Review: Wolf Among Us Episode 5: Cry Wolf
If you’ve been keeping up with the Wolf Among Us, Telltale Games’ adaptation of the popular Fables comics, you’ve no doubt been eager for the arrival of the fifth and final installment which recently came out. I know I have been.
When last we left everyone’s favourite wolf Sherriff, Bigby, he had finally come face to face with the Crooked Man, the man who had essentially blackmailed his way into becoming the most powerful figure in Fabletown and who had been an ominous presence over all the events through the episodes so far.
This has nothing to do with the Crooked Man…it’s just awesome.
So after all the build-up of previous installments, how did this conclusion fare up? Pretty darned satisfactory, in my opinion, with one major exception. I could talk once again about game play mechanics, graphics and sound, but really, you can just look at my previous review for my opinions on that. All of those factors remain consistent. No, today we’re here to discuss ourselves some story.
Rather than attempt to tackle the dense episode as a whole, I’ve decided to break it down into its various elements. So here goes:
The Villain
Over the course of four episodes, there has been A LOT of build-up to the villain of the series, the Crooked Man. He has seduced, blackmailed and taken control of many impoverished Fables in the community not to mention almost taken out the Big Bad Wolf himself. All of this is done without the player actually ever having seen him. That’s a lot of hype to live up to.
And for me personally? He was more than worthy as an antagonist. He may not be all that physically intimidating, but when it comes to his manipulation he is a force to be reckoned with. Even after a couple of minutes of speaking with him, it’s clear why so many Fables follow him: he seems, for all intents and purposes, like someone who truly cares about the plight of the down and out Fables.
Though, once he gets a gun, it’s a bit less convincing.
Because of this, the major showdown with the villain is of course in a sort of battle of wits once you bring him to justice (IF you bring him to justice, good old Telltale gives you the choice). What cemented my love of the Crooked Man as a villain was the fact that throughout that final encounter, I found myself agreeing with him more often than not. Or maybe it was easy to take his side with Bluebeard around, but still!
Without spoiling too much, it’s a pretty tense battling wits with him to save the day. Keep in mind though: this is a very dialogue driven episode. If you were looking for action, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Oh wait, with a couple of minor exceptions…
The Showdown
One of the themes throughout the series has been Bigby’s struggle with his past image as The Big Bad Wolf and whether to supress that side of him or embrace it at the risk of upsetting the community. That struggle comes to a head here in Bigby’s final encounter with Bloody Mary.
If you think that’s as scary as she can look, she’s got some surprises for you.
If the finale is worth anything, it’s this showdown. Bloody Mary exploded into Episode 3 as one of the craziest, most chaotic villains you’d ever come across, proving a formidable foe for the Big Bad Wolf. Here she ups the ante even more, finally showing her true form and providing a tense battle sequence that is more than satisfying for those waiting to see Bigby in his element.
The Trial
The other big event of the game is the trial of the Crooked Man himself. As per Telltale’s tradition, choices that you made earlier in the game might come back to haunt you here as characters judge your own actions as well as the villain’s. It’s a tense conversation right up until the final decision. There are multiple ways to go here and of course I won’t spoil anything but no matter what you choose, not everyone will be a fan of your choice, and for every friend you make there is one more new enemy.
I guess it would be hard to trust a guy like this…
The one drawback to the whole scene is that Snow White, a key character throughout the series, ends up taking a backseat for much of the conversation. Granted, this is the story of Bigby Wolf and as the player you have to contribute the most to the conversation, but considering her prominent role and development in previous episodes it would have been nice to see her character arc completed a little more thoroughly.
Conclusion
In many ways, Cry Wolf is a very satisfying conclusion. Most of the loose ends are tied up neatly. There are chase sequences, there are showdowns, there is political intrigue. There is everything you’d want in an ending.
And yet…and yet…
I have this thing about sequels. I hate leaving anything on a cliffhanger, especially for the end of a series. There’s something to be said for a complete, contained story, and the assumption that your franchise will be popular enough to warrant a sequel is not always the best decision (most of my favourite shows ended this way…oh Carnivale…we’ll never know your plan)
The Wolf Among Us ends on a BIG cliffhanger. On the one hand, I am kind of okay with it. Like I said, I really enjoyed this series. Telltale certainly has reason to be confident too with its recent successes. And some of the ambiguous notes the game leaves us on mirrors how actual life works: things don’t always turn out happily ever after right away.
But on the other, it was pretty abrupt and disappointing, and there really needs to be a good reason for a sequel. I do trust Telltale to tell a good story, but I am beginning to wonder if they’re choosing to leave us hanging simply to take advantage of the game’s popularity or if they truly had a continued story planned from the beginning. For their sake, I hope it’s the latter.
Besides…who knows how long we’ll have to wait for those answers?! I guess if that’s my only real complaint, that I’ll have to wait too long, I’d say maybe Telltale was doing something right. If you haven’t played it yet, please do try Wolf Among Us. Who knows, maybe you’ll finish just in time for Season 2.
