Telltale Games always had some fun point and click style adventure games, but it wasn’t until last year’s The Walking Dead that the studio really hit it big. Telltale’s take on the graphic novel-turned TV show surprised everyone and mopped up game of the year nominations and wins and was widely considered one of the best games the studio had ever released. Following something like that up can be difficult for a studio of any size, but based on my initial playthrough of their new series The Wolf Among Us, Telltale is still at the top of their game.

The Wolf Among us is a fantasy tale created based on the Fables series of graphic novels. It features the protagonist, Bigby Wolf, as the sheriff in what’s referred to as “Fable Town.” Fable Town is where all the characters from old children’s fables now live, which seems to be located in New York City. The plot of episode one, entitled “Faith,” follows Bigby as he investigates a series of murders happening around the city. Fable Town rarely has murders, so when people begin to turn up dead (sometimes on Bigby’s own doorstep) Bigby and Snow know something is amiss. I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot as (like with The Walking Dead) the twists and turns are what make these games great, but just know that so far The Wolf Among Us continues The Walking Dead’s style of excellent narratives and great characters.

Gameplay in the episode is very similar to The Walking Dead. You walk around the environment with the sticks, you use face buttons to interact with objects and people, and every now and then you have a “high action” sequence that involves specific quick time events. It works fine again here too, but it still could use some tweaking. The best part of the gameplay is the story and how you decide to answer questions when interacting with the other characters. There’s also a bit of detective work that makes the game feel different from The Walking Dead.

The only negative I can throw at The Wolf Among Us is technical performance. Like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us suffers from framerate issues, loading hitches, long load times, and general stutter when playing. I can only hope Telltale creates their next world on the next generation of systems to alleviate some of this.

Overall The Wolf Among Us kept me hooked through its 5-6 hours of gameplay and story. I didn’t feel any let down coming right off of The Walking Dead, and I am extremely excited to see where this series of stories goes. I would highly recommend anyone that loved The Walking Dead take a shot at The Wolf Among us, it’s a fantastic adventure/detective game that left me screaming at my TV when the last twist showed to end the episode. It’s available on console and PC for $5, so go grab it!

The Wolf Among Us Gameplay Commentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VjcITLTk8o

The Wolf Among Us Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4x4a7x9cU8