Created: February 25, 2015

The Wolf Among Us

I recommend this game, but it is disappointing.

It is a visual novel (not a point-and-click adventure), made with top-notch production values. Graphics, scene direction, voice acting, choreography, are all as good as you would find in an excellent movie or graphic novel. It's a treat. It's why I'm giving this a game a thumbs up. Hell, the perfect portrayal of Colin the pig is reason enough to play this game!

The game world is interesting and creative, but the concept is unbelievable and quite silly, and the awe wears off pretty fast. Note that it is quite dark, with graphic depictions of violence and death, and even features gratuitous sex, because I guess that's what's needed to make something "gritty" and "adult-themed."

Unfortunately, the story, modeled as a detective story, is poorly crafted. You do not feel anything like a detective: gameplay is more about "press any key to continue" to the next clue than involving much thought on your part: your choice is often about where to go first, but you're going to get to the same place eventually, so who cares? There are areas to explore ... but they just have one exit and no items to click on. The plot is spoon-fed, and it's not exciting in any way. Just tell me who dunnit already. Some parts seem to move especially slowly.

The "ethical" choices you face are likewise poorly thought out. In no case do you feel you are in any real danger. In no case can your mistaken judgement hurt people you care about. In the few instances in which your decision could lead to someone's death, it's not someone you really know. It doesn't feel like your gameplay matters much at all.

Compare it to Walking Dead, where so many of your choices have gut-wrenching consequences, and this game is especially disappointing.

It also feels somewhat short.

All in all, it's a good demonstration of what Telltale Games can accomplish (and of course they accomplished it incredibly well in Walking Dead), but it offers a mediocre gaming experience. It would have been better as a short animated series, or even a feature film, than a video game.