When you think of iconic characters from The Walking Dead, one of the first that comes to mind is the katana-wielding, badass Michonne. She’s among the most seasoned characters in the comics, having been introduced way back in issue No. 19 (as of right now, the comics are at 152 and counting). During that time, she has captured the imagination of the book’s readers and viewers of the television show alike.

It should come as no surprise that she now has her very own episodic video game series, thanks to Telltale Games. But what may surprise – and delight – readers of the comics is the time period in which The Walking Dead: Michonne takes place. Telltale Games has made a habit of putting together games that have deep and rich storytelling, and Michonne is no different. Set up to be three episodes, the first episode of Michonne, titled “In Too Deep,” finds our heroine during the time when she left Rick’s group following the “All Out War” storyline in the comics, a major arc that saw the maniacal, baseball bat-swinging Negan push our heroes to their breaking point. Hardcore Walking Dead fans will find this particular timespan intriguing because it was never actually shown in the comics; Michonne had simply vanished from the narrative for a handful of issues with no detailed explanation as to where she was or what she was doing, until now.

“In Too Deep” grabs your attention from the first frame and never lets go, packing a punch of nerves and real human emotion. Reeling from the fallout of recent events and her own dark past, Michonne is alone in the woods and fighting off walkers as she suffers from hallucinations, engulfing her in a nightmarish surrealism that feels akin to a scene from Stephen King’s Dark Tower books. Just when you thinks she’s lost her mind and is about to give up hope, Michonne is saved by Pete, who brings her aboard his ship The Companion.

Life out on the water isn’t all sunshine, though, and soon, Michonne and her crew find themselves aboard an abandoned ferry where a new danger lurks. Taking the action out to sea is something brand new to The Walking Dead, and it opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities and awesome moments. The best of which, in Episode 1, is when Michonne and Pete are in a small rowboat, trying to make it to the ferry, but are caught off guard by underwater walkers who jump out and pull them under, revealing a sea (pun intended) of zombies roaming on the ocean floor. Horror film buffs will froth at the mouth to see the imagery, especially the wild shot of Michonne laying out walkers while under water.

But as anyone who follows The Walking Dead already knows, the real threat isn’t the walkers – it’s the humans who are still left fighting to survive in the undead world. The interaction with the other characters is the most compelling element of the game, and Michonne introduces new and interesting faces that fit right into The Walking Dead. Add Telltale Games’ storytelling approach. in which you, the gamer, gets to decide what characters say and how they react, ultimately controlling the direction of the narrative, and you have a game that you quickly become invested in, with characters you begin to care about. If “In Too Deep” is any indication of how the rest of Michonne will play out, we may have another Walking Dead classic on our hands.

For more, visit telltalegames.com/walkingdead/michonne.

By Jason Savio