The Wolf Among Us

[Nappi]

Yea, you have fucked something up.

[Twig]

Edit: I also love how perfect doing nothing and letting Bigby just stare at people feels.

Yeah, I did it a whole hell of a lot more as Bigby than I ever did as Lee. Letting a dude just stare and be intimidating works pretty well when he's the goddamn Big Bad Wolf.

[lobotomy42]

Oh man I love this so much.  If each episode is as good as the first one, this may easily top The Walking Dead, which would be crazy impressive.

[vimes]

I really had to soldier through the first hour of the game because it really felt like a clunky Video game crammed into an uninspired animated series episode: the writing was saturated with swear words and physical violence which looked like a cheap attempt at grittiness, the interaction was minimal (3 minutes of cust-scenes for 1 minute/1-gameplay action), the controls were incredibly rigid (that's without counting manually fixing the win8+x360 pad crash that's been in the TTG Engine since TWD) and it featured the same confusing camera cuts during environment exploration that made me rage quit Back to the Future.

The last 3 problems remained for the whole episode, but thankfully, once the game asked me to choose between investigating Toad's or The Prince's building, it mysteriously found its pace, its tone and its identity. It's really odd, but it felt like the creator didn't manage to solve how to get to that point gracefully.

The best thing is that it also revealed a different philosophy toward player choices when compared to TWD.

The brilliance of TWD is that it didn't want to make me go back to try different decisions because it put me in a place where I wasn't a player anymore: I wasn't making choice to min/max situations or because I knew the overarching plot depended on my input - I took decision that only defined how I saw my own character and how the other saw me.

The Wolf Among Us doesn't go down that road again and that's great: since you're playing a character that's already part of the lore it wouldn't make that much sense and your function puts you anyway at the core of the overarching story. The different sequences and what they require from the player keep reminding you that your actions affects much larger issue... and so, it made me want to replay some of the segments to check if there was a better outcome.
Strangely, the moments I want to revisit are not the one after which the game blared at me 'blahblah appreciated this' or "you were blahblah to blahblah", after conversations - since these are similar to TWD in construct and I don't think they'll have much impact- but choices that were made in the spur of the moment through physical actions or detective decisions (most notable, how I handled the situation with the Prince) were the one that got me curious.

It's a very gamey approach, so I'm pretty sure the series won't be of the same caliber of TWD; but not all games have to be and I'm sort of excited to see where they're bring this formula next.

[TheLastBaron]

Ha, I just saw that the cigarette machine in the bar sells Shorette Slims, it made me smile.

[Squid Division]

Twice, you're asked who you suspect the killer is. Twice, you're offered Bluebeard as an option. I mean, yeah, Bluebeard is known for decapitating his wives, and yeah, Bigby obviously has his suspicions about Bluebeard in general (see his file in his apartment), but c'mon. He doesn't show up in the first episode at all, outside of that file!

 

Being unfamiliar with that character makes the the whole thing even weirder.

[Twig]

Oh man yeah that'd be real awkward.

[Squid Division]

Yeah thinking back on it, that's kinda my one complaint with the episode. I feel like it was telegraphed so hard

to be the pimp or one of the less obvious choices. But the game KEPT acting like it there was some mystery to it. Obviously it wasn't the huntsman. So, it's going to end up being her 'pimp' which probably turns out to be Bluebeard for whatever reason. But having no idea who Bluebeard was and having Faith keep dropping hints at her fear of her employer, I just wish the game was able to walk a better line not treating me like an idiot.

[JonCole]

Yeah, I have no idea who that dude is and it strikes me as a bit odd how heavy-handed they were being with him.

 

That was probably my biggest problem with this episode. There were lots of things where it seems the writers assumed that there'd be prior knowledge, but at the same time they conclude the episode with a "shocking" conclusion that would be ruined (I guess?) by someone who has already read the graphic novels. I can't say it disrupted the story, not being explained very well in certain areas, but there are a lot of spots where I'm like "who is that dude? Did I not read his actual fable so I don't have a perspective on how he acts, or am I simply just missing out because I didn't read the backstory.

 

Unlike TWD, I'm playing through this one with my girlfriend. She's a gamer too, but she doesn't really do the high-action, low response time stuff so it just made sense for me to drive and her to make the decisions. It was odd having her decide everything; I offered my input now and then, but usually there wasn't much time for anything but her telling me what to do. The only time I stepped in at all was at the very end, when:

 

You decide who to go after. She wanted to go after the Huntsman, but the detail-oriented side of me couldn't let that happen. I was already sure that the Huntsman was an innocent (relatively) bystander, while Tweedle Dee was in the closet at the Prince's house, beat you up, and proceeded to go after the Huntsman himself. He seemed the obvious better option, but for some reason my girlfriend didn't think so. I decided to use one veto and choose Tweedle, so I hope I made the right choice.

 

One last thing, regarding the mechanics of the universe:

 

Would a decapitation be enough to kill a Fable? I mean, the Huntsman took an axe to the skull and lived to tell the story. In the traditional Fable, the Huntsman cuts open the Big Bad Wolf and dumps stones in his body and I presume he survived that. It just seems to me that decapitation would be pretty bad, but maybe not fatal?

[lobotomy42]

So when does Episode Two come out?

 

Also, can talk about the menu screen with Bigby just walking and looking left and right? I freakin' love that menu.

[TheLastBaron]

Re: the mechanics of the universe

it depends on the fable. Depending on how popular they are they are harder to kill. If someone is basically forgotten by everyone they're probably going to die (Imo Huntsman should probably be in this category). Someone popular i.e. Disney Princess is going to survive a lot more .

[JonCole]

Re: the mechanics of the universe

it depends on the fable. Depending on how popular they are they are harder to kill. If someone is basically forgotten by everyone they're probably going to die (Imo Huntsman should probably be in this category). Someone popular i.e. Disney Princess is going to survive a lot more .

 

Are you being literal?

 

Like, is someone literally harder to kill based on the popularity of their Fable, or are the writers less likely to kill characters that are popular?

[Twig]

He's being literal.

The more popular and remembered the character is in the "real world", the closer to immortal they become. I don't know if any of them are ACTUALLY immortal (beyond never aging), but yeah.

[Forbin]

Just picked it up on iPad and I loved the first episode. The controls are great, which is probably helped by the fact I expect less from a touch interface.

[Erkki]

Just played Episode 1. I loved it! It somehow looks way more impressive than The Walking Dead. And I love the menus, the noirish atmosphere and the patterns and colors in the UI. However, there were some weird things that seemed out of place that others have already mentioned, and mistakes I never noticed in The Walking Dead:

 

1. It was never obvious that Faith was a prostitute. There was the first dialog option where I could say that I think she was, and later I could suggest her pimp did it. And later, Snow acted as if I had told her that.

 

2. There were other similar mistakes, such as "what did I tell you about using that word?" line when in fact I did not pick the related option before.

 

3. Bluebeard. Yep, was a bit weird to be able to pick that option out of the blue.

 

4. Snow seemed too developed to kill her off that soon so I suspect she will miraculously be alive again.

(PS I don't know anything about the comics)

[Erkki]

Also, as vimes also noted, I felt that in this game I definitely might want to go back and make some choices differently, whereas in TWD I pretty soon realized that I only want to play it once and stick with the choices I had made the first time (OK it is possible that I will replay it some day, though, maybe to play it together with someone).

 

In this game making the choices feels much more exploratory and I can't think of better words than what vimes said, although I know nothing of the comics so it's not exactly the existing lore angle that makes me think this way.

[Tanukitsune]

This game takes place 30 years before the main story, right? I've read a few issues and know about the farm and some other things but...

 

they cut off Snow White's head? I know Fables are hard to kill, but I'm pretty sure she's a main character in the story and decapitation is serious.

I guess you can come back from that, and I guess reading Fables spoils the story a bit, in the same way reading the Walking Dead might to The Walking Dead games.

[Tanukitsune]

Damn, nobody has posted here since my last post? Am I the only who has played the new episode so far?

 

Wow, I think it wrapped up brilliantly! When ever I thought back about anything... I connects perfectly!

 

Why isn't Ichabod (Ha ha, auto-correct wanted to change it to Diabolic! IT KNEW!) trying to cut down on the Glamour Black Market? Because I'm positive he used one to do his dirty business, and he probably promised to not shut them down if they kept it a secret that he bought one or something like that. How else could he have walked in front Beauty and not be noticed?

 

As for the "Don't laugh at me!" comment? One version of the Sleepy Hollow story say the Headless Horseman is the prankster who competed for Ichabod's love, either way... With all the pranks he pulled on him, I do expect some trauma and well... hating it when people laugh at him. I assume he's hearing the laughter of his town people at the scene of the crime when he killed Lilly.

 

Who else would have such easy access to Snow's personal effects?

 

Who else would have an obsession with headless people?

 

According to the notes, both girls played "Snow Whtie" for Ichabod... the only question is... why?

 

The game suggests he's obsessed with Snow and death, is simple as that? Or did he kill them because he didn't want anybody to know?

 

I'm also wondering if Blackbeard somehow manipulated Ichabod... He could have told him about the black market spells and told him about the place where you can get an "escort" to look like Snow White? Is it even possible he hired Dee and Dum? Either way, I expect more subterfuge and secrecy to be unveiled as the story goes on.

[Moosferatu]

I played it, and enjoyed it.  I like this tv-game hybrid TellTale has made.

 

There's no way that it's Ichabod.  Who the hell kills someone, and then leaves behind a packet of incriminating photos?  I'm not saying he's not a bad guy, but he's definitely being setup for the murders.

[pkirkner]

I also played the most recent episode and really enjoyed it.

 

I agree that the Ichabod stuff was a misdirection. Are we supposed to believe he hired a photographer for his little escapades? Somebody was surveiling him just as they were surveiling Snow. The "incriminating" envelope does confuse me a bit, though. It seems like a really lazy and ineffective way to frame someone. It could have been used to blackmail him over his sexual proclivities, but that doesn't explain the other two photos or why it was just left on the floor. Maybe it was left anonymously to intimidate Crane and was knocked over and never found during his final rendezvous. Whatever its origins turn out to be, it made for a really satisfying cliff-hanger.

[pkirkner]

I do have one question.

 

I found the envelope (which triggered the end of the episode) before I played the cassette tape. Was there anything of note on it?

[Tanukitsune]

Damn, I just realized that with the Glamour thing it's possible that it was Bluebeard in an Ichabod glamour...

And... I realized someone took the photo... with Ichabod in it...

Argh... I feel stupid now...

Was is Bluebeard's position in this society? I guess he would have the same access as Ichabod, but by hiring thugs?

Do double glamours exists? Or can you just switch them?

But what about the laughter thing? I don't think anybody would do that hoping somebody was listening in... somebody who KNEW Ichabod's story...

Hmm... Something doesn't add up.

If Ichabod was being blackmailed, why kill the girls unless... it was the girls who were blackmailing him? There are two girls and one of them could have taken the photo of him with the other girl?

Perhaps it was just a desperate ploy from some desperate girls?

On on side, the photos are too convenient... on other side, the "laughter" comment from TJ points at Ichabod and it would be way too far-fetch if this was a misdirection.

 

Not to mention the black market glamour.... Remember Ichabod's reaction to it? He was afraid of it because he didn't know what it was... but he could have just trying to say this to persuade Bigby from not opening it.

I just looked up Ichabod's character.... Yeah... He sexually harasses Snow, He's guilty of something at least.

 

I think he did sleep with the girls... That I will bet money on, the rest... I don't know, it seems too convoluted if it was someone else sneaked in and killed the girls...

[sclpls]

I really wish my fiancee hadn't bought the season pass for this game on the 360.

 

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/05/the-wolf-among-us-bitten-by-season-pass-issues-on-xbox-360/

 

Microsoft can't collapse soon enough as far as I'm concerned...

[bkbroiler]

I do have one question.

 

I found the envelope (which triggered the end of the episode) before I played the cassette tape. Was there anything of note on it?

The cassette tape plays a Snow White/Fairytale theme, which help leads to the connection that whoever was here is obsessed with Snow White and recreating the fairy tale for his sexual fantasies. I don't think there is much else from it. You get a dialog option to make the connection.

 

I love this series. The feel and atmosphere of it is great, and I didn't think it was possible that I could like a main character as much as Lee, but they've done it with Bigby. Like other people here have said, the options to say nothing are great and fit the character so well. I also liked the [smoke] option early in episode 2.

 

I really want to start a replay of the first two episodes and make different choices, but I'm worried I'll have save issues like I did with TWD and it will overwrite my concurrent saves with one master save!

[Forbin]

Man that second episode felt like it was cut short.