Hot off the heels of a successful second season debut, independent video game developer Telltale has once again hit it out of the park. As perhaps the best episode in the critically-acclaimed series, “A House Divided” expresses all the reasons why we love “The Walking Dead.” Featuring a new, chilling villain, a welcome return of a Season 1 character, and plenty of gore, emotion, and tension, “A House Divided” will pull in players and leave them in great anticipation for the next episode.

Unfortunately, the same technical issues that plagued other “The Walking Dead” episodes return in “A House Divided.” Beyond the severe frame rate drops and awkward scene switching, “A House Divided” contains a couple subtitle inconsistencies and inaccurate lip-syncing. While these flaws do not make the game unplayable in any way, they are an oversight that is most unwelcome. Most glaringly of all, there was a scene in the next episode preview where characters were silhouetted against a completely white background, leaving the player with no idea what was going on or what the preview was supposed to tease. A glitch of this severity is inexcusable, no matter how good the game is itself.

Thankfully, there is much more to “A House Divided” than graphical faults. Its story and characterization are top-notch, making it a perfect set-up for events further into this season. A new antagonist, only briefly mentioned in the first episode, is revealed as Carver, a gravelly-voiced psychopath with ties to the group’s past. Carver is intimidating even before he takes action against the group, thanks to excellent voice-acting by Michael Madsen. The first encounter between Clementine and Carver is tense, showing the maturity of young Clementine and Carver’s seriousness, frightening nature.

While the previous episode, “All That Remains,” took place solely in the woods, “A House Divided” treats its players to a variety of locations. Leaving the cabin far behind, Clementine and her new companions travel to a mysterious mountain to escape Carver and his band of followers. A dangerous and thrilling bridge scene, a marvelous, vast landscape, and a deceivingly peaceful country lodge are the environmental highlights of “A House Divided”; the variety is a much welcomed break from the monotony of “All That Remains.”

For the first time, Telltale has focused on making player choices really matter. As seen before in video games, the idea of “pseudo-choice,” where player’s decisions really don’t necessarily have an impact one way or another, are replaced with actual meaning and weight behind difficult choices. This means a player’s decision to kill a character in “All That Remains” really does make “A House Divided” feel unique; dialogue and character interactions will be different depending on player choice. No two players will have the same experience, furthering its replay value and promoting discussion.

“A House Divided” is particularly noteworthy due to the perfectly frantic pace at which the plot unfolds. Seeing Clementine escape the previous episode’s walker attack provides the episode with a thrilling introduction, and the subsequent aforementioned bridge scene is sure to be a fan favorite. However, it is when the group reaches a pleasant, festive ski lodge that the episodes goes full throttle. Not only does a Season 1 character return, but Carver catches up with the group and immediately brings chaos and tension to the situation. Depending on player choice, the confrontation between the two groups can be disastrous, with several characters perishing or otherwise meeting grim fates.

“A House Divided” fulfills every player expectation, at least plot-wise, an especially daunting task considering the high standard set by “All That Remains.” Even though the persistent graphical glitches are present (maybe by Season 3 these will be ironed out), this shouldn’t detract fans from experiencing the compelling storyline “A House Divided” delivers. Carver is set to become a memorable, truly terrifying villain in “The Walking Dead” universe, and Clementine proves to be a consistently interesting and well-written character. Returning characters and gruesome action scenes is the icing on the cake. At $5, you really can’t go wrong with this episode.

Grade: A