The Walking Dead: The Final Season is an episodic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games and later Skybound Games, and the fourth and final main game in The Walking Dead video game series, based on the comic book series of the same name. Taking place some years after The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, the game focuses on Clementine's efforts to raise young Alvin Jr., AJ, in the post-apocalyptic world, coming to join with a group of troubled teenagers surviving out of their former boarding school. Their path leads them to encounter a hostile group of raiders led by a figure from Clementine's past.
The game represents the first major release by Telltale after a major restructuring; it was aimed to return to themes and elements from the first season, and expected to be the concluding story for Clementine. The game was anticipated to be released over four episodes, with the first episode released on August 14, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. However, due to the sudden closure of Telltale Games on September 21, 2018, the last two episodes were overseen by Skybound Entertainment, the production company of The Walking Dead comic creator Robert Kirkman, using as many of the former Telltale development team as possible, as Kirkman had felt it necessary to properly complete Clementine's story.
Plot[]
Years after the events of A New Frontier, Clementine has continued to raise AJ, recalling the lessons Lee previously taught her. While scavenging for food, the two end up in a car crash from which they are saved by a group of abandoned teenagers, operating out of the ruins of Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth. While acclimating to living in the school, Clementine and AJ return to scavenging and encounter a man named Abel, who tries to rob them. After returning to the school and informing the others of their encounter, Clementine later finds the group's leader Marlon having a heated argument with another resident, Brody. Brody reveals to Clementine that Abel is part of a raider group that Marlon had traded resident twin sisters Minerva and Sophie in exchange for safety and that he also intends to trade her and AJ should the raiders return. Marlon accidentally kills Brody out of rage for revealing this and tries to frame Clementine for her death to the rest of the children. Clementine convinces the others of Marlon's wrongdoings, but before anything else can be done, AJ kills him.
Clementine and AJ are evicted from the school. Outside, they run into Abel and another member of the raiders, Lilly, the woman who either left or was forced out of Lee's group during the first season. Lilly attempts to negotiate with Clementine to convince the other kids to join her group, but she refuses and escapes with AJ, which leads to AJ being wounded. The pair are saved by James, a former member of the Whisperers, who tells them the raiders are forcibly recruiting people to fight in their war against a rival community. Clementine returns to the school to get medical treatment for AJ and to warn the children about the raiders. The children prepare the school grounds for an attack. Two weeks later, the raiders arrive and though they are pushed back, they manage to kidnap some of the children. The children learn from a dying Abel that the raiders have established camp in a nearby riverboat and with James' help, infiltrate the boat and plant a homemade bomb in its boiler before encountering Minerva, now a member of the raiders, who imprisons them with the others. Lilly confronts Clementine and reveals that Minerva killed Sophie when she tried to escape their group.
Clementine incapacitates Minerva, frees the children, and overpowers Lilly, who is then held at gunpoint by AJ. Clementine can tell him to kill or spare her; if spared, Lilly murders James. During the chaos, the bomb goes off and the ship explodes. Clementine and AJ escape the sinking boat as Lilly (if spared) flees on a raft while the other raiders are overwhelmed by walkers. If James is alive, he leaves the group after quarreling with Clementine over AJ killing Lilly, potentially aiding their escape, depending on choices. Clementine, AJ, and Tenn meet with either Louis or Violet, who leads them back to Ericson. After reaching a partially collapsed bridge, the group is attacked by a bitten, dying Minerva, who has led a horde of walkers to them. Clementine fights off Minerva, who slashes her ankle, and crosses the bridge with AJ. Louis or Violet try to make Tenn cross as well, but he is too stunned to move; if Clementine previously trusted AJ, putting the confidence in him to make hard decisions, he shoots Tenn to save Louis or Violet, but if Clementine did not trust AJ, he will tell Louis or Violet to throw Tenn across the gap, thus saving him, but resulting in the other person getting devoured by walkers.
While escaping the horde, a walker bites Clementine's wounded leg. Clementine and AJ take shelter in James' barn, which is quickly surrounded by walkers. A weakened Clementine urges AJ to escape on his own through the roof, then asks him to either kill her or leave her to turn. In a flashback, Clementine rescues AJ from Fort McCarroll (after the events of the third season) after it had been attacked, and it is revealed she killed AJ's caretaker in self-defense. In the present, AJ has reunited with the children in Ericson, where it is revealed that Clementine is still alive, having been rescued in time after AJ amputated her bitten leg.