Based on the “Fable” comic series by Bill Willingham, The Wolf Among Us was released in 2013 by Telltale Games. An episode based interactive graphic adventure game just like many other Telltale published game, this one is perhaps the best candidate in its genre for being the most polished.
A soundly developed storyline proves to be both entertaining and canon in its own comic universe. After the release, the game garnered a cult following which pressured Telltale Games to work on a sequel, which is coming out in 2018.
Fable series features various folklore and fairy tale heroes who escaped their homelands after the latter was invaded by “the adversaries”. These characters settled in New York, in a community called Fabletown and use spells known as Glamour to make themselves appear normal to regular humans (whom they refer to as “mundies”). You play as the sheriff of Fabletown Bigby Wolf, who is haunted by his past and attempts to solve a murder mystery. Bigby Wolf himself is none other than the Big Bad Wolf from various stories! Teaming up with Snow White and other characters, he embarks on an emotional journey, trying to root the suspects.
Besides adding an intriguing noir atmosphere, the game also accomplishes to create a universe that feels genuine and valid. Once inhabitants of fairy tales, these characters from our childhood stories are now facing the realities that we ourselves face in our lives, such as rent, work, existential crisis and the regrets of past mistakes. As we progress through storyline, we start to notice Bigby’s interesting and profound character development, and we care about him just as much as we care about unveiling the murder mystery.
Great voice acting, original art style sets a hip example for the story driven games. The few problems with the game remain with the ultimate value of your overall decisions. The endings are not as varied as one would expect from a game with so much attention to details. It feels like a movie at times, which somewhat decreases replayability value. Yet, this game is worth at least 10 hours of breathtaking gameplay and promises to send you wondering about the thin line between perceived good and foretold evil. You are expected to have a fresh start, and as Bigby mentions himself, “you can’t change the past”.
