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The Wolf Among Us: Episode 01 - FaithAfter proving that not all licensed games are bad with their take on The Walking Dead, Telltale games had a lot to prove when it came to their next title. Based on Fables, the popular comic book series by DC and Vertigo, the game lets you play as the big bad wolf. Bigby, as he is called these days, have put his past of eating grandmothers and blowing down houses behind him and is now the sheriff of Fabletown.
Set during the 80's in New York, the game serves as a prequel to the comic books so even if you are not familiar with the work of Bill Willingham you won't be left in the dark. What makes the game so intriguing is the community of fairy tale characters that you bump into. Telltale has mastered the art of making players care about their characters and this game is no exception. Within minutes of starting the game Bigby is called to investigate a disturbance at a rundown apartment building. The caller is Mr. Toad of "The Wind in the Willows" fame and the disturbance is caused by an old adversary of Bigby. Although trying to atone for his violent past, Bigby is not averse to cracking a few skulls when needed but fortunately Fables are pretty resilient as demonstrated by quite an intense quick-time battle that ensues. Unfortunately, Fables are not immortal as some shocking developments force Bigby to conduct a murder investigation. Like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among is very story driven so to reveal any more of the plot would be a great disservice to players. Most of your time with the game is spent in conversation with other characters and the way you speak to them can have far reaching consequences. Some Fables fear Bigby while others loathe him and sometimes you have to make really tough decisions if you want to get answers. When choosing what to say a timer is shown and if you have not selected anything by the time it runs down Bigby will remain quiet. Sometimes silence is the best option but no matter what you choose the conversations always sound natural. Or as natural as a conversation between a reformed wolf and a pig crashing on his couch can be. The play time for this first episode is only about 2 hours but none of it is wasted. The episode had me hooked from start to finish and after completing it in one sitting I immediately wanted to know what is going to happen next. Instead of just choosing what to do the game also forces you to choose when to do something at certain junctions. The consequences of these choices may have an immediate impact on the story or presumable only come to light in future episodes but it is riveting stuff nonetheless. When you are not conversing with the cast of characters you can walk around scenes and investigate hotspots for clues. These scenes are rarely dragged out with puzzles which might disappoint ardent adventure fans but it does keep the story flowing. The fight scenes are pretty spectacular but your input is usually relegated to pressing the right button when prompted and watching the events unfold. The bold colors capture the comic book style of the game perfectly and the neo noir visuals set the game apart from The Walking Dead dispute similar styles. The music is very atmospheric but it is the voice acting that really stands apart. Some of the actors who voiced characters in The Walking Dead game make a return but they do a great job with their new roles. The Wolf Among Us is definitely a title for mature audiences as it contains quite a bit of violence and plenty of swearing. Unlike some other titles it never feels forced though and the writing is superb throughout. The primary focus of the game is definitely the story so don't expect to be scratching your head over puzzles or wondering what to do next. While "Faith" is only the first episode of a five episode season it already sets things up for what promises to be one heck of a ride.
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TAGS: The Wolf Among Us, Episode 01, Faith, Bigby, Snow White,
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