5 Best Telltale Games of All Time

With LCG Entertainment acquiring the fractured assets from Telltale Games, it seems that the beloved episodic publisher will be making a glorious return for 2021. But, in case you've been distant with the whole Telltale drama over the last couple of years, then we'll quickly fill you in.

In 2018, Telltale lost the majority of its investors, including the likes of AMC and Lionsgate, which held the, well — lions share of the business. Because of this, The Walking Dead by Telltale became just another lost asset, which led on to a loss in sales. Telltale was forced to file for bankruptcy, and within hours of the last investor pulling out — ninety percent of the staff were booted from the studios. A small team were left to finish any remaining tasks, such as porting Minecraft: Story Mode on to Netflix — but upon completion, Telltale withdrew from the spotlight and sizzled out into the darkness. The beloved studio scrapped future seasons of highly-anticipated projects, and the future soon dwindled into sour terms.

Of course, with LCG sweeping up the shards and saving the face of Telltale — we can just about expect a mighty return. Sadly, the likes of The Walking Dead won't return to our screens as AMC own the rights. But, that's not to say that Telltale doesn't have access to some rather tasty IP's. That, unsurprisingly, brings us to this list. You see, there are far too many Telltale games to cram into one list, but we think we can picture the top five since their 2004 debut.

5. Minecraft: Story Mode

Due to its renowned status as the best-selling video game of all time, it only made sense that a fully-fleshed story mode came to fruition. With Telltale backing the helm, the pixelated adventure came to life with a neat little bunch of episodes that suited gamers of all ages. Plus, it even made it to Netflix as a playable title in the debut line-up from the streaming giant, too. Although one of Telltale's final projects during the closure of the studio, Minecraft: Story Mode still managed to capture the hearts of long-term fans with just as many Telltale quirks.

4. Batman: The Telltale Series

Following the Telltale algorithm of choice-based gameplay, Batman takes the players decisions into account and carves unique playthroughs with every session. Obviously, that isn't necessarily a new thing from the minds behind Telltale, as most series tend to follow a butterfly effect pattern. But, by bringing Batman into the fold, Telltale were able to recruit DC into their portfolio of award-winning communities. Along with the likes of AMC and 2K, Telltale have shared some successful partnerships over their near two decades of empire building. Batman, luckily, was the series that embraided a few diamonds upon the Telltale throne back in 2016.

3. Tales from the Borderlands

Packing in a whole boatload of pure Borderlands charm comes the Telltale masterpiece, Tales from the Borderlands. With just as much comedy, fast-paced bullet carnage and story-driven components, this hilarious journey packs one of the biggest punches in Telltale history. Again, using an episodic formula over a gripping length of memorable stories, Tales from the Borderlands offers plenty of laughs and tears — and a whole ocean of nostalgia from the franchise we all know and adore. Plus, Patrick Warburton. Need we say more?

2. The Wolf Among Us

Sliding into the more gritty narrative with gloomier backdrops, The Wolf Among Us takes a dive into a more adult-themed story, with a twist on children's fables playing a major role along the way. Of course, that seems slightly odd to the outsider, and at face value, The Wolf Among Us can appear like a family-friendly episodic adventure. However, with Telltale's ingenious approach to clashing two worlds from different spectrums together, The Wolf Among Us forms to be the ideal concoction of powerful storytelling and childhood memorabilia. Just don't wind up the residents of Fabletown should you ever choose to venture into the shoes of the big bad wolf.

1. The Walking Dead

Upon its 2012 launch, Telltale's The Walking Dead initially aimed to live up to the enormous reputation of the AMC hit show. However, after only one episode to the ambitious port, fans were quick to fall in love with the powerful narrative and hooking characters. With genuine moments of attachment and raw emotion, The Walking Dead proved to be a successful follow up to the mighty AMC empire with its addictive drama and consequences. Like any Telltale game, the zombie flick narrowed in on players choices as the main structure to every chapter, which meant making any decision could either save or destroy a life. And, after establishing a heartwarming bond with the spirited survivors — having the power to pull the strings always proved to be a nailbiting experience every time. And yet, it's an experience we can't ever seem to get enough of even after eight years.