Game: The Wolf Among Us
Platform: PC, Xbox, PS3
Publisher/Developer: Telltale Games
Genre: Graphic Adventure
Describe This Game in Four Words: You're Sending the Wolf?
Plot: In the Fables universe the figures of fairytale and legend have fled from their Homelands to live incognito in New York City. Order among them is maintained by Bigby Wolf, the former Big Bad Wolf now-turned lycanthrope who sniffs out crime and keeps it quiet from the mundane world. This time, Bigby finds himself drawn into a murder plot centering on his old foe The Woodsman and a mysterious and beautiful working girl who winds up dead.
Up, Up: Apologies to readers, as your PS3 gamer had to wait until this week to play because apparently Xbox and PC gamers are more special than us and get a Friday release date.
First things first, we have to talk about how awesome it is that someone, anyone did something with Fables and did it so well. Did the premise I stated above sound like Once Upon a Time? Well, it should. ABC optioned Fables and chickened out, turning in that piece of garbage show instead.
Here instead we have Bill Willngham's remarkable style in all its glory, and it is a triumph of adaptation for several reasons. The first is that it's an original episodic adventure that predates the first trade paperback, Legends in Exile. The result is like those early books in that they play out like a classic pulp noir adventure.
The game grips you instantly. Much like Telltale did previous with The Walking Dead though I would argue that The Wolf Among Us is slightly better in terms of execution and addictiveness. Bigby is a hell of a protagonist that should already be better regarded in comics than he is, and the role he plays as a detective who isn't afraid to get his claws dirty.
Unlike something like Beyond: Two Souls that just came out, the fact you're essentially playing an interactive movie more than a game is actually a plus. Part of it is the mystery setting, which actually lends itself well to the genre, but part of it is also that Wolf Among Us goes out if its way to world build and let you know the consequences of your choices immediately... to say nothing of offering those choices and a bit more freedom to explore at a much more consistently paced manner.
Piece continues on next page.
