The Walking Dead: The Final Season finally ends in March

The long and gruesome journey (and in the game) of The Walking Dead: The Final Season will finally draw to a close on March 26th, Skybound have confirmed. Clementine has survived the death of many friends and father figures across the four seasons, and the game has unexpectedly survived the mid-season death of its makers, Telltale Games, by continuing at Skybound Games with some former Taletellers. They've mentioned March 26th before but, given the history, confirmation is important. So there you go, seven weeks to stock up on tissues for an ending that I'm sure that will be dandy peachy grand swell just lovely.

Skybound announced the fourth and final episode's March 26th launch date last night, as well as announcing a physical release of the whole season coming that day. Apparently that will involve something Skybound call a 'box'. It's always weird when Americans make up names for new products not knowing they're crude old slang for genitalia, them with their 'boxes' and their 'fanny packs'. Box! Hilarious.

The thing is: the best possible outcome for Clem and company is a brief moment of peace and hope, right? Any 'happily ever after' ending would be cheap, undercutting the horror of the whole journey.

Last night I saw an unexpectedly apocalyptic (and excellent) film, which I won't even name because I've already given too much away but people who've seen it will know what I mean when I drop a reference like 'asking for helicopter pilots in a gym.' Its story left several possible narrative outs from the inevitable conclusion of the sudden and violent end of human civilisation, ranging from misunderstandings to dying dreams, but the film holds its nerve and keeps on going. Which is fantastic and devastating. I needed a hug and a whole lot of swearing afterwards. But what else can the game do? If the four seasons turn out to be the run-up for a punch directly to your heart, well, what else did you expect? This is the apocalypse.

(This film is one of the rare times where I really do want to avoid spoilers. I went in blind and was blown away (™IGN.com), so naming it after that description would ruin a lot. But also it's great and I highly recommend it. Agh. Look, maybe one day you'll stumble across it by chance and end up needing a hug yourself. And I'll just leave this IMDB link here for no reason okay DON'T CLICK THAT.)