e have arrived at the half way mark on this twisted fairytale from the Fables universe, and we begin this episode immediately following a startling discovery. Bigby’s reaction was difficult to choose, so much so that I restarted the episode a few times. My play through of The Wolf Among Us has been so far a story of redemption, the big bad wolf attempting to show humanity in a town almost completely void of it. Several attempts have been made to bring out the beast that dwells within, however the sheriff still tries his best to help the residents of the Woodlands and its rejects. But how much can someone take? What will someone be capable of doing when someone they care about it put in harm’s way? This recent discovery may be the one thing to send Bigby down that dark and violent path, and I’m sure it will not end well.
It can be difficult to describe each episode of The Wolf Among Us as the story progresses, especially when trying not to spoil any of the character reveals and sometimes horrific turn of events. This third episode has plenty of both, as Bigby and Snow begin to track down the prime suspect behind a string of recent murders. As I attempted to find clues and piece together potential evidence in the case, it became clear that I would have to decide between finding out the truth and tracking down the killer, or helping the residents of Fabletown as they grieve over the loss of one of their own. Choosing to go down one path or the other will lead to sacrifices being made, which in my case made the pursuit of the killer more difficult. However even when Bigby tries to show some remorse for the loss of several citizens, it still is not enough for many of the inhabitants. Perhaps in this case it would be better to just do what the wolf is known for, and start carving up anyone that gets in his way. I could sense that the game was purposely setting up different scenarios to sway the player to one side or the other. Each decision in this episode has heavy consequences, some that are displayed immediately and some that I do not think will present themselves until later in the game. I did discover that sometimes the third option of not saying anything can be the most beneficial, instead letting the other person answer the question themselves and sometimes giving away information they should have been left unsaid.
The clock is ticking away as the killer attempts to flee from town before being apprehended by Wolf, all while several villainous characters begin to get in the way of the case. It seems like almost everyone in Fabletown has skeletons in their closet, and Bigby is once again forced to make decisions that will ultimately change how the rest of the town sees him. One decision was very hard to make, the choice of preserving something from the “Old World” that is seen as being dangerous in the mundane world, or destroying it and along with it one of the last remnants of their home world. This was the first time in the series that after playing through the chapters, I would almost every time would rewind and begin the chapter again just to see if what I had decided would be the right outcome. I feel like the choices made in this game have more weight than any other Telltale game so far, which I find to be great not only for replay value but to really create a sense of the player telling their own version of the story.
In terms of game play there is not a whole lot of action or quick time events to speak of, save for one encounter at the end of the episode. The game instead focuses on developing secondary characters from the previous installments as well as exploring the relationships between the main characters. The episode is by far the shortest so far in the series, with one play through taking about an hour to complete. The only real issue on the PC version was several audio cut outs that occurred during conversations, as well as some syncing issues with the voice when Bigby was talking. Pretty forgivable overall, but we will also have a quick rundown of the console versions as well to see if there were any noticeable issues or differences.
A Crooked Mile is successful in creating difficult and at times heart wrenching decisions for the main character, further pulling him away from being a decent person. The town keeps taking and taking, devouring any kind of good will or kindness and replacing it with hatred and bloodshed. The introduction of two new characters at the conclusion of the episode only makes it worse for Bigby, as he now prepares for an all-out war. The wait for the next episode will be all that more unbearable, just to see how things will play out and who will be left standing. A Wolf Among Us continues to be some of the best storytelling from Telltale and we anxiously await the next installment.
