If you're familiar with fairy tales - and no, I'm not talking Disney - you should know that folklore often dives into dark territory. Tales were often told to children centuries ago as cautionary lessons, and in doing so, they boasted themes rich in racism, incest, murder, and veiled allegories of sexual awakening. 1
So in that regard, you might say that Telltale's recent release The Wolf Among Us, with its dark themes and shifty characters, might resemble a modern-day fairy tale more than, say, Brave. Not to say that The Wolf Among Us is for kids, though. Because it's not.
The Wolf Among Us is the latest in episodic storytelling from Telltale Games. It's based on Bill Willingham's comic series Fables. Don't worry, for those who haven't read the series (myself included), you won't be missing anything here as The Wolf Among Us is a prequel of sorts.
Long story short, in Fables all fairy tale characters have been run out of their homeland by war and are forced to take up refuge in New York City. There, they disguise themselves as regular old humans (mundane folk - or mundies, as they're called). This is easier for some more than others - anyone that doesn't look human must disguise themselves using the help of an expensive spell called glamour or risk being sent to The Farm, a remote hiding place in upstate New York.
In the first episode of The Wolf Among Us, you roam the streets as Bigby Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf-turned sheriff of Fabletown and protector of its inhabitants. Rather than protecting Fables from the outside world, however, you spend most of your time protecting them from one another.
Fables are immortal. They are very hard, but not impossible, to kill. It doesn't happen often. So when one Fable turns up dead on your very doorstep, it's up to you to solve the murder.
At its core, The Wolf Among Us is a detective story. Situations, places, and people are complicated, and everyone is a suspect. Interactions aren't ever black and white. Choose what you consider the "nice" response to a character during a conversation, and you might not receive a nice response in return. Not all actions have immediate consequences. In Episode One, most don't.
Voice acting is excellent (Mr. Toad and Bigby in particular), and characters are colorful and complex. The Woodsman has hero syndrome. Once savior to Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, his failure to gain fame for his actions has left him with a penchant for abusing alcohol and women in equal measure. Mr. Toad is a passive aggressive, foul-mouthed slumlord who also happens to be a loving and protective father to his son. As assistant to the mayor, Snow White struggles to help her community while managing self-esteem issues after a messy divorce. For residents of Fabletown, life is anything but simple as they juggle their former identities with who they are now in a modern and dangerous refuge. These outer entanglements are reflected in their unbalanced personalities and actions.
In my second playthrough I took the rough approach to playing Bigby, experimenting with which characters I could boss around. I was pleasantly surprised at how differently certain events can play out depending on what choices you make, even going so far as skipping entire puzzle sequences if you're enough of a jerk. Divergent choices and outcomes offered to the player add to the tailored nature of the game.
Atmosphere is one of Wolf's top strengths. It is New York in the 1980s, an era riddled with crime, drugs, and racial tension. In the first scene, Bigby is riding in the back seat of a taxi. The city is painted in vibrant purples and blues, and street lamps cast yellow circles of light on the pavement below. Cel-shaded graphics with heavy black outlines mirror the game's comic roots effectively.
Inevitably the game invites comparisons to its Telltale-produced and wildly successful predecessor, The Walking Dead. Does The Wolf Among Us compare? It's too soon to tell, but so far it certainly stands a chance.
Combat, for one, is an improvement in The Wolf Among Us over previous Telltale titles. Nearly all combat maneuvers are quick-time events, resulting in a more intense and rewarding experience. More varied button prompts mean more of a challenge. Fighting with Bigby is fun.
Reviewers who are familiar with the Fables series have whined that there isn't enough backstory included ("why isn't the Adversary mentioned?"), but as a newcomer to the series, it was just enough for me - a well-balanced amount of backstory that kept me both informed and wanting more. Others have mentioned that the narrative of The Wolf Among Us is too similar to the story told in the beginning of the comics. I've no idea if this is true, but if it is I'd say that's a reasonable complaint. Whatever the case, you can be sure that I'm reading the comics after finishing the game.
There are a handful of misses. I played The Wolf Among Us on Playstation 3 and encountered a few glitches, but nothing sinister. Voice syncing was delayed a few times. An inventory can be considered a quintessential part of an adventure game but in Wolf, its uses are few as objects can only be used contextually within dialogue or actions - no inspecting items up close or hearing Bigby's thoughts on them. Perhaps we'll see the inventory feature better integrated in future episodes.
Also, Episode One is short. It took me about three hours to play, but others have complained of a two hour playthrough. With something this good, we need a bit more - four hours is a reasonable length.
Whatever the flaws in The Wolf Among Us, the game's strengths outnumber them tenfold, resulting in a unique and engaging experience. I'm hopeful for what the next episode will bring.
A thoroughly engaging chapter replete with interesting and complex characters, solid story, and stunning atmosphere. Albeit a bit short and inconclusive in its own right, The Wolf Among Us Episode One: Faith is a must-play for anyone looking for the beginnings of an immersive adventure.
8/10
1 "The Jew in the Brambles", Chronicon Lethrense, "Mother Trudy", and "Briar Rose", respectively.↩
