The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4 Review

Is the penultimate episode of TellTale's Fables franchise worth sinking your teeth into?

A fatal flaw of many second-to-last entries of a series is that they usually only serve to hype up their finales, and so are often victims of originality and little plot development. This is partly the case for Episode 4 of 'The Wolf Among Us', which has already had it's fair share of dull moments throughout it's steady release pattern.

Though the majority of 'In Sheep's Clothing' serves as exposition for the series' final chapter, Episode 4 has a few stand out moments that'll keep the player interested. We're immediately reminded of the events of the night before, being forced to grimace our way through a button mashing sequence to repair a bloodied and bruised Bigby's broken arm. It's an opening that certainly pulls you back into the danger our main characters are facing, though the tension quickly dies down and we're faced with a lengthy dialogue driven encounter with Snow White and your porky flatmate Colin. In fact, several sections of this episode are driven by character interactions; with some being more bearable to sit through than others. Your encounter with Beauty and the Beast in particular is a bore to endure, as their sympathetic portrayal from previous episodes is completely reversed and are suddenly depicted as one-dimensional spoiled brats. 

Most of the characters also continue to be oblivious to the player's previous choices, as noted in my review of Episode 3 here, with very little dialogue variation on this part. There are a few more choices to make within this episode that will undoubtedly affect the player's experience in Episode 5, but it's a pity we have to wait for the finale to see our minor decisions come into play.

This episode does however contain another multiple choice segment, with each path, although both ultimately coming to the same conclusion, offering unique interactions and dialogue for the player. This certainly makes the user's journey more adapted to their playstyle and specific to their choices from throughout the series. It can be noted though that your choice here does not alter the overall outcome - Bigby still learns the same information either way. Although a neat addition to the series' gameplay, it would be better for future installments if these 50/50 choices had a greater impact on the overall story; the best of which was in Episode 1, but even then, the character in question has only appeared once in the series if you managed to save them, having no impact whatsoever on your journey.

There's also very little actual detective work within this episode - a lot of the revelations made were ones that I'd deduced of my own accord, and few answers are obtained for the more important questions at hand. Unlike previous installments, the player doesn't have the option to deduce the evidence through their dialogue choices, which I found to be one of the more interesting aspects of investigation throughout the series. It's for this reason that very little really progresses story wise within the episode, which means there's a lot to wrap up in the upcoming finale. 

However that doesn't mean the episode is without it's thrills. There's an excellent fight sequence where you face off against the fantastically designed Jersey Devil, another of the Crooked Man's goons, in a heart pounding quick time event, where you'll get some much needed help from an old friend. It's also key to note that the actual climax of the episode is incredibly successful at building up suspense and creating a very unsettling atmosphere for the player, and really hypes up the series' final episode. Just make sure you choose to 'Smoke' as your final option - you won't regret the fantastic cliffhanger you'll receive for it. 

Ultimately, Episode 4 of The Wolf Among Us is very hit and miss in terms of both gameplay and story, which leaves a lot to be desired. It's up to the final chapter then to give us a gut wrenching conclusion to TellTale's fairytale noir, where we can hopefully see all of our choices come into play when the case is finally closed. 

Score: 6/10

The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 Review

TellTale Games have huffed, puffed and blown me away with this fantastic first chapter of their adaptation of the comic series, 'Fables'.

 

 

After the huge success of The Walking Dead, developers TellTale Games had a vast amount of pressure placed upon them when coming up with their latest comic adaptation, The Wolf Among Us. Following the typical TellTale point-n-click style, Episode 1: 'Faith' gives us a flavour of what is to come over the series; and so far, it's delicious.

 

Having no prior experience to the comics, I found myself getting easily immersed into this fantastic world. The concept is ingenious, with fairytale characters residing in a modern day New York, trying to blend in with society whilst the Big Bad Wolf, now going by the name of Bigby, keeps order amongst the 'Fables' as Sheriff, all the while tying to make himself, and others, forget his past crimes. There's plenty of cameos from folklore throughout the story, and dozens of possibilities that can be had with these characters in the long run. Perhaps a fan of the comics is indifferent to the pre-existing set up, but I for one fell in love.

 

Although the game takes many pointers from its critically acclaimed predecessor, I find it hard to actually compare the two. Whereas in The Walking Dead the players choices ultimately decided their survival, The Wolf Among Us focuses on detective work, making it necessary to look for clues, and makes the way you interact with characters even more crucial; say the wrong thing at the wrong time and you could loose a valuable piece of information for your case.

 

Similarly, the choices you make now are even greater from the get go - merely halfway through do we get 50/50 choice, with both paths giving you their own clues to the mystery, but also withholding information that could help you later in the narrative.

 

 

Another huge improvement is the combat. Gone are the stressful button mashing sessions (though some still remain), but instead timed ones, making the action sequences flow seamlessly and completely immersing the player into the conflict. Don't rule out those jump scares either.

 

The actual narrative and characters of the episode are fantastic; I find myself preferring our protagonist here to TWD's Lee - with the latter, I could never see him as the killer he supposedly was. Here, you can see the regret Bigby has for his past offences as his animal form, and depending on how you play, his attempts to become trusted again within the community. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Joel from The Last Of Us, a lost soul who can only gain redemption through fear. The supporting cast are also a treat, with a not-so-heroic Woodsman, cocky Magic Mirror, and foul mouthed Toad all rounding off what is a grim yet still intriguing universe.

 

My favourite aspect of this game however is the design. The sketchy character models, the dark lighting, the garish contrast of purple and yellow colour schemes - it's outstanding. I have no hesitation in saying this is one of the best looking games I've played in a while; although TWD broke the mould of only 'realistic' video games being any good, The Wolf Among Us shatters it completely, blending unique cartoonish qualities with the edgy streets of urban New York - even the designs stand out, with classic storytime characters getting a gorgeously grim makeover.

 

 

Having chosen what I felt was the right final option, the episode ends on a cliffhanger that I don't think anyone saw coming, setting up what looks to be a great series. Masterfully building upon the foundations of its predecessor, The Wolf Among Us not only stands on its own, but completely towers over the former in terms of the player's choices and narrative. I didn't even experience any technical issues this time around. I eagerly await for Episode 2, and hope it kicks as much fur-covered ass as this one. My only complaint? The title sucks.

 

Score: 10/10