“The Walking Dead” video game franchise, created by Telltale and finished by Skybound, is a graphic adventure game set in the same universe as the Walking Dead television show.

Different from traditional video games, “The Walking Dead” plays more like a movie, where the players make critical decisions that move the plot forward. Having control of the plot enables players to emotionally connect with the story and feel responsible for the choices they made.

Sixteen–year-old Clementine faces incredible struggles in a zombie infested world while taking care of 5–year-old AJ and teaching him morals.

Players have to balance between being ruthless enough to survive raiders and the undead while also being considerate enough to make sure that AJ does not become an indiscriminate killer.

These choices are life or death situations and may result in the death of other characters. This creates many problems for players, as AJ needs to be strong enough to help Clementine navigate and make his own decisions while also deciding who lives and dies.

When Telltale Games announced that they were discontinuing the franchise after the release of Season 4 Episode 2, there was pushback from many fans. In their announcement, Telltale claimed that due to financial struggles they were forced to lay off 225 of their 250 employees and that the remaining 25 employees would fulfill obligations for the company until its closing.

However, when fans of the franchise thought they would never finish Clementine’s story, Skybound Entertainment announced that they would take over production for the last three episodes of Season 4.

Skybound released the final episode of season four on March 26th, 2019, concluding the franchise. Skybound kept its promise of giving players a multitude of choices that had serious consequences in the plot.

Due to it being the end of the franchise, Skybound was able to create multiple diverging storylines.

Previous seasons of the game were criticized for multiple choices creating the same result due to the restriction of diverging storylines. However, the last season has unique choices that lead to equally unique conclusions.

These choices affect the future of the story in ways one might not expect, which weighs the importance of every decision. A certain decision that later decides if Clementine’s love interest lives or dies was criticized by Chris Schilling, a reporter for PC Gamer, as being “seemingly unrelated” and a “cheat.” Others enjoy the uncertainty of each decision.

“The Walking Dead” franchise’s ending is bittersweet for many.

Kimberly Wallace, a reporter for Game Informer said, “Goodbyes are never easy, especially when you’ve spent the last seven years invested in a character.”

Players of the franchise experienced Clemintines story in an intimate way, and are “likely to come away with mixed feelings.”

“The Walking Dead: The Final Season” is available on all gaming platforms.