Bigby Wolf, a man previously known as the Big Bad Wolf, is trying to set things straight. After years of terrorising young women such as Red Riding Hood, he’s taken a job as the Sheriff of Fabletown. The wolfman prowls the streets of modern day New York trying to protect its underground population, a host of familiar fairytale names recast as hobos, hookers and hoodlums.
Telltale Games are on a roll these days. Indeed, their take on The Walking Dead was arguably more acclaimed than the TV show and its source- material comic. The Wolf Among Us is a prequel to bestselling Fable comics, a fantasy noir with Grimm humour.
In this third-person, point and click, role-playing game, you're required to unravel a murder mystery and interrogate other characters. You're frequently told of the path you're forging, as the onscreen text warns "He will remember that" or "that wasn't appreciated". Thanks to some fine writing and acting, these interrogations are much more effective than they are in other detective games (LA Noire, for example). The clues, lies, questions and answers all feel organic and neatly woven into the story.
Iconic characters and a modern setting are mixed with wit and imagination. One of the Three Little Pigs crashes on Bigby’s couch, Snow White has a thankless admin job for Mayor Ichabod Crane, and so on. The rain soaked, neon-lit New York is well rendered too, in an attractive comic style.
The Wolf Among Us shows that the point and click adventure can still feel fresh and inventive; a satisfying and intelligent interactive narrative. Just like Walking Dead, its story will unfurl in downloadable instalments. telltalegames.com
