Just a little note before I get into the review proper, This review contains spoilers after the first episode because it’s almost impossible to be candid about the whole plot of an episodic series. As such, I wouldn’t eccommend reading past the next episode you were planning on playing.
Now that’s out of the way, here’s the Lemming’s verdict on TellTale’s latest episodic adventure The Wolf Among Us.
If you’ve ever played Telltale’s series based on The Walking Dead you’ll instantly feel at home with their latest comic book adaptation based on Bill Willingham’s Fables – The Wolf Among Us.
Mechanically the games are incredibly similar, both featuring the same mix of QTE action sequences, the same ‘choose your own adventure’ style storytelling and the same timed conversations that force a gut reaction from players instead of enabling them to consider the response that would create the ‘best’ outcome.
However, The Wolf Among Us is a much more refined game than TWD, the dialogue is sharper, the action sequences feel much more alive, kinetic and have a flow to them that was lacking in The Walking Dead, if you screw up Bigby will literally roll with the punches rather than become a broken mess on the floor. As such the trial and error that plagued Lee and Clementine’s adventure is gone and the QTEs as a result are more exciting and less of a chore.
The Wolf Among Us also has the same beautiful cel shaded aesthetic as The Walking Dead, which yet again makes the action on screen look like a comic book come to life. However, instead of the dreary, mostly muted shades that dominated the Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us is composed of a stark contrast of neon pinks and yellows with dark hues and drab backgrounds that compliment the game’s 80’s neo-noir narrative.
The Wolf Among Us explores the trials and tribulations of a clandestine gated community in New York made up of characters from various fairytales and folk tales that have been forced into exile after their homelands were conquered by a mysterious figure known as ‘The Adversary’.
Players take on the role of Bigby Wolf AKA The Big Bad Wolf, who now acts as the Sheriff of Fabletown hired by the Mayor’s assistant Ichabod Crane and accompanied by Snow White, it is his job to keep the peace and ensure that the human world doesn’t discover the Fables existence.
In order to go unnoticed some Fables, including Bigby, are required to use spells known as ‘Glamours’ which make them appear human. However, the spell isn’t permanent and they’re not free. Fables that can’t keep themselves hidden are sent to the Farm a facility for various magical beings that cannot fit into regular human society, many non-human fables have to resort to desperate measures in order to be able to keep up their payments so that they don’t end up at the Farm.
As such, there’s a noticeable gulf both socially and economically between those that can easily blend into human society and those that can’t. Needless to say tensions are running high and Bigby, thanks to his chequered past as well as being seen by many as the attack dog of an uncaring ruling elite, has his work cut out for him.
Episode 1: Faith 4.5/5
Responding to a call from Mr.Toad , formerly of Toad Hall, Bigby arrives at a run-down apartment complex to find a three foot tall toad having a smoke in the hallway.
Thus begins Bigby’s quest to keep order, and your first major decision. Do you let Toad off? Or go by the book? Are you sympathetic? Or not give a damn?
It’s clear from the off that The Wolf Among Us is a very different beast to The Walking Dead. Whilst both game’s central protagonists would rather leave their pasts behind them, unlike Lee, Bigby has no choice but to own his past misdeeds. The other characters are aware of his past, and his reputation precedes him. This is exemplified in Faith’s opening in which Bigby has an altercation with a drunk Woodsman (of Red Riding hood fame) who clearly bears a grudge and refuses to accept Bigby’s authority. Bigby’s past even follows him as he returns to his apartment to find that Colin: one of the three little pigs, has escaped from the Farm and taken refuge in his apartment, insisting that Bigby doesn’t turn him in because he owes him for destroying his home.
As such, Bigby is caught between his past and his new life in Manhattan. He’s been hired by the ruling class of Fabletown because his reputation for violence and his past actions in the Homelands instils fear into everyone he encounters. However, it’s clear from the outset that Bigby is sick of being the big bad wolf and is constantly battling against the preconceptions of everyone around him. Wanting nothing more than for people to see past his reputation, for example, in a particularly touching scene after Bigby saves the titular Faith from the Woodsman she remarks – “You’re not as bad as people say you are”. Aside from Faith the only other person who sees past Bigby’s gruff exterior is Snow, who Bigby clearly cares dearly for, even if he doesn’t know how to show it as demonstrated during a incredibly awkward but sweet exchange during a taxi ride.
Then again, maybe this is just my Bigby. The choose your own adventure elements of The Wolf Among Us seems to be much more refined than the Walking Dead. Your decisions have a more profound and immediate effect upon your interpersonal relationships and other micro elements of the game. The consequences of your choices also come into play a lot sooner. For example, one act of kindness during the game’s opening will leave you short later on. How you talk to a character early on will affect how cooperative they are later on and so on.
Overall, Faith is an incredibly promising start to a series that could turn out to be Telltale’s best yet, and further proof (if any were needed) of their mastery of the Adventure genre, regardless of the source material.
Episode 2: Smoke & Mirrors 4/5
After the kick in the nuts cliff-hanger that concluded Faith, Bigby is left reeling, finding himself hauled in for questioning by the NYPD. Luckily, this doesn’t last long as Crane rescues our hero using a charm to knock out an entire police department and wipe their memories of the past 24 hours, including all knowledge of the Fable murders that Bigby is currently investigating.
Returning to the sewers beneath town hall , Crane and Bigby, along with a rather blood thirsty Black Beard interrogate whoever you chose to detain at the end of episode 1, what tactics you chose to employ are entirely up to you.
After the interrogation is finished, the chapter begins proper and with it, the dawning realisation that nothing is quite what it seems in the Fables Universe.
The episode’s title – ’Smoke & Mirrors’ is particularly apt, as over the course of the two-ish hours that make up the second episode, Bigby is tasked with unravelling the deepening conspiracy surrounding the murders as well as uncovering a few more in the process.
The episode’s stand out scene though, is when Bigby ventures to the Pudding and Pie club run by Georgie Porgie: a slimy pimp, who I’m sure delights in making the girls cry. The back and forth between the two feels like something out of The Sweeny, complete with Bigby potentially smashing up the place to the protestations of the slimy little hoodlum for testing your patience, I have to admit that my usually calm Wolf did trash his club, simply because I didn’t like the bastard!
Although Smoke & Mirrors has a more straightforward and less action packed narrative than Faith, It does do a great job of elevating Bigby’s character to that of a detective rather than the mere enforcer that he appeared to be in Faith. This is highlighted in several scenes in which you decipher clues, solve puzzles and use evidence found within the environment to profile the killer and create new leads. I found these particularly enjoyable and a nice counterpoint to the previous episodes focus on action.
Though Smoke & Mirrors doesn’t have the same impact that Faith did, it is still a strong episode in its own right that gives players a deeper understanding of both Bigby’s own inner turmoil as well as that present within Fabletown itself. Unravelling some of the previous episodes mysteries as well as adding even more intrigue to the proceedings, leaving players counting the days until the next exciting episode arrives.
Episode 3: A Crooked Mile 4/5
You can only prod any animal in the face with a stick so many times before it bares its teeth and attacks. Bigby Wolf has spent the last two episodes being metaphorically prodded over and over again, insulted, attacked and generally abused. Put simply, A Crooked Mile is the episode in which Bigby Wolf finally bites back.
Starting literally where Smoke and Mirrors ended, Bigby rushes to find Snow, fearing for her safety after finding evidence at the scene of Lily’s murder implicating Crane as the killer. Brushing off Beauty and Beast, his only concern is getting to Snow before Crane does something drastic.
Eventually he tracks Snow down to Lily’s funeral where she is giving the eulogy. How you deal with the tricky situation that follows is entirely up to you. How do you delicately tell someone that their boss has been paying prostitutes to pretend to be you, and that his obsession has turned violent, and that as a result he’s probably going to make an attempt on their life? You can’t. It’s impossible.
What’s more the family and friends of the girl he apparently killed to sate his lusts for you are there as well, do you tell them your suspicions? Surely you owe them that much.
After a very awkward conversation and a moment’s reconciliation between all the parties concerned, the Dees turn up to have a little chat with the sheriff, and as you would expect, everything goes to hell.
The best way to describe the episode is that you’re basically damned whatever you do. Crane is on the lamb and has irreparably damaged the magic mirror so he can’t be tracked; the only thing Bigby and Snow know is that Crane is going to see the witch he got the black market glamours from at 4am. The problem is they don’t know who or where she is. It’s then up to you to choose which of three possible places to go in order to look for clues. Bluebeard turns up as aggressive as ever, before deciding he’ll go to one of the places that you don’t in order to speed up the investigation, by speed up he means destroy anything useful before you get there. This little twist gives players a palpable consequence to their decisions and also gives you a sense that you can make the wrong choice. Although this being a Telltale game you will end up where the story wants you to, one way or another.
There’s a fantastic sense of pace and a hell of a lot is squeezed into the episode’s 90 minute run time as well as doing a brilliant job of further fleshing out the series tertiary characters in several touching scenes. My personal favourite being a scene in which Bigby once again returns to Holly’s bar to look through Lily’s belongings and in the process shares a drink with Gren and Holly questions Bigby’s actions and motivations whilst sleep talking.
It also does a wonderful job of showing a different side to Snow. Throughout the rest of the series she’s been the voice of reason, but in a Crooked Mile she’s pissed and rightly so. Snow’s anger is palpable, she wants Crane and anyone associated with his misdeeds to suffer and justifiably so. You can see the patience draining from the pair of them and they had very little to begin with. By the end of the episode Bigby doesn’t even attempt to be tactful and Snow doesn’t seem to care, at one point you’re given the option to either tell Georgie to fuck off or skip the pleasantries and simply deck the slimy bastard instead.
The episode culminates in an action packed and suitably brutal finale, bringing the games first half to a satisfying close and once again leaving me counting down the days till the next episodes release.
Episode 4: In Sheeps Clothing 4.5/5
What is it with Telltale and DIY surgery? First Clem staples herself back together and now Bigby gets to set his own arm in the excruciating opening to Episode 4, in which he lays broken after getting his ass handed to him by the psychotic Bloody Mary, during the conclusion of A Crooked Mile
The penultimate episode of The Wolf Among Us once again shows Telltale at the top of their game, as the pieces both figuratively and, in the case of the magic mirror, literally begin to fall into place as the mystery begins to unravel in Bigby’s hunt for the illusive Crooked Man.
The writing and presentation in this episode is some of the best I’ve seen, not only in this particular series but from Telltale thus far.
In particular in an incredibly touching and delicate scene between Bigby and Snow in which you can tell just how Snow feels by the look on her face, despite how guarded both characters remain. It’s this kind of attention to detail that makes the games interactions so enchanting.
Once again players are also forced prioritise which avenue of investigation Bigby pursues first. Choosing between the Lucky Pawn run by the Jersey Devil or the butcher’s shop on Dreary lane, you know the one next to the bakery and the candle shop, owned by the downtrodden Johan who, like half of Fable town it seems, has become caught up in the Crooked Man’s schemes.
It is worth noting though that unlike episode 3 the other isn’t closed off to you once you’ve gone to the other, however events do once again change slightly depending on where you end up first.
I opted to go to the butcher’s first which went rather smoothly, the same cannot be said of Bigby’s time at the Lucky Pawn in which he gets in a brawl with the Jersey Devil after sticking up for the Woodsman who’s axe has been stolen and he suspects it’s been sold to the shop.
The brawl itself is also the only major action scene in the episode, but also the best in the series, visceral, exciting, and spectacular to watch, as the two powerful figures go toe to toe, whilst tearing the shop apart. You can also chose to take the Jersey Devil’s side, but where’s the fun and sense of dramatic irony in that?
Put simply, if you haven’t caught up on the Wolf among Us by now, you need to stop wasting your time reading this review and get straight to playing this latest episode. The Walking Dead may have been having troubles finding its feet this season but The Wolf Among Us has gone from strength to strength.
Episode 5: Cry Wolf 4.5/5
I have to admit I have been putting off playing the last episode of The Wolf Among Us, For the simple reason that once it’s over, I know that we’re to going to have to wait a bloody age to see season 2, if ever. Thus far, this has easily been my favourite Telltale Game.
Episode 5, or the climax to the series that proves games can do gritty without having to continually shit on the main protagonist from a great height, just rough him up a bit from time to time as I now like to think of it, starts with surprisingly patient protagonist, Bigby Wolf finish his pre ass kicking cigarette ready to finally take down the illusive and theatrically evil, (even down to the twiddly moustache and upper class English accent) bastard behind all of this sorry mess, The Crooked Man.
However, things don’t go as planned (or else there wouldn’t be much of an episode) and after a brief bit of exposition, the shower of bastards and time wasters from the previous episodes all descend on Bigby en mass, as The Crooked Man makes a break for it through a magical portal.
After a brief bout of fisticuffs, Bigby is transported back to reality so to speak, at which point the main suspects split up and you have to choose which set of ne’er-do-wells to chase after. Not that you’d notice at the time, as ‘Cry Wolf’ organically integrates elements of choice into every scene. It’s not until afterwards and you see the big long list o’ diverging paths, so to speak, that you realise they were there at all.
Of course there are also plenty of overt ones as well, like whether to forgo any attempts at diplomacy whenever anyone even attempts to open their mouth and just twat every man, woman and cockney frog. Almost every conversation you have seems give you an opportunity to lamp every character that so much as called you a dick at some point, and by god it’s tempting to push it at times. In many ways it’s an almost constant reminder of Bigby’s own inner turmoil, and struggle to overcome his own violent nature.
This comes crashing to the fore once you finally catch up with the Crooked Man and you are left with the biggest decision of the whole series, what do you do with him? Do you give in to your own violent whims and kill him, thus robbing the town of any sense of justice or do you bring him to trial for his crimes and let the town decide.
Every decision you’ve made up until this point and every relationship Bigby has fostered for good or ill, is referenced to some extent during the climactic trial scene, in a similar manner to the scene with the stranger at the end of The Walking Dead. However, it’s presented in a much more refined manner, with a large portion of the game’s cast either siding with you or against you based upon your previous decisions rather than some creepy bastard popping by just to remind you what an incompetent amoral fuck you are.
Maybe it’s a little unfair to compare the two, aside from both being adventure games made by the same developer, with the same engine, with the same core game play they have very little in common. One is about a group of humans trying to figure out to survive in a world now run by monsters and failing miserably, whilst The Wolf Among Us is about a monster trying to curb his brutal instincts and live peacefully in the human world. See, totally different… Ok maybe not.
With the Walking Dead Telltale finally found a way to successfully marry its lofty narrative goals. The Wolf Among Us proves its not a fluke, well it does if you’re an idiot who had never played any of their previous games. Successfully adapting other people’s creative works and creating something new and exciting is just what Telltale do. From Sam and Max to Strong Bad to Wallace and Gromit, it’s not like it was their biggest IP either, remember they were fresh from creating games based on Jurassic Park and Back to the Future. Two of the most iconic movies of the majority of gamer’s childhoods.
There’s a clear evolution from that runs from Sam and Max through to Jurassic Park and lands firmly at The Wolf Among Us. With each new game refining the formula further until we have one of the most refined narrative delivery systems in the world of gaming since the chose your own adventure book.
It’s well written, bitter sweet and a one of the strongest character pieces I’ve ever had the pleasure to play through. The finale may not have the same guttural impact as the finale of season one of The Waking Dead did, but in many ways felt far more satisfying. Sure you’re left to ponder whether Bigby’s actions actually changed anything in the grand scheme of things, but at least you can see that your actions, for the best part, have changed Fabletown hopefully for the better.
If the Wolf Among Us had a morale it would be that No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. IN a game where you play a Sheriff stuck working as part of a broken system, in an uncaring world, that’s probably the best you could hope for.
