Developer: Telltale Games
Release Date: Out now
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Vita
Version Tested: Xbox 360
Price: £3.99, or part of TWAU season pass

Telltale Games know how to tell a story. They’re not afraid to tug on your heartstrings or force you into impossible situations. That’s what makes their games so great.

And while The Walking Dead remains their finest hour, The Wolf Among Us has gripped us from the off. Based on the Fables comic-book series – a hard-edge, gritty spin on fairytales – The Wolf Among Us focuses on Sheriff Bigby Wolf policing Fabletown from those who wish to turn it upside down.

The first episode introduced us to this dark, dreary world and established its characters, then ended on one hell of a cliffhanger.

Fortunately, Smoke & Mirrors wastes no time in getting us right back into the action.

Bigby is sat in interrogation. The ‘Mundy’ (non-magical folk) Police are quizzing him about the events that close out the end of the first episode and how Bigby may or may not have been involved. The initial dialogue choices presented to the player really set the pace for the rest of the episode. In Episode One, Bigby was all about unleashing the animal, allowing the ‘wolf within’ to come out, and proving he is law enforcement to be reckoned with.

But this episode allows players to explore another side of Bigby. You can help humanize the animal by making him empathetic and sympathetic. You can focus on being calm and rational in his interactions.

Or you can smash things up and roar in people’s faces. You can continue the downward descent of the law enforcement official everyone fears but for all the wrong reasons. This episode will, undoubtedly, change everything. Characters will see Bigby in a different light by the conclusion of Smoke and Mirrors. And even though this episode isn’t particularly action-packed and every decision may seem reserved and unimportant, there’s a lot of groundwork being established here. Bigby can either firmly establish the ruthless bastard or show that he is, indeed, a multi-dimensional character, with a real chance of moving away from the Big Bad Wolf stigma he’s been branded with.

The majority of the episode sees Bigby and Crane establishing their characters. The tension between the two characters definitely started to boil over in the first, but Smoke and Mirrors adds a new twist to that relationship. Still, there are other returning characters, such as Toad and Beast, who also have a part to play in the narrative.

Unfortunately, there were some issues with the Xbox 360 version of the game. For one, it appears Season Pass holders aren’t able to download the game as part of the pass. Microsoft actually had to issue me a separate code for the game as it appears there is no work-around. This is, unfortunately, just one of many issues with Telltale Games on Microsoft’s platform. It’s far too easy to buy the same episode twice and still end up playing nothing, and unfortunately i’m not expecting these problems to be fixed in time for future episodes.

To make matters worse, the game is seriously laggy when moving between scenes or when registering any prior decisions you’ve made. The recap of Episode One and the Coming Soon for Episode Three, in particular, took an age to register my in-game interactions. There are also some panning issues and regular drops in frame-rate, as well as poor drawing of some scenes and areas. In all honesty, 360 is probably the least ideal platform to experience the game on.

All those issues aside, however, this is a solid episode which sets up some exciting plot threads for the rest of the season. The Wolf Among Us has great pacing, a great cast and great story-telling. While over WAY too quickly, Smoke & Mirrors is a thrilling ride from start to finish that you will not be able to put down.

Pros:

• This episode will define the Bigby character through your decision-making
• You will not be able to put this down from start to finish
• Exciting plot-points set up next episode

Cons:

• Barely a two hour episode. Far too short.
• Lagging and stuttering in camera panning and moving between scenes
• Some poor background drawing during cut-scenes

Rating:

3.5 out of 5

Smoke & Mirrors keeps up the tempo set in Faith and maintains it throughout the entire episode. Technical issues and poor length aside, this episode has yet again grabbed us by the throat and we can’t wait to see where Telltale take us next.