izigame.me

'It is better to be feared, than loved. You know who said that?' -- Big Bad Wolf.

On some days we turn our false assumptions and set-in-stone crippling beliefs off, and play games we so vigorously ignored. Quite often, those games bring us the most enjoyable experience and moments to talk about it.
Thank you to my friend Potato for bringing one of such games to my attention: not exactly what I expected, but wholeheartedly needed. <3
Going fully blind into the game I was MILDLY confused at first. Marvel's Wolverine adventures in the Harry Potter universe? You are a BIG Wolf-Man (handsomely hot, too) in a mundane world, with regular folks and magical creatures from fairylands, legends and myths coexisting in a shaky balance. Sounds familiar? 'Fantastic Beasts' and where to find them, pretty much. And you find them in New York, of course - the most iconic place to unfold the dark, grim, and quite thrilling story, based upon DC/Vertigo comic book series 'Fables'.
If you're like me and never heard/read about these comics before - don't worry - The Wolf Among Us is a prequel to the events, happened in the first issue.
To 'taste' the story , picture this: you're a kid, and everything is possible. Your life is a fantasy and wonders are all around the corner. You're limitless. One day you grow up, however, and face the hardships of 'real life'. No more wonders, plenty of limitations. You go from thriving to surviving, barely able to cope with it. Can relate? Well, the game's original story is somewhat similar: various characters from legends and tales are exiled from their mythical lands of 'happily ever after' and now live in a modern day human society, with their glamorous lives long gone and forgotten, only to face day-to-day adversity of 'normal' existence. From kids stories to grownups dark reality. There's a fragile balance, thin vale, between two worlds - magical and mundane - and most fables struggle to adapt to an unfamiliar reality, dealing with debt; taking on shoddy jobs; embracing all human vices: drinking, smoking, and hooking. For most of us it feels like an adult life: not literally, not everything, but many of us 'tasted' the darkness. We've all been/felt broken at some point - it ain't a foreign land. Or is it? For fables and supers it is: parallel between two realities merged into one: The Prince or The Frog? The Frog Prince?
The Devil Wolf in the details.
This is my first and only Telltale game so I can't compare it to any of their titles, but I was amazed on how heavily you influence the story matter, and how your decisions aren't just the decisions - you literally creating the entire, unique narration, piece after piece. You ain't just a part of the comic book story - you ARE the story. There was one moment where you had to do the sequence of actions to complete the task and I've performed it multiple times before, but this time I hesitated, for some reason. Couple of more seconds later the character nearby said something like: 'fine, I'll do it myself' and did it for you! My jaw dropped. There wasn't an indication of that, no time limit, no hints to that possibility to occur, no nothing. When you start the game there's a hint: Silence is a valid option. In some cases you will get better results by simply keeping your mouth shut. Same with inaction, which is an action in disguise, and can be as valid! Sometimes by doing nothing the game will pick the choice for you, based on your attitude, and some other times the hidden option will trigger and leave you in awe. Interacting with objects in different order will give you different commentary; tiny changes in dialogue can lock/unlock further opportunities. Game is riddled like this. Your decisions will influence characters around you, form their opinions and play greater consequences in the end. Cause & effect, baby. All the characters feel important, they feel alive, they have purpose.
More so, facial expressions are on the highest level. Emotions play huge part in creating the gritty, moody fantasy world, and you want those fables around you to reflect their feelings, not just talk about them. And they do! In every single interaction you can tell how and what they feel. Fear, happiness, anxiety, pretension or sadness - it's all here. Just like in LA Noire game where you could read people's faces. Except here you have an animated comic book style, which, if being humbly honest, aged phenomenally well. I am not spoiled with all the triple-A titles tho, so keep that in mind.
Severe case of Awesomeness.
I wish I could tell you more about the story, but these lips are sealed. Discretion is my guarantee. Just know this: first time I picked this game I finished it in one sitting -- 12 hours, taking one short dinner break, staying up all night till 5 am. I usually don't do that, but I couldn't stop. I was mesmerized by big bad wolf magic, I guess? I'm on my 3'rd playthrough now, still fascinated to the bones. My only wish is to cast a memory wipe spell and play it for first time again. ALL TIME overwhelmingly positive Steam rating won't lie. It's that good. Masterpiece of a game. The absolute beauty. And the beast.
You know what? Instead of remaking 'The Batman' origin movie every other year with questionable actors, DC should contemplate on making a tv-series, based on the 'Fables' comics / The Wolf Among Us game. If done right, it gonna be a BANGER to watch. James Gunn, take some notes, please.
To balance my euphoric review: the game isn't perfect. There are some plot holes, as Telltale changed major parts of the story during development, with some leftovers still present, leaving a lot for open discussion. Few dialogue options ain't obvious or intuitive, and can spoil your run a bit. Keep in mind that the game wasn't designed for high-end modern PC and can give you several performance issues, although most of them are easily solvable. Mine had to do with Xbox S/X controller, but I fixed it so everything runs as smooth as your PB&J sandwich now. I'm collecting all the trouble-making topics for an upcoming guide so comment down bellow, if you have any or need some help with optimizing/running the game.
Conclusion: The Wolf Among Us ended up being my GOTY 2022 and I've waited 10 years for this moment. Now, I know, I know.. you cannot pick a 10-year old game for that, can you? But, to quote some spider-guy: I missed the part where it's my problem. I discovered this underrated gem for the first time in 2022, so technically, it's all fair in my books. Season 2 is planned to be released this year , and if it's half as good as the original and won't be delayed again? You have my GOTY 2023. Unquestionable. Just don't make it Epic exclusive for forever, Telltale, will ya?
If you'll end up buying and playing, and enjoying this game TOO much, fair warning of the following consequences:

uncontrollable urge to book the flight to NYC;
have a drink or two;
desire to curse in British accent;
even if you don't smoke you'd want to go on a nightly walk with a cigarette in your hand;
every time someone would ask if you're okay, you will reply, with slight annoyance in your tone: I'm hunky dory. Thanks for asking.

Joking ofc. Or am I? ;D
If you've made it till the end - LEGEND!
Much gratitude to y'all. Stay glorious. <3