Today we were given the chance to sit down with Telltale Games to view a glimpse of their recently announced 400 Days DLC for their critically acclaimed downloadable title The Walking Dead. 400 Days will require at least Episode One to play. So, although it isn’t required, it is highly recommended that you complete all of Season One before playing 400 Days. This is because your decisions in Season One will alter aspects of 400 Days. In addition, choices in 400 Days will impact the upcoming Season Two of The Walking Dead.
400 Days got its name from the fact that the episode takes place during the first four hundred days of the outbreak. It follows five characters, each with their own backstory, at a Georgia truck stop. These characters can be played in any order and their stories of survival at the beginning of the outbreak will be detailed. For our hands-off demo, Telltale chose to show off Vince.
Vince is a man with a problem. He has shot and killed an unknown person and is currently fleeing police. Where does he ditch the gun? That’s up to the player. Hide the evidence in the trash, throw it on the rooftop or toss it in a storm drain. The sirens grow louder and then we fast forward to Vince sitting on a prison bus. Conversations take place and things quickly escalate when two convicts get into a violent altercation which ultimately leads to a prison guard blowing off the head of the attacking prisoner with a shotgun. It was a hasty and poor decision on his end. Things only get worse when the situation at hand distracts the bus from the surrounding zombies. As zombies overrun the bus, Vince and his fellow inmates must figure out how to remove their chains and escape with their lives. The answer? That guard’s shotgun.
This is Telltale. They love giving you tough decisions. The chains are connecting you to the other two convicts’ ankles. You all want to escape, but someone’s ankle chain has to be shot. Which one of these two men that you’ve been conversing with do you choose? The choice is made. Unfortunately, the first shot doesn’t break the ankle chain. In fact, the buckshot hits the man flesh. A second shot is taken, blowing off his foot completely. Vince and the other convict are able to escape, leaving the footless prisoner left to die at the mouths of the hungry zombies.
400 Days is shaping up to be just as gripping as Season One’s episodes. With the inclusion of five characters, we’ll be given new perspectives and varied character development (if the player so chooses) on this new The Walking Dead Experience. The 400 Days DLC will be out this July for $4.99.
