The Wolf Among Us Ep. 1 Review: A Fable Not to be Missed (no spoilers)

The newest game by Telltale (representing my home, the bay area!) came out today. The Wolf Among Us is a prequel to Bill Cunningham's Fables series. This comic series has twice been attempted to adapt to television. Both failed to come to fruition, and with the ashes came the shows Once Upon A Time and Grimm. Basically it's a universe where every fairy tale character you can think of lives in a neighborhood in New York. They all take a potion called "Glamour" to make themselves appear human, so they can fool the local "Mundies" (humans). The Fables that can't make themselves appear human, or can't afford the high prices of Glamour, are sent to "The Farm", a fabletown prison.

The player protagonist is Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of the neighborhood. The Big Bad Wolf has had an infamous history, blowing down pig houses and tormenting girls in red hoods. However, ever since the fables were exiled out of their homeland and into New York, Bigby has tried to change his ways, and is tasked with protecting all of the fables. He has anger issues though, and his real self is always clawing to reveal itself. It's a constant internal struggle. The Huntsman, a fallen hero, has not forgotten his past with Bigby, and the two will fight at every opportunity.

Now, there is a lot to this universe I haven't gone into, but it is pretty deep. I have never read the comics, and I never once was overwhelmed. The exposition is never lengthy, and the setting itself is smartly wrapped as almost a mystery, slowly unraveled as time goes on. The voice acting is extremely well done, and the writing here is some of TellTale's best work.

The main plot is a murder mystery, with a noir tone and some almost 80's visual artistry. The screen looks straight out of a comic book, and beautiful neon colors really bring the game to life. This is a truly mature story, and it sets the tone right off the bat. Expect death and brutality, it comes in spades.

I think there's a little more action here than in previous TellTale games. It plays a little like Heavy Rain this time, where missing an action doesn't necessarily mean a game over. Unfortunately, the game still has the normal Telltale issues. Slow loading times and clunky controls.

These problems are far outweighed by the fine story telling here. I have a feeling this one is going under the radar, and will surprise people willing to give it a chance.
If you like mysteries, noir, great well written characters (great female characters as well), a rich universe, and a badass protagonist, this is one not to miss.

I think it blows the first episode of The Walking Dead out of the water and I can't wait to see where this goes.

9/10

Until recently I didn't even know Fables existed. Still, I love shows like Once Upon a Time and Grimm and have been watching this one. I'm gonna wait for a Steam sale, though. I've got so much on my plate right now as it is that I probably won't have the time to play it for a while, anyway.

Thanks For the review Dylan. Fables definitely looks like something I'd like to try!

On a different note, we should get another Portal 2 session going. I had a blast the last time! Things are crazy at work right now but I will make sure to get some quality gaming time after next week. Are you up for it?

Thanks to a generous person at Adventure Treff, I got a copy gifted to me a few days ago. I just started playing it yesterday and am almost finished with the first episode. I'm rather enjoying it so far.

Yes, I definitely want to play Portal 2 again when we have a chance.

I just finished playing it and ho-lee-shit was it worth it. I'm a fan of TellTale games, and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. I'm a huge fan of "fractured fairy tales" and I've loved every minute of it. I can't wait to see where they take the narrative. I kinda want to check out the comics now.

I'm considering the same thing. Except I don't want to be spoiled as this is a prequel to the series.