Lack of scary walker moments in Season 2 (so far)
One thing I've been thinking about quite a lot lately is the fact that the walkers in Season 2 don't scare me at all. First I assumed that I just got used to them. Then I replayed the entire first Season for the fifth time and even though I exactly know what's going to happen next all the walker moments give me goosebumbs and make me run on adrenaline. What I've been missing in S2 is the hopeless apocalypse vibe. Is it just my own impression or do you feel the same? Sure, Clem is more mature now and walkers have become a part in her everyday life, but still: I think making the walkers so marginal is affecting the gaming experience adveresely. In my opinion this is the only thing S2 lacks. What do you think?
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I guess yeah, but there were some mini jump scares with people like when Luke suddenly grabs you.
I can think of one good instance during episode 3 where you fight off a walker in the dark (light strobe effect), if you try to get the rope off Clem's leg instead of using the screw driver to kill him. I guess the walker scares depend on how well your decisions are during the QTEs, remember Clem fights with smarts not strength.
Uh, I remember... Unfortunately it didn't scare me at all. :-(
I never felt any of the things you felt. I attribute it to my inundation into the post-apocalyptic genre, and general love of horror. I'm jaded as hell. It would take a steroid-injected grizzly bear with a 3 foot erection to scare me at this point.
episode 1: when clem is suturing her dogbite.
episode 2: wind turbine scene.
episode 3: the climax with the heard.
all of those were pretty adrenaline rushing for me.
i personally have enjoyed all of the walker encounters in season 2 far more than in season 1. the only walker encounter in season 1, that even got my heart racing was at the end of crawford section when lee's leg gets trapped.
wow you're a badass, but seriously being scared is a personal feeling and if you don't scare easy then just rely on the tense dramatic moments that this lovely game offers you.
Not really. I still nearly piss my pants when climbing the ladder in ep.5 even though there's no direct encounter in that scene. And this is what I mean: They achieved it in Season1 but they didn't succeed to make me scared by an entire herd in "In Harm's Way"
Uargh! That image is stuck in my head now
I have also noticed this. In season 1 the walkers feel like a threat that I have to fight against to survive. In season 2 they feel more like a fixture in the environment that I need to avoid. To me, season 2 almost feels like the ZA is coming to an end and now people are just killing off the last of the walkers, when the opposite is true, there should be more walkers now than in season 1. I think the reason it feels this way is because so far season 2 has had more people and less walker attacks.
the bridge scene in episode 2(the one with the wallker, not the one with matthew) was one ofthe most frightning parts of the season for me, quite a relief when luke got out of it alive, i was in the middle of the acceptence phase
It's hard to get immersed in the game when you know the episodes are so damn short.
That ain't nothing. I'd give you something worse, but the mods would put a stop to that.
I agree
I beg to differ.
i agree but i also think the game in whole has lost a lot of bite. the episodes are soo far apart now and soo short that i lose touch with the characters. dont think ill ever buy another episode title and i play both wolf and walking dead.
There's something twisted about how a dog attack is more traumatic than being assaulted by legions of flesh-eating ghouls.
Imo all the S2 walker encounters were intense and exciting rather than eerie and oppressive compared to S1. They play a major role in the plot of S1 while in S2 they feel ocasional to me, like "oh, we should put walkers in here, it's the ZA after all"
Yeah, many guys are getting banned lately.
Scariest jump scare of all time: The stranger O_O
Honorable mention: Stupid zombie in the car next to the train -_-
The walkers are probably less scary... but shit the part with the dog scared me shitless
While I totally agree with you, there were some scenes which made me nervous. Take for example the herd at the end of episode 3. You hear Sarah whimpering and Carlos trying to reassure her while the gunshots from Carver's men echo over the walker-infested battlefield. Tension lingers in the air until one of the bullets hits Carlos, followed by the deadly chomps of walkers and Sarah's desperate screams and shouts. You try to calm her down, but it is too late. The herd nearly traps you as Sarah runs away, not to be seen again. Clem makes a daring escape when she encounters Sarita and her... Unfortunate encounter with a walker's teeth.
I'd say that was one of the more intense scenes in season 2 for sure, all because of walkers. Then again, I do agree that the other moments don't scare me as much, sadly.
I agree. Maybe I should consider to change the title a bit. There are scary moments in S2, but while in S1 the walkers feel like a serious threat as well as an eerie part of the storyline causing deep feelings of hopelessness in S2 they feel more like the side dish. I can't imagine the S1 plot without the walkers - the story does not work without them. However, the S2 storyline may function very well even without them - the walkers feel dispensable, like they are only involved to recall the ZA. I think that's a mistake - the walkers don't support the story as much as they should imo.
Goddam car zombie! Gets me every time, even though I know it's there. Do we really need more jump scares? Can't we just rely on deeper level horror?
I found that the ending for Episode 3 was very tense and provided a scary atmosphere (Trust me, my heart was thumping). It got even worse when Sarah began screaming.
The Walkers were a big deal initially because no one had ever dealt with them before.
It's been about 2 or so years since the starter of the Apocalypse. Walkers are common, everywhere, sometimes in herds. People deal with them now. They build communities, snipe Walkers for fun, and just deal with the monsters as they come.
Hell is scary when you start out, but after two years of surviving in it, it's bound to lose it's edge.
Best Case scenario in a War of Attrition with the Walkers is to kill as many as you can. And as long as we have people like Lee, Kenny, or Clementine around? I doubt they'll win forever.
They should have more scary moments like the one that bit Lee in episode 5 the walker that randomly jumps out of the bin and attacks,
I hate jump scares but I kinda miss it in S2... Of course it has a few jump scares but S1 jump scares were better.
Hmmm... I don't think you answered Shadusnox's question.
These are all very good points. And I agree that the people have probably just gotten used to the walkers, just like we kind of have too.
I think someone said it already, but id say the part when lee was digging the grave and then he leaned down you see the shadow of the stranger. GOD I SHIT A BRICK WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
The game isn't really about scares but the journey and the characters themselves. The walkers are basically there to remind the player of the situation they're in.
I think this can be attributed to the fact that there are more personal "human" storylines going on right now. If you think about it, much, if not all of season 2's story was tied to the cabin group and Carver, and all the history surrounding these two entities. Season 1 was about being thrown into the apocalypse and constantly being on the move and meeting characters you grew to like, some you disliked but had to work with, and those who were there to be your enemies, and no one's story besides your main character's ever got pushed to the forefront for too long that it overtook the feel of the zombie apocalypse.
The Stranger got a lot of focus and was also a present villain in three episodes like Carver, but he was kept in the background while the struggles and journey for survival in the apocalypse and the more physical fights against walkers were going on in the foreground, and his mystery made him feel more like a force that was surrounding the characters until you actually met him. In comparison, Carver is the main antagonist of two of the three episodes we've gotten so far in the second season, and was still heavily alluded to in the one episode he wasn't in.
Short version: Season 1's threats feel like an extension of the world we're fighting to survive in, whereas season 2 so far has focused more on one central villain while the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse feels more like... well, a backdrop.
Basically the same thing said about season 2 of the TV show, where there was a lot of character interaction and conflicts on the farm, but didn't feel like there was much tension relating to zombies and felt more like an apocalypse that only existed in passing mention as opposed to actually going through it.
Very good analysis - thanks for this post
The Walking Dead isn't a horror game. We don't need scary spooky walkers.
To me, the presence of the walkers is intense and make the game intense. It doesn't need to be "scary".
I feel like it's because most of the time we only see walkers threatening Clem, and we know she'll live. We need to see someone else be the victim of a jumpscare, like the Katjaa thing in Episode 2.
Good for you. Imo the walker scenes in S1 were eerie, intense and disturbing - in S2 it's just plain action. Read my other comments and you'll get that I don't want just scary walker scenes but ones which affect me. The S2 walker encounters leave me cold, like they are just implemented to make us recall that there are still zombies around - boring as well as not supporting the plot.
I know it wasn't supposed to be scary but when Carver burst the greenhouse door open before killing Reggie the sudden bang made me jump as i was wearing headphones with the volume up high :P But it would be good to get some more scary or tense moments in the game.
i think the fact is that in season 2, 2 years have passed since the apocalypse and by now those who have survived up to this point treat walkers as a part of everyday life now.
Yep my best scare was the stranger watching you when you were digging the grave. I jumped a foot
It's not really something that bothers me I'm more in it for the story, not the walkers. But there should be more, especially since we play as a little girl.