The Wolf Among Us: Episode 5 - Cry Wolf
Score: 100% Publisher: Telltale Games Developer: Telltale Games Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure
All Good Things: How many times have you seen a long story come to a terrible end? Do you remember the worst of them? Not having seen Lost to the very end, my mind always comes up with Dexter's jaw-droppingly awful final season. As far as games go, most people these days cite the denouement of the Mass Effect trilogy as a good example of how not to resolve a story. Well, for every "Remember the Monsters?" there is a "Felina." And in this case, for every Mass Effect 3, there is The Wolf Among Us: Episode 5 - Cry Wolf.
Grim Climax: This fifth and final chapter of Telltale's latest opus wastes absolutely no time getting you back into the action; of course, given Episode 4 - In Sheep's Clothing's ending, how can it? Long story short, Fabletown Sheriff Bigby Wolf at long last finds himself face to face with the Crooked Man and his entire gang. He's outnumbered, for sure, but he isn't leaving without answers, and not even the likes of the Tweedles, the Jersey Devil, and the psychotic Bloody Mary are going to keep him from them. Episode 5 - Cry Wolf is top-heavy with action sequences. They come fast and furious; from the opening brawl to a thrilling double car chase to the frightening (and incredibly memorable) final encounter with Bloody Mary in the steelworks, everything is choreographed so wonderfully that it's almost easy to forgive the utter simplicity of the "mechanics."
Fairytale Ending: Once the claws have been sheathed for good, Bigby is drawn into one final judgment day. Not just for the judgment of those who have wronged the citizens of Fabletown, but for Bigby as well. Telltale usually isn't kidding when its games flat out tell you "::insert character:: will remember that." And in The Wolf Among Us, they do. With a vengeance. Depending on your choices through the game's five episodes, there are different consequences. Did your heart go out to Colin, the porcine chainsmoking squatter who can't afford a glamour? The hypocrisy might be pointed out to a certain other non-glamoured Fable who is being forced to relocate to The Farm. Did you show compassion to Auntie Greenleaf when Snow White threatened to destroy her livelihood? She just might have a solution for you when you need it most... All of these resolutions feel organic and faithful to all of the actions that preceded them, and the writing is as sharp as ever. This is an incredibly intense hour and a half of storytelling, and its conclusion is every bit as satisfying as that of Telltale's first season of The Walking Dead -- though nowhere near as bleak.
Stay Among Us: And thus concludes The Wolf Among Us, perhaps Telltale's finest work to date. Like its other work, it's seen a number of missteps, but judged as a whole, it's damn fine entertainment. Its mature, thoughtful storytelling juxtaposes itself nicely against all the evisceration and eye-popping bloodshed and results in a seven hour (or so) journey that any open-minded adult should embark on. While I'm hoping that Telltale eventually returns to this universe, The Wolf Among Us can still be counted as a resounding success on all fronts. That being said, this prequel story to Bill Willingham's Fables series ends with a painful sting of ambiguity that will probably leave you wanting more. All told, though, this is a fine conclusion to a remarkable project.
-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications AKA Jon Carlos
Related Links: Official Website of The Wolf Among Us Game Vortex's The Wolf Among Us Coverage Vertigo Comics Homepage
Call of Duty: Ghosts - Invasion The Wolf Among Us: Episode 5 - Cry Wolf