypse fiction, there are better ways to spend your gaming hours in 2025.

Age Fit

This is strictly adult content—the M rating and 18+ recommendation from Common Sense Media are spot-on. Graphic violence, gore, and mature themes make this inappropriate for teens, let alone kids. If you're an adult who enjoyed earlier Telltale games and can tolerate the dated mechanics, it's worth a playthrough.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

25

Zombie apocalypse setting with brutal violence, strong language, and morally gray choices. Characters face constant life-or-death situations with intense emotional trauma. While it explores family bonds and survival ethics, the relentlessly dark tone, graphic content (severed heads, beatings, finger amputation), and drug use make this decidedly not emotionally healthy for younger audiences. Adult themes dominate.

Imaginative

72

Telltale's choice-driven narrative structure is genuinely creative, with player decisions carrying weight across episodes and seasons. The branching storylines invite replay and exploration of different moral paths. Dual protagonist system with Clementine and Javier adds narrative depth. However, it's more about reacting to scenarios than true creative expression—you're navigating a predetermined story rather than building something new.

Safe

15

ESRB rated M 17+ for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, and Use of Drugs. Common Sense Media recommends 18+. Graphic zombie kills, brutal human-on-human violence, severed body parts, and frightening scenes throughout. While monetization is clean (no IAP, no loot boxes, users interact but no open chat), the content itself is explicitly unsafe for children. This is exactly the kind of media where surprise exposure would be traumatic.

Enriching

68

Strong narrative focus on moral complexity, consequence, and tough ethical decisions in crisis situations. Players must weigh competing values (family vs. strangers, survival vs. humanity) with real stakes. Builds empathy through character-driven storytelling and explores themes of loss, responsibility, and what it means to protect others. However, the grim setting limits broader educational value, and the entertainment factor has diminished—Telltale's formula feels dated by 2025 standards, and the studio's closure means no ongoing support.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Meaningful choice system where decisions genuinely affect story outcomes across episodes
Complex moral dilemmas force players to grapple with survival ethics and competing loyalties
Strong character development with returning protagonist Clementine alongside new lead Javier
Explores themes of family, responsibility, and humanity under extreme pressure

⚠

What to Watch For

Graphic violence throughout—zombie kills, human brutality, severed body parts, torture
Strong language, drug use, and relentlessly dark apocalyptic tone
Dated gameplay mechanics and visuals that feel rough by modern standards
Telltale's closure means no updates or ongoing support; this is a finished artifact from 2016

Conversation Starters

"If you had to choose between saving a family member or a stranger who could help more people, what would you do?"
"The game shows people making terrible choices under pressure—do you think survival justifies everything?"
"How do you think Clementine has changed from being a kid in season one to now?"
"What would your personal rules be in an apocalypse scenario where normal laws don't exist?"

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The Walking Dead: A New Frontier