The Wolf Among Us (TellTale Game)

[JasonM]

So Telltale has released another 5 episode game.

This time it's ''The Wolf Among Us''.

I got myself the game and bought the entire season, and having played the first episode (twice), it's really another gem from TellTale.

I never heard of the comic series it's based of (Fables), but from what I have experienced in episode 1 it's a really interesting world with a lot of colourful characters, but at the same time it being a very dark setting and not your average ''happily ever after'' stuff either.

I found myself being engrossed in characters who I have never seen before almost right off the bat. Even though everyone are fairytale characters and some aren't human (Beast, Bigby, Mr. Toad etc.) They all have very human emotions and very strong voice actors who bring the characters to life pretty much from the first sentence they get. I found myself gutwrenched when stuff happened to them, even though they had hardly done anything of note.

Once more it's based on the TellTale shaded engine as used in all their games including TWD:S1. But compared to that game this is a lot more colourful and it really looks and feels like they improved upon the engine a lot more in between the development of TWD and this game. And even though it's very much a fairytale game, it draws heavily from the noir genre with lots of dark tones interspersed with bright colours. It makes for a very unique look from the get go, and it's one of the big keys that drew me into the game - Even though I am not much of a fairytale kind of person.

But as I said, this game is yet another gem created by TellTale and the way they write character interaction is arguably one of the best in the entire industry. And this game paints a fairytale enviroment in a very very dark place with very grown up problems and stories. And regardless if you like fairytales or not, if you like adventure games/telltale games or a good story, this is really a game for you.

I bought the games with little expectations and I got blown away with it, and I already feel my 20 bucks are very well spend.

If you got the game too, I would love to discuss this game with the rest of you

A little synopsis (Of the game AND comic series) for whoever might be interested.

General Synopsis:

The series deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who have been forced out of their Homelands by "The Adversary" who has conquered the realm. The Fables have traveled to our world and formed a clandestine community in New York City known as Fabletown. Fables who do not have a human appearance have the possibility of having their appearances shrouded to look Human if they buy a ''Glamour'' that makes them look like humans. Fables who are unable to blend in with human society (such as monsters and anthropomorphic animals) or cannot afford a ''Glamour'' live at "the Farm" in upstate New York.

Unlike their fairytale existence the life in their new community is less than great as many Fables deal with poverty, social dissonance and other emotional and personal problems that come with living in this new world. Where the fabletown goverment tends to be politically inclined to only help well-endowed Fables, the other Fables tend to become dregs and live in poverty whilst their pleas tend to be unanswered by the Fabletown goverment.

In the comics and in the game the main character is ''Bigsby Wolf'', formerly known as The Big Bad Wolf himself, who is the sheriff of Fabletown. Tasked in ensuring the peace in the community he stands between the goverment and the rest of the fabletown residents having to dance to the whims of the goverment, and also try to mediate between the Fables pushed into the lower social strata. All the while he is still looked down upon by everyone for formerly being a ruthless monster, regardless of him having changed his ways and bettered himself.

Story Synopsis: (Contains some early game spoilers)

On what seems to be a normal night in Fabletown, Sheriff Bigsby is called to a disturbance at a cheap tenement building. Inside he finds a female fable being physically abused by a male fable, and after a fight he manages to subdue the male fable using heavy force. The female fable who apparently is a working girl walks away safe and sound, but the next day she is found gruesomely murdered in front of Bigsby's building. Bigsby is then thrust into solving the murder of the girl. With their not being a murder in many years he needs to find the killer and make sure he is stopped before anymore Fables end up murdered. Because the murders aren't just a huge shock to the community, it also threatens the fine balance of anonimity the Fables are trying to uphold to the normal Humans who are unaware with their presence. So with a murdered on the lose Bigsby must find him, all the while having his own job threatened due to his history of violence and brutality.

[FLiam]

Just completed the first episode. Wow.

They really know how to keep you gripped with a story, hopefully these sorts of games will just keep coming. Can't wait until the next episode.

[Saladin777]

I'm pretty sure Telltale has some kind of hold on my soul at this point. Finished my first playthrough of episode One and I'm quite intrigued. The engine seems more polished with more action and movement on your part. Not to mention you can dash (I call it a dash, but it's essentially a sped up walk), which speeds things up a bit.

As for the story itself, magnificent stuff. Though I never read the Fables comics (a damn crime upon reflection), I was pulled in and already can't wait for episode 2. Great voice acting and some interesting choices. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Season 1 of TWD.

[JasonM]

So, time to start speculating on the whodunit vibe of the story.

Big ass story spoilers, don't read if you don't want to be spoiled... Srsly.

The first playthrough I did I was thinking that it was Bluebeard, with him decapatating women and such in the past.
But it really feels too easy of an answer, and even if he was Bigsby would probably be murdered by eternal red tape to even get to him, being all snuggly wuggly with the goverment and such.

From what I think after my 2nd run, I don't think it's any of the guys in play. The Tweedle's are just two-bit thugs who probably do the bidding of the actual killer. And even though Woodsman is a scumbag, I am hard pressed to see him as a killer.

The husband didn't do it for certain, because he is too emo'd up anyways and more interested in killing himself instead of Faith.

And The Pimp, we haven't met him yet but it would be weird that the Pimp would be the brains behind it. Maybe he knows the bad guy, and we will probably rough the shit out of that scumbag pimp anyways... But the killer, nah.

So I think that it's probably going to be someone else entirely instead that we will find out about in later episodes.

Also, who ripped off Grenn's arm? I didn't do it in either playthrough because I felt bad for the guys because I understood their hate for the goverment who only care about the big people.

And also for the reasons I told above, I went for Tweedle instead of Woodsman at the end, but I am sure TellTale will throw a curveball at me in Episode 2 that somehow makes it a bad choice.

Also, the ending part was probably the most gut wrenching finale to a game since... Probably TWD. When I saw the cops and saw him walk up to the group my stomach was churning because deep inside I knew Snow was the next victim... But it was still a big bombshell when I saw her head lying there and the screen just faded to black.

I really felt that Snow was invulernable, with the whole semi-romance thing between Bigsby and her going on. But they of course kicked me in the teeth and killed her off to end the episode on a big shock.

Jesus, I want Episode 2 like 10 minutes ago.

Edited October 12, 2013 by Jasonmufc

[Your Mom]

We are going to play this together tonight. Are there a lot of good choices? Because he is playing and I am making the choices

[JasonM]

We are going to play this together tonight. Are there a lot of good choices? Because he is playing and I am making the choices

The choices are less impactful than it was in TWD, since that game was pretty much life and death every time and you would often be picking who would live and die.

In this it's more procedural differences, and in one of the choices - where you must pick who to help first - it has a significant impact on the rest of the story it looks like.

And from what I have experienced, the way you talk to people - like in TWD - will really make a difference between how they regard you... You know, with people regarding Bigsby as the monster he used to be...