Alright, if you want a completely objective review of this game, then you might have to look elsewhere. Fables is the reason I am so into comics, adventure games are my favorite genre, and last year’s The Walking Dead is the only video game to ever make me break down, cry, and scream/whisper “No…” for a solid ten minutes. Yes, this game is incredible. There’s no way it wasn’t going to be. What’s surprising though, is not just how far improved The Wolf Among Us is from The Walking Dead, but how different.
“A Telltale Story.” That’s what the opening credits call The Wolf Among Us, and as with the last Telltale game, it’s completely true. The gameplay is mostly similar to The Walking Dead: choose dialogue options that will decide the outcome of the story and do well enough in quick-time events to move on to a scene where you look around, pick up objects, and talk to characters. If you’re looking for a more action-packed game, I suggest you pick up Sonic Unleashed or something. That said, the storyplay in Wolf Among Us is incredibly immersive and enough to make you forget you’re basically watching an extended cutscene with the occasional button input. All your dialogue options hold severe consequences for the story which, along with the incredible writing, will ensure you have your fingers at the ready to make the “correct” choice before the timer runs out. The action sequences are, somehow, more abundant and but still just as exciting although a little unwieldy at times (I played this on a friend’s PC which had a shoddy mouse so your mileage may vary.) Exploration scenes feel a lot more natural when you’re investigating a crime and not finding the right wrench to get out of that episode’s zombie house. So while the gameplay is very similar to The Walking Dead, the only other thing they share is the excellent writing, as Wolf Among Us turns out to be a beast of its own. Pun retroactively intended.
You are Bigby Wolf, arguable star of the Fables series and sheriff of Fabletown, investigating the first murder in Fabletown to happen in decades. The investigation itself runs into a ton of noir pratfalls (dead dames, mysterious roughnecks, bar fights) but the Fables influence keeps the story from getting too stale. Most of the game is talking to suspects or saying the right things to the right people, but the dialogue is masterfully woven into the gameplay so that, due to the timer that comes with every dialogue choice, each conversation demands the player’s attention. There is the occasional flub, as you realize too late that you’re going to say the wrong thing, but that only makes the dialogue more like real life. Unlike Walking Dead which was mostly “Keep saying stuff and make sure you don’t accidentally make fun of someone’s dead son,” the dialogue in Wolf Among Us features a bit more sleuthing, including a neat scene where you must investigate someone’s apartment and notice all the contradictions in their pleas. That particular case wasn’t too difficult, but it’s definitely something that could increase in difficulty as the episode’s come out.
Another stark contrast between the two Telltale games is just how more colorful Wolf Among Us. Free from the grungy brown/grey palette that Walking Dead (and nearly every game has,) The Wolf Among Us is a colorfully lit mystery set in that post-Nixon pre-Giuliani era of New York City. The style is incredibly defined here, especially during the gorgeous opening sequence. The graphics aren’t realistic, but a sort of cel-shaded look that works incredibly here. It almost looks like the characters are directly translated from Mark Buckingham’s pencils, especially Bigby’s expressive faces. There are the occasional glitches in the framerate, some scenes stop and go like they did in The Walking Dead, but this is not significant enough to derail the game.
Working outside of the comics, Telltale was able to incorporate some new Fables into the game and it’s a testament to their skill as storytellers that each new character feels like they could fit right in to the original series. The Woodsman, who shockingly had never been featured in the books, makes his debut here and everything about him is pure Willingham; a conflicted fairy tale character with a modern twist that doesn’t cheaply darken, but humanizes the character. The same could be said for other new characters including Mr. Toad and the titular Faith, as well as more minor characters whose names won’t be revealed. Just prepare to realize that, yes, a certain epic poem does count as a “Fable” too. On a related note, Gilgamesh will hopefully make his first appearance by Episode 3.
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Naturally, the classic Fables character feature heavily here and are written so well you could swear you just found a lost volume of the comic. Bigby, Snow White, and The Magic Mirror are all written naturally and never stray out of character. The voice actors are also perfectly suited to their roles with Bufkin, the winged monkey from Oz, delivering both one of the most devastating moments and one of the funniest. More importantly though, the setting of Wolf Among Us, roughly 20-30 years prior to the first issue of the comic, allows for a more in-depth exploration of characters who were, ahem, unavailable for a majority of the run. Colin the Pig crashes at Bigby’s apartment to act as his (kind-of) moral center, Ichabod Crane runs Fabletown with an inefficiency fans of the series never truly got to see, and Bluebeard shows up to probably be an antagonist. Seriously, this is going a little into spoiler territory, but even though Bluebeard hardly shows up there’s an option to just say “It’s probably Bluebeard, isn’t it?” Good on Telltale to refrain from any pretense, aside from the episode’s ending which Fables veterans would probably never take at face value.
The Wolf Among Us: Episode One – Faith isn’t just a game with a long title. The Wolf Among Us is set to be one of the greatest games going into 2014 and one you should, without question keep an eye on. The plot (which I refrained from talking too much about because it’s best experienced completely fresh) is tightly plotted, with threads of what’s to come in the series ominously placed. Some choices seem to lead to completely arbitrary consequences, but that’s the way life works. You’re not automatically praised for making the “moral” decision, you just need to make a decision in the moment and live with it. This may sound like a frustrating choice, but really all it does is enable the boldness for Telltale’s vision. The Wolf Among Us is not a comfortable game to play, but it is intelligent, thrilling, and a massively significant game that should be in everyone’s contender list. I’m sure that, as new episodes come forward, the praise will only grow.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy, even if you’re a Fables newbie.
