Picture all of your favorite storybook fairytale characters. The Big Bad Wolf, the three little pigs, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Ichabod Crane, the Little Red Riding Hood, and all your other favorites. Now picture them in a gritty-modern day New York noir. Still with me? Now picture some of them as human beings. How's this possible you say? Through a spell called Glamour. This spell transforms a creature into a human form. It's expensive though so some people, like the three pigs, can't afford it and they have to stay on The Farm, a location in upstate New York. All of this may sound a little crazy, but The Wolf Among Us manages to make the story interesting, and not confusing.
Telltale's newest choose-your-own adventure game series is based off the comic book series Fable by Bill Willingham. The Wolf Among Us is actually set as a prequel to the series so newcomers will fit right in, without having to worry about spoilers. The first episode specifically is about Bigby, the sheriff of Fabletown (the part of New York which is home to all of these fairytale characters) who was once known as The Big Bad Wolf. He is soon involved in a murder case involving a fable, which gets uglier by the second. The rest of the episode consists of Bigby, and partner Snow White, running around talking to other fables and trying to find leads on who was behind the murder.
There are a ton of choices that you'll have to make and it isn't long before you start to discover that they once again have big effects on the overarching story. I found myself making decisions on impulse instincts that I later regret as the story goes on. Telltale does a good job of making you care about the characters right out the gate. Just like telltales previous game, The Walking Dead, you quickly develop a lot of emotions for the characters that you meet.
There are also lots of plot twists that might leave you dumbfounded if you aren't expecting them. Some of the choices that you make may have different outcomes then you expect and the ending to the first episode will leave even the most suspecting player with their jaw on the floor. The story is really thought out well and it all flows really nicely. It makes sense and it doesn't leave you questioning what is going on.
Another thing that flows really nicely is the combat. There are a lot more action sequences in the game and that is a good thing. They are a lot of fun and they also have you making a lot of decisions. The fights can play out differently depending on what type of thing you do, like which weapon do you attack a character with. There is also a lot less button mashing quick time events in favor of the more precise button presses and mouse aiming. I never enjoy button mashing in quick time events so it is nice to see that button mashing is not the main attraction in these combat sequences.
One of the best parts of the game is the art style. The visuals pop right off the screen with vibrant colors and a unique comic-book style. A noir New York never looked so great. The lights from the street lamps glow in the dark nights and the characters are brought to life with facial expressions that really match their actual emotions. The voice acting is also really well done. I never found myself groaning, or laughing at, the performances that the voice actors gave. Everything is really well done.
I am excited to see where the story goes from here. Your choices will affect the outcome, which can be scary. I want some characters to live, and others to die, but you never know where the story will go. Nothing seems to go the way you actually expect it. I will be patiently waiting for the next episode...