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The Wolf Among Us Review

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Leading the Sheriff of a fairy tale neighbourhood, you decide what path to take when confronting the evil lurking within the ‘Fabletown’ community. Developed and published by Telltale Games, The Wolf Among Us drags you into an alternative world set in 1980s New York. Fairy tale becomes reality in a modern-day Manhattan, when the well-known figures have run from ‘The Homelands’ and risk being sent away for not staying hidden. With the ability to play on a wide array of platforms including Xbox, Android and PlayStation, The Wolf Among Us allows players to guide the characters using the different controllers and your finger, depending on the platform, through a narrative filled with drama and fantasy

Released on 11^th October 2013, The Wolf Among Us is an episodic and interactive fantasy, mystery narrative game which follows the Sheriff of ‘Fabletown’, Bigby Wolf (otherwise known as The Bid Bad Wolf) as he takes charge investigating the communities’ growing problems. He uses his power of intimidation and investigation to get the answers needed, aided by the choices of the player. Though he finds himself up against the powerful figures of the neighbourhood, risking it all to make sure it never happens again and ‘Fabletown’ is at peace again. The fantasy genre, together with the mystery and crime, creates a game that puts the player on edge, creating a connection between character and player, and lets them follow on a hunt to find out the truth, whilst combining genres that aren’t commonly seen together.

Based on a series of comic books called ‘Fables’ the narrative for this game is clear, which is a major aspect since this game depends on narrative to lead the players through the game. It gives various options to players that are connected to moments occurring in the narrative, allowing the player to decide whether Bigby wolf is violent or calm with his approach. The narrative excites players since it is a modern take on the famous fairy tales that ignited imagination in childhood. Choosing the path of the narrative isn’t the only interactive aspect, since the player will have to move around the scene and look at objects, which can give players more information from the narrative and allows them to discover more about characters. Action scenes also involve the player as they are urged to press a certain button or place on the screen to avoid getting more harmed or killed straight away. The players are kept aware that ‘The Wolf Among Us is still a game, rather than an attractive animation, and can improve reaction rate. The game play caters to the different platforms, allowing for smooth gameplay on all platforms. The game is also available on Android, which means the game is transportable if people are still willing to pay about £3.00 for each episode.

The aesthetic of the whole game involves harsh outlines and strong colour, combining to make the game look like a cartoon, which can give sections of the game a strong mood. The contrast of the gritty animation style, combined with the popular fairy tale characters, approaches well known characters in an adult way; igniting fond memories and taking them to a darker place. Characters that join Bigby Wolf include Snow White, Belle, Beast, Toad and even Bloody Mary, which excites players since new life is given to well-known tales and breaking the image of innocent Disney tales. Snow White is no longer an innocent princess (now a detective), Beauty and the Beast is no longer a tale, but a love hate relationship, where Beast has to hide his true self, and Bloody Mary is the stuff of nightmares. This is a game for those who would perhaps prefer a darker Disney since the style is the opposite to the smooth and innocent edges of Disney’s animation. The game is rated 18 or Mature, which means the game is aimed at that older audience who have most likely grown out of the fairy tale phase, and the rating is alerting the audience that the game will have mature content like nudity, swearing and violence. If the audience can accept that, this game can be played and enjoyed by both men and women in the target audience. Though the colour scheme and aesthetic can appear more masculine and times, the involvement of purples can bring an edge of femininity. Part of the target audience will also be the readers of the ‘Fables’ comic book, which is where the harsh aesthetic comes from, they will be looking for a closely linked game that combines aspects they are familiar with, and new material.

I would definitely recommend this game to people I know and I would post good reviews about it on social media (allowing people I don’t know, see my opinion), since the characters are more realistic than they were previously known to be in stories and it is created with refreshing graphics, which breaks away from the advancement of realistic graphics and follows the drawing root, originally found in the comic book series.  The game is unique and bound to be popular since it is a strangely fun method of playing a game, that certainly involves reading but holds just as much tension and fun as HALO. If it’s not the narrative that excites players it must be the graphics.

Considering all components of the game, I would rate each component the following:

Graphics - 8/10

Narrative – 9/10

Gameplay - 8/10

Genre – 7/10

Platforms - 9/10

The overall game would be considered 8.5/10