Fables: The Wolf Among Us - Episode 2 Review

-Gregg Dietz
Reviews Editor

In my review of the first episode, I talk about what Fables is and give a brief summary of who the characters are. This review is primarily about the second episode and i will be dropping a few spoilers from the first episode.

This episode picks up right where the first left off, Bigby is in shock having seen Snow White’s decapitated head laying on the footsteps of The Woodlands Motel. The way in which they depict Bigby’s shock is great. It’s very cinematic is execution and with the visual design of the game and color palette they use, It drives the point home. Shortly after that you are introduced with the first episode hoping decision you made from the last episode. You had the option to arrest Tweedledee or the woodsman, with whomever you chose, they will be the one you interrogate. I love this about these games because it adds replay-ability and conversation with your friends about how different things are between your play-throughs.

With it being a noir style story, the visuals have to follow suit, and boy do they. You are given a tip about a strip club that doubles as an escort service, called the Pudding & Pie. Once in, you are introduced to my favorite character in this episode, Georgie Porgie. This scene with him is a long one, but it's full of quick decisions you are forced to make. This is also where your detective skills are put to the test because being Bigby means you have to get mean sometimes, but how mean is up to you. This scene has so many options, I’d love to know how different everyone else's was.

Something I didn’t talk about in the first review, the voice acting. Now I don’t want all of you to think that because I did a podcast with the voice of Bigby Wolf (Adam Harrington), that I’m talking him up, so trust me when I say he does an exceptional job. Every actor who plays a role in this does a fantastic job bringing you into the world. The actors have to do multiple lines for each scenario that the player chooses, that is tough work. I could list all the voice actors who play parts in this but that would take too long so click here to view the IMDb page for The Wolf Among Us.

My gripes are quite similar with the first one. The loading times can be very arduous, taking you completely out of being immersed. This is not always the case though with every loading screen, I find that on the Xbox 360, when a long load happens, the game still has hiccups leading into the next scene. The puzzles in the first episode were very easy, in episode 2 though, they are almost non-existent. The conversations and interactions with other Fables are where the challenge truly comes from in this episode. As I said in my first episode review, these are minor annoyances, not game breaking bugs.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed playing this episode and I cant wait for episode 3. I highly recommend playing this, but first picking up episode 1 from Steam, PSN and Xbox Arcade for $5 if you haven’t already. I give this a 9 outta 10.

Have you played episode 2 and want to share your experience? Are you as excited as I am for episode 3? Let us know in the comments below, on our Facebook fan page, Or tweet us @MissionStartP

-Gregg Dietz (@ChubRockGeek)