Big Trouble in FabletownEver since playing the first
Walking Dead game by Telltale Games (Thanks free games with gold!), I've been fascinated by these type of storytelling games and wanted to play more. The gameplay is very straightforward and while I did have one little scene in TWD where I found it hard to progress, you cant make many mistakes that will stop you from continuing the story.
It is all about the choices you make; choices that will influence later scenes. Sure there are action scenes where you have to fight for your life or maybe chase someone down the street, but if you die here, you will just be given another chance to succeed. I like that sort of gameplay, and for this type of game, it works really well.
I've had my eye on
The Wolf Among Us for a while now, so when it appeared among the free games with gold for April... I picked it up and completed it in 10 hours over 2 days.
Anyways, let's get on with the story...
The StoryYou are Bigby Wolf, the Sheriff of Fabletown. A man or rather... wolf with a past. Fables (the name for the creatures who live in Fabletown) don't like you much, and how could you blame them? In the past you have eaten countless people and destroyed peoples homes, but things have changed... you have changed!
You are the Sheriff now and take your responsibilities seriously. So when someone call you up, lets say... Toad (yeah, the annoying character from the wind in the willows) and say that there are people fighting in his apartment, you come running to check it out.
This is how the story start, with you saving the life of a young woman called Faith, only to find her head outside your home not long after. Was it really the Woodsman who did it, the one who was fighting Faith in her home, or is there something else going on here?
Whatever it is, it is not easy to figure out and it is also far from over. Soon another head turns up and then you have a potential seriel killer on your hand.
GameplayAs with any Telltale Game, you are part of a story that is being told. This means that you can't just go anywhere you please and do whatever.
If you are looking for a sandbox game... this is NOT it.What you can control are most of your dialogue choices, and this is where the game gets interesting. Will you piss someone off or help them? Becoming friends with someone might help you later on, or make life harder on you. At the end of the day, though, the story will unfold regardless of what choice you make, but you control how the Fables view Bigby Wolf, and that can be quite fun as well.
Along the way you will have the opportunity to explore your surroundings a bit, like when you investigate a crime scene to figure out what has happened. Again, the right choices are easily highlighted, so don't worry about missing some important clue. You won't. Again, just remember that you are taking part in a scripted story... much like being an actor in a movie. It's not as boring as it sounds... the story is definitely worth the effort.
As I said previously, there are action scenes in this game-movie. You will be fighting other Fables and yeah, you could potentially die. So, don't get too comfortable, you will be pushing those buttons soon enough and diving to safety behind walls and couches.
Graphic and soundThe Wolf Among Us is based upon a comic book, so yeah, the style of the game is just like that, but it works really well. But the place where you get value for your money is the voice acting. Telltale Games understands that a game like this is dependant upon the very best voice actors, and I have yet to find a voice in any of their games that I don't feel is spot on. This is good, as you will be hearing a lot of these voices. I think I read somewhere that some of the actors lend their voices to more than one character, but since they are topknotch voice actors, you won't notice... I know I didn't.
Final Judgment...The first Walking Dead game held me in a tight (death) grip all the way through the game, and I even found myself tear up at the end. This was not the case here, but that is ok,
The Wolf Among Us is a much different game and the ending is not one that will necessarily bring tears to your eyes, but it will leave you baffled and confused... much like when you watch the Usual Suspects.
The story is excellent, of course, and the setting is terrible interesting. I found myself reading all the entries in the Fable book (remember to get these along the way... for 5 achievements).
For a Telltale Game there is nothing I would want differently.However, as always... this is just the judgment of one (simple) guy. You might not enjoy these type of games... slow-paced games with a heavy focus on story, in which case... keep far away from The Wolf among Us. However, if you have played other Telltale Games and enjoyed them, then you will definitely enjoy this game as well.
4.0