The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4 - In Sheep's Clothing Reviews
Even the cliffhanger ending feels a bit muted when compared to the epic final moments of episode one and three. Still, it's a necessary stepping stone to finally reach the summit that we've all been waiting for, and with the conclusion looming just over the horizon I can't wait to see how it all ends for the denizens of FableTown.
In Sheep's Clothing gives in to the dark side
Despite the acting, music, and graphics teams doing their bang-up jobs, and the storyline taking some interesting turns toward an epic finale, Episode 4 of The Wolf Among Us was more than a little unsatisfying. Yes the writing's great but there's not enough content here, nor were there any choices that felt like they truly mattered or were shaping the plot.
This particular episode is more a shaggy dog story rather than something that goes for the throat, but it's building up promisingly towards the season climax.
The Wolf Among Us unsurprisingly remains top-notch from beginning to end of its penultimate episode of the season, but minor hiccups prevent In Sheep's Clothing from rising to the top.
As the end of this season of The Wolf Among Us nears, this episode is basically an awesome set-up to the finale where the highly-anticipated showdown between the protagonist and mysterious, illusive antagonist takes place.
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4 - In Sheep's Clothing does a great job of setting things in motion for the conclusion, but its unfortunate status as Telltale's shortest episode yet sours the overall experience.
I'm still looking forward to what Telltale has in store next, especially after the high note that this episode finished on, but - I hate to say it - In Sheep's Clothing is easily the weakest episode in the series.
When announced, the idea of playing as the Sheriff in the prequel Fabletown wasn't exactly a homerun. Boiling the tapestry of characters and locales down to a single character's point of view was no sure success, but when playing 'In Sheep's Clothing' the payoff is apparent. Bigby, gruff and reformed, isn't the most righteous of characters, but stepping into his place and trying to redress all of the sick and twisted acts that have accumulated over four episodes, has meant becoming an integral part an engaging narrative, and brings to my mind the exploits of William Munny in 'Unforgiven.' As for the conclusion of 'In Sheep's Clothing,' it somehow makes the wait for the finale interminable and yet the cliffhanger seems like one worthy of great anticipation.
So much of Episode 4 is table setting for the upcoming finale that the episode never finds its own identity: it's all middle. There's no real beginning or end, no narrative arc.
In struggling to enjoy the short episode, players may question the entire series in itself. Is The Wolf Among Us overhyped? Was it worth players' time and money? Only time will tell, with the series' final episode, Cry Wolf, on the horizon.
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!
The build up in this episode is excellent although I'm not sure the finale will be able to live up to the expectations it has set. We still don't know as much as we expected to by the end of episode 4. I'm just hoping Telltale gives the so far brilliant series a proper sendoff in the fifth episode. In Sheep's Clothing is a slower episode than what many have been expecting from the series but you'll never find a dull moment and always moving your analog stick to progress further in the story.
Exposition-heavy, yet light on actual plot development, In Sheep's Clothing is perhaps the weakest episode of The Wolf Among Us to date. That said, it redeems itself in the closing moments with one of the coolest fade-to-blacks seen in an interactive story to date. With the promise of a final epic confrontation on the cards, there may yet be time to determine whether the series' storyline does enough to justify its existence, or if it's another unfortunate case of mutton dressed as lamb.