Short Opinions is a
section that will feature quick thoughts on games that I have
recently played that I hadn't scheduled for review. These may be
games that clutter my backlog or simply games I didn't feel like
writing a full review for. There is no set schedule for these and
they will be posted whenever I see fit. May contain light spoilers.
WARNING: Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers.
Episode
Three: “A Crooked Mile” - Three episodes and six or so hours
deep within my adventure through Fabletown has taught me an important
lesson, The Wolf Among Us is not afraid to strip everything away from
you and expose your vulnerability when you feel the safest. Episode
One taught me of the world and helped me discover what role I thought
I wanted to play and Episode Two showed me consequence and the
benefits of trying to think before reacting. But, Episode Three was
different. It deceptively allowed me to fall into a rhythm and think
I was getting close to figuring out the game's mysteries before it
showed me just how wrong I was. “A Crooked Mile” didn't hesitate
to expose my naivety and punish me for it and maybe I've learned
something from that.
I was
proud of my choices in this episode. I had investigated each area
thoroughly and was in a rhythm of looking around a room, convincing
any opposition to help me, and then heading off towards my next lead.
I thought I was well on my way to finding out the mystery of these
murders and even though Ichabod Crane ended up not being the killer,
I still found him embezzling money from Fabletown to be despicable
and I was proud that he was being hauled off. But, by the end of the
episode, when Bigby stepped foot into that ally outside the Pudding &
Pie, I was naively comfortable and vastly unprepared. I believed I
was doing something so morally sound that when the Tweedle Twin's
gunfire ultimately triggered Bigby's full transformation, I didn't
think twice about assaulting them and tearing the esophagus from one
of their necks, because they were in the way of what I had worked
for. It was only when Blood Mary had put a silver bullet in Bigby
that I realized what the game had done to me.
Throughout
the entire episode, I had been calm. I hadn't hit anyone, even
Crane, when given the option. But, when something stood in the way
of the choices I had made, that I was so proud of because they were
the right choices, I immediately resorted to violence. The Wolf
Among Us played on the fact that I had become comfortable and
prideful in my choices, and therefore I had become vulnerable. When
all the viscera lay on the pavement and the very man I was so proud
to have caught was taken away from me, I realized that Telltale
creates these choices not only to heighten suspense, but to help us
get an insight into our own personalities. I realized I had been
selfish. I did not make every choice I thought was right
instinctively. I thought about which decision would make me look
like the good guy, and ultimately give me the ending I wanted. Yet,
when something was in my way, I didn't think twice about spilling
blood. How much something like this may carry over into the real
world is unique to each player, but it definitely did make me think
about decisions I have made recently and whether or not I did them
for the right reasons or for the aesthetic appeals of their outcomes.
The
more I play through The Wolf Among Us, the more thoughts it puts into
my head. So many different aspects of the game have unique
characteristics that make you really think, as well as admire the
world you're given. With the completion of each episode, waiting to
play the next gets harder and keeping my hands typing this instead of
booting up Episode Four is a real task. For more of The Wolf Among
Us and more Short Opinions, keep it locked to PBG.
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