The Bigger Picture
REVIEW: The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4: In Sheep’s Clothing
by Jake Doolin
Near the
end of the last episode of The Wolf Among
Us, A Crooked Mile, a character
turns to the game’s protagonist Bigby and asks, “Do you even care about
us?” It’s a weighted question for sure,
and the pause between your answers says a lot about the current state of
Fabletown. So much of The Wolf Among Us,
and the mystery genre as a whole, are centered on the end game. But after you
reach that point the story doesn’t end. Instead the lives affected by the
events proceeding move on in new ways. That
continuation of lives beyond the end of the central mystery takes the full
focus of this latest episode, In Sheep’s
Clothing, and with it the answer to that question, “Do you even care about
us?”
After the
brutal finish of A Crooked Mile,
Bigby and Snow are left beaten, bloody, and with no leads on the Fabletown
murders. Snow tasks you with going out with what little information the two of
you have gathered and “do things your way.” This freedom to go about business
your own way is a much more interesting narrative device compared to A Crooked Mile’s timed segments and
allow for more personal interactions with the characters. And it’s in those
interactions that the central theme of this episode and maybe the series as a
whole, emerges. The institutions in place to protect the citizens of Fabletown
have actually done more harm them good.
Over the
course of the last few episodes we’ve seen just how much damage the government
of Fabletown has done to its citizen, and In
Sheep’s Clothing we get our first chance to do something about it. Debts
are paid, lives made better or worse, and family’s lives are transformed by the
actions of Bigby and Bigby alone. The decision to remove Snow for most of the
episode was a smart one, giving each of these big choices a hefty emotional
impact. There is no longer anyone to blame but yourself and the lives these
characters lead once the cuffs come down on whomever is responsible is all on
you.
Adding to
these intense choices is the visuals, which hit a series high. Where the last
few episodes felt constrained by the lack of environments, In Sheep’s Clothing goes all out to show us every aspect of
Fabletown. From glamorous apartments, to the chilling darkness of a meat
locker, the direction by Telltales sells the many forms of sadness punctuating
the world. And yet, as dark as this episode is the visuals allow for bits of
hope to shine through, the use of sunlight and muted colors show a bit of
happiness in the world so against it.
The gameplay
offers little to nothing new in the standard Telltale format, but there seems
to be a greater focus on making every bit of player interaction count. The
puzzles and interactions have been trimmed to great effect, only offering the
most important bits to be played. That’s not to say I loved this, I will always
be more in favor of constant interaction and exploration, but what’s here is so
good that it’s difficult to nitpick.
To further
show what a unique game The Wolf Among Us
is, Telltale decided to end In
Sheep’s Clothing not with an epic battle but with the beginnings of a
conversation. And yet this conversation, on the future of Fabletown and its
citizens, holds more power than any bullet or knife ever could. Because in the
end, no matter how this season ends, the characters will be living with the
fallout, and it’s up the player to ask, how much do you care about them?
+ Unique narrative turns
+ Visuals hit a series high
+ Gameplay more focused
+ The end
- Less focus on gameplay
9/10
