by Let me get this out of the way right now: I’m going to completely gush over the latest episode of TellTale Games’ The Wolf Among Us. In episode one I was just getting into the world. Things really came together in episode two, where the story hit new highs and we were introduced to a ton of interesting new characters and learned more about how the world works in this game. Now that episode three, “A Crooked Mile” is out, I feel like I’m primed and ready to completely immerse myself in the story.
And let me tell you, The Wolf Among Us delivers. Big time.
We pick up right where we left off last time, with Biggy discovering some incredibly incriminating evidence that pointed directly at a pretty shady character. As the plot moves along, things look more and more like you’ve got your man, but things are never that easy in stories like this.
This time around, you’re given a strict time limit. You only have so long to investigate things before a meeting between your suspect, and a mysterious witch. The problem is, you don’t know who the witch is, or where the meeting is going to take place. That means you need to move quickly, and choose wisely. Further complicating this, Bluebeard is sticking his nose into the investigation, and wants to divide and conquer. That means if you go to Location A, he goes to Location B, and potentially removes or tampers with evidence.
This works really well, because it reinforces the importance of your choices throughout the game. You’re not going to be able to see and investigate everything in a single play through, which is both interesting and irritating, although it’s only irritating because you want to see absolutely every part of the world of The Wolf Among Us.
You’re also not able to please everyone; and your own moral compass is challenged again and again throughout the game. These are real, ethical decisions that you have to make. It’s never simple black and white like so many other games do when they try to tack on a system of morals.
Oh, and this episode of The Wolf Among Us isn’t just about character development and world building, it also boasts two extremely well done action scenes, which dovetail the episode. For a point and click adventure game, these scenes are incredible intense, especially the second one, in which Biggy finally becomes that big bad wolf I’ve been wanting to see since episode one. You get a brief moment of terrifying power, only to have everything robbed from you as quickly as it comes. That sounds frustrating, but it works very well in terms of story.
By the end of the episode, the mystery has only deepened, and we meet some brand new, terrifying people, all of whom keep pointing back to a mysterious “Crooked Man”, who sounds like a stand-up kind of guy. I’m not sure where the story is going next, but I can’t wait to find out.
Grade: 
Recent Comments