400 Days Review Roundup

400 Days is now out for all major platforms and as expected, killing it critically. Those Telltale dudes sure know their way around a story. Here’s what the critics say:

EGM, 9.5/10:
“400 Days puts players in the same kind of gut-wrenching situations we expect from the franchise. I constantly had to deal with life and death choices, but the short nature of the chapters makes the decision feel like a morbid lightning round… All in all, this makes 400 Days possibly the most enjoyable chapter in the series yet—and a must play before The Walking Dead: Season Two starts later this year.”

Polygon, 9/10:
“It’s not just that the studio is able to spin five taut, well-told narratives in around 15 to 20 minutes a pop. It’s that each is filled with more fully realized characters than most games can gin up over the span of hours… 400 Days is a wonderful little anthology and a heartening reminder that, even in a world that has been thoroughly mined across countless media, Telltale is still able to unearth new stories.”

Game Informer, 8/10:
“Striking and intense moments make up the bulk of 400 Days’ appeal. With this special episode’s brief glimpses into five different lives, it’s not a strong attachment like Clementine’s that keeps the emotional investment. Instead, it’s the plight of the situation and the choices that say something about humanity and what people will do to survive… As this DLC ups the shock factor, it makes it clear when season two rolls around that Telltale has no boundaries, and you should prepare your emotions accordingly.”

Joystiq:
“When it’s all done, we’re left with five richly developed characters embarking on a new journey. The stories come together at the end, in what Telltale describes as a Pulp Fiction-style wrap-up, and I’m thrilled to see how my decisions will impact the next episode.”

IGN, 8.9/10:
“The Walking Dead: 400 Days is a great appetizer for Season 2… the action and drama show that Telltale still has it and isn’t satisfied to pump out exactly what the developers did last year. That — like these five stories — is very exciting.”

Destructoid, 8/10:
“…The Walking Dead: 400 Days is a worthwhile, bold narrative experiment. It throws away most of the trappings of the adventure game genre that the first season still hung onto; it’s more directed, which perhaps makes it less compelling to play, but just as wonderful to experience. If The Walking Dead is more about dialogue and choices than the occasional puzzle and cupboard searching, then 400 Days is an excellent addition to the series.”

400 Days is out now and available on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and Steam (PC and Mac). You do need at least Season 1 Episode 1 installed for game files.