Telltale has moved their focus off of Walking Dead just long enough to provide us with another gritty piece of episodic genius. “The Wolf Among Us”, based on Bill Willingham’s “Fables”, is a gritty 80’s cop drama chock full of fairy tale characters, and should not be missed. Playing as the Big Bad Wolf, called Big B by the cast, you are investigating the murder of a mysterious fable after her head is left at your front door.
The cell-shaded animation plays perfectly to the story and style. The soundtrack drives the experience forward flawlessly setting the tone for New York where these Fables are hiding out. The art-style tied to a diverse, and at times grotesque crew of characters lends to a world of intrigue that we haven’t seen anywhere else. Ranging from the angry and vitrolic Ichabod Crane (who is most assuredly involved in something evil) to the drunk and lazy Colin the pig (who happens to be the Big Bad Wolf’s roomate), there is no lack of interesting characters.
Photo: The Big Bad Wolf and Colin
Generally I find myself unmotivated to run through anything a second time but The Wolf Among Us has me starting play through number two as fast as I can manage. My first go at the game was mostly as a friendly version of Big B. I want to see just how bad I can make him. I’m not saying that I want to tear a guy’s arm off, but collateral damage happens when you’re saving murder victims.
Photo: Ichabod is a little tense
At $4.99 an episode or $24.99 for the bundle this game is a steal. Play through number one only took me about 3 hours and there is definitely room for at least 2 more to get all the various changes which will include different relationships and controlling who lives, or dies. The characters are fabulous, and the game has a solid amount of reference and humor. Watching Big B interact with the magic mirror is worth redoing several times. Game play mechanics are perfect for the genre, and combat is stressful and taxing. The encounters leave you breathless and are more challenging than anticipated; luckily the Wolf can take a heavy beating. Telltale has been batting a thousand since they released “The Walking Dead” and this is another example, get on board quick you won’t be disappointed.