The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4 - In Sheep's Clothing Review

Once again, this review of the latest episode of Telltale Games' series, The Wolf Among Us, will provide spoiler free coverage. Whether you've played every episode so far, or are brand new to the series, every review in our coverage is safe to read.

The penultimate instalment of The Wolf Among Us has arrived, and In Sheep’s Clothing is a powerhouse of an episode.

In a similar manner to Episode 2, the experience of In Sheep’s Clothing focusses more on character development than anything else. Choice is still a key part in the gameplay, but it is less focussed on what to do and where to investigate, with greater emphasis on how Bigby will go about it.

The key theme underlying the episode is the importance of rules and authority, and how far one is willing to go to do what needs to be done. Will Bigby do everything by the book and with a respect for authority, or will he do what he feels is necessary regardless of what those in authority say? The choice is, of course, entirely yours, but the message is clear - if you are willing to stoop to the level of your enemy, what separates you from them?

Another theme explored is the hard truth that, sometimes, doing the right thing means hurting good people. The player will find themselves in situations where they must make a choice of whether or not to help an individual, knowing that to do so would hurt the Fable community as a whole. This is Telltale at their best, providing the player with extremely difficult choices, where there rarely seems to be a 'right' answer.

This kind of emotive storytelling is perfectly suited to the narrative experience, and the game is all the stronger for it. It's a testament to the writing ability involved that the player can guide Bigby down two very different paths in this regard, yet the character still remains true to his comic book alter-ego no matter which way you go.

Plot-wise, it would appear that the investigation is reaching its climax (as would be expected, given only one further episode remains). In contrast to previous episodes, which involved a great deal of misdirection and unanswered questions, In Sheep’s Clothing sees Bigby getting closer and closer to the truth, providing a lot of answers and bringing him face-to-face with the prime antagonists in the conspiracy.

Of course, perhaps this itself is the last grand trick and Telltale have a huge twist under their sleeves. Only the next episode will tell, but this one certainly satisfies the player with the feeling of progress made. However, despite turning a corner in getting to the bottom of things, there is still a substantial amount of work left to be done, and so Episode 5 is shaping up to be fairly action-packed.

Once again, a strong cast is featured, with characters returning from previous episodes and new characters turning up; in the most unlikely of places. Anyone reading our previous episode reviews will know the score here; terrific character realisation, fantastic voice acting and extremely well written dialogue.

As with other episodes, this is a fairly short affair. While no less brief than any of its predecessors, it'll probably feel like the shortest one yet, as the excitement level is ramped up a notch by the speed of progression, the tension, and the action thorough.

In Sheep’s Clothing is the series at its highest point. Thoughtful, exciting and with great character and narrative. It finally feels like the wolf is getting close to his prey, and when that final scene ends you'll be left wanting for more. If any one criticism can be leveled at In Sheep’s Clothing, it is this: it sets the bar far too high for the last episode!