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The Wolf Among Us Episode 3: A Crooked Mile (X360) Review: The Clock is Ticking…

After just a two month wait since Episode 2 was released, Telltale have kept their promise of releasing the episodes quicker after the initial four month wait since the series started. With the events of the previous episode still fresh, the impact of this episode is greater than ever before. What initially started as a whodunit for a murder is now becoming something that could have impact on the entirety of Fabletown itself. Trust is becoming something that is almost impossible to give to someone and the truth is even harder to find. Bigby’s gaming debut is one of the most interesting and underrated stories I have ever played.
An interesting new element in this episode is that of an actual ticking clock that is added to show the race against time Bigby faces in tracking down his suspect. While it is simply an illusion (you can take as long as you want), it does have an effect on the way I played the game. I definitely didn't have the same level of patience when interviewing people like I usually would. I would become frustrated quickly knowing they were wasting my time and I went straight into threatening people as I couldn't afford to hear all their usual lies before they told me what I wanted to know.

Telltale really seems to have mastered what makes a great protagonist. With the first season of The Walking Dead we met Lee, a troubled man with a cloudy past but simple intentions. As long as Clementine was OK, everything else wasn't important. This bond made the player care for the actions of both characters which also lead into Season 2 where we play as Clementine. Now we must fight for ourselves for the first time whilst using the lessons that Lee taught us to survive.
We this in mind I think Bigby is my favorite of them all. He, like the other two I mentioned, has simple intentions at his core; to protect Fabletown. But as we dig further with every episode we are seeing there is way more going on behind those yellow eyes of his. He has been handed a job that maybe he isn’t the best qualified for and may not be able to achieve. The most interesting part of the episode is when Snow White asks whether Bigby is enjoying all the carnage, that he thrives of it. What’s most worrying is that I think she may be right.

The episode introduces quite a few new characters, all of which are once again fantastically well presented and voiced. A problem I have with The Walking Dead is how disposable 90% of the characters feel but this is the complete opposite in The Wolf Among Us. The only issue is that not all characters will get enough screen time as there are over twelve interesting ones to choose from but I would rather this than a bunch that I couldn't care less about.
Not only does the episode introduce new characters but also mentions others which we seem destined to meet in the future. This anticipation is very clever from Telltale as we know where we are going to end up, but how, when and why is still a complete mystery. This level of storytelling is very subtle but extremely effective and is yet another example of why Telltale are one of the best there is in this field.

The story perfectly blurs the lines between good and bad, black or white so that almost every character ends up looking rather grey. I really am starting to wonder if I can trust anyone (including myself) as it is becoming more clear that more is going on than simply a murder investigation. The world is murkier than ever and I don’t think even the best sheriff could fix the problems that faces this community. Foreseeing a “happy” ending at this point is about as ridiculous as Georgie not swearing at Bigby.
Ultimately, it feels harder and harder to think of new things to say when it comes to this series without spoiling anything. I already love the story, characters, visuals, soundtrack and that shouldn't be changing anytime soon. This episode ran fine which has been a problem in the past so it’s nice to see Telltale must have been looking to improve this for sometime.

This series doesn't seem to be getting the same amount of attention that The Walking Dead does probably due to not having the same name recognition but in terms of quality it should absolutely be played by fans of the series or adventure games in general. Even though I love what Telltale are doing with The Walking Dead, I find myself more invested in The Wolf Among Us right now and look forward to the last two episodes of this series more than any other episodic content around right now.
Rating
9.0
Pros
  • An incredibly well layered story with an entire cast of interesting characters
  • Still stunning to look at and sounds incredible
  • Adds new elements such as a race against time to add more tension than usual
Cons
  • Some characters are pushed to the side and don’t get enough screen time
  • Waiting months to find out what happens after THAT ending!

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