Hunting the Huntsman - The Wolf Among Us Episode 1: Faith Review
The follow-up to Telltale's 2012 award-winning adventure The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us sees the player thrust headlong into a mature, gritty world of fairy tales and monsters, set against the backdrop of New York City. One moment you're breaking up a domestic disturbance caused by The Woodsman, the next you're asking The Magic Mirror questions while an alcoholic monkey from The Wizard of Oz tries to find a book for you. Based on the Fables comic book by Bill Willingham, the world of The Wolf Among Us is a dark and fully-realized one which requires no previous knowledge of the comic to fully enjoy (I didn't even know it existed until about a week ago!)
As Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of an exiled convent of children's story characters, you're tasked with maintaining order and making tough decisions that almost never pan out the way you expected -- characters will sometimes live and die by the choices you make. These choices lie at the heart of The Wolf Among Us, and are a testament to how proficient Telltale has become at writing and telling stories.
The premise seemed a little hokey at first, but it grew on me very quickly. Fairy tale characters known as Fables were tossed out from their respective worlds and made their way to Earth, and now hide in plain sight from the prying eyes of the Mundies (the mundane, every-day citizens of the world.) These characters, who once had a "happily every after," are reduced to alcoholism, prostitution, and the woes of the normal world. It seems kind of silly at first, but it's rife with intrigue, and the subtle noir undertones that permeate the story throughout really aid the style of narrative Telltale is trying to convey.
Telltale isn't shy about action sequences this time around, and for the most part, they work really well (no more sniping segments); there were a few hiccups here and there, but they didn't really impact the story in any meaningful way that I could see. These scenes are really well choreographed, too, and it's very satisfying to be the one playing them out. Do you reach for the lamp to beat him over the head, or do you rush him and knock him into the sink? These small choices make segments like this far more rewarding, and I found myself going back and playing them two or three times to see what else I could do.
I really enjoyed the art style of Telltale's games by the end of The Walking Dead, and The Wolf Among Us is no exception; it's likely due to the fact that both of the source materials in question were originally comics. Wonderful lighting and some technical wizardry really make its visual style pop, and even seeing images of the game, you know who developed it. There are, unfortunately, a few technical hiccups. Frame-rate drops in some of the action sequences made me worried that I would miss a button prompt, and sometimes unresponsive button presses in dialogue had me frantically tapping the choice I wanted. Facial expressions are also somewhat awkward on occasion; at one point Snow White expressed sadness, happiness, and frustration all in one three-second window. These minor issues did not detract from my enjoyment of the game, however; they were just somewhat worrisome.
Overall, The Wolf Among Us is another outstanding example of a mature story told well. Brilliant voice acting, terrific writing, and a great sense of place in the world secure its spot as one of the best adventure games this year.