The Wolf Among Us: Episode 2 - Smoke and Mirrors Reviews
Smoke and Mirrors simultaneously excelled while falling slightly short. Despite my gripes, I genuinely enjoyed the entire experience, but this episode did not hit the expectations set up by the first episode of The Wolf Among Us. That being said, this it is still a positive addition to what is turning out to be an absolutely fantastic series.
With the three month break since the first episode, The Wolf Among Us comes back with the right kind of episode to get you hooked on seeing this investigation through all of its many twists and turns as it focuses just on furthering the story.
Telltale has kept up its quality of writing, atmosphere and mystery, beginning to tie together story threads while heightening anticipation even further. However, there's no question that the relatively slower, methodical pace of this episode will leave less of an impact on some players. Those who favor a slow burn will still welcome the experience, but if Telltale hadn't made audiences wait four months to play this episode, they would have had a much easier time keeping both groups happy.
The content is fantastic, though the timing between episodes holds the game back.
Smoke and Mirrors is a solid continuation for The Wolf Among Us. A lot of seeds were planted in Faith, and while a few have borne fruit, most of this episode's running time is spent tending to them.
Technical hitches and an early story stumble are not enough to prevent The Wolf Among Us: Episode 2 - Smoke & Mirrors from continuing its series' winning streak.
The most important thing is that while I wasn't in as much of a shock when I got to the cliffhanger at the end of this episode, I was left wanting more, and if episode three was installed and ready to go, there is no doubt in my mind that I would've happily played on. Nothing else needs to be said.
Wolf makes no bones of its format and continues to give a genuinely diverging storyline that will leave you wondering about every line you utter and every punch you throw.
Admittedly, I still don't know where I stand on the series as a whole, but that's probably because we're only in Episode Two. With three more still planned, I'm anxious to see where Telltale takes the series. I just hope we don't have to wait another four months to find out.
Smoke and Mirrors is a fine piece of story-telling, and retains all the positive elements I outlined in my review of Episode One, along with a slightly more regular frame rate and shorter loading times on my PC.
Episode 2 contains all the elements we've come to expect and deeply admire from a Telltale series, but it's too thinly spread to achieve top marks.
Smoke & Mirrors isn't quite as good as the superb Faith and is a little shorter, which is a kick in the flying monkey nuts after how long it took to turn up, but it's still an excellent and enjoyable adventure full of intrigue, surprise and emotion. If Telltale keep this up they could well end up eclipsing The Walking Dead for me, and I nominated that for our Game of the Year. Just, er, could we have Episode 3 a little sooner please?
Episode 2 presents a potential pitfall for The Wolf Among Us to avoid as it goes forward. When the choices are too easy, it's hard for Bigby's story to pack an emotional wallop. Instead, it descends into choosing for choosing's sake.
Smoke and Mirrors establishes that The Wolf Among Us will likely be worth seeing through, although whether it's worth doing so now or waiting for the season's end is a more open question than one might have anticipated at the end of the first episode. It ends on a cliffhanger, but not one with a whole lot of bite, and the 'next episode' preview reveals a third episode that revisits a lot of already familiar locations and story beats.
Smoke and Mirrors is an excellent follow up to a strong start, and while it may not live up to the excitement of the previous episode, it nevertheless makes a worthy successor. Episode 2 will shock with twists, drive the narrative forward and allow the player to steer Bigby through it all in a style that suits them.
Faith had introduced me to an exciting world of magic and monsters and exploring said world in Smoke and Mirrors keeps me wanting more. The case just keeps getting more interesting, I just hope Telltale doesn't keep us waiting long for Episode 3.
Smoke and Mirrors is a short but engaging chapter but it is hindered by some odd decisions around the choice mechanics and ongoing engine issues. More importantly, the length of time between instalments risks damaging the IP.
If you've any interest in game's as a narrative medium, buy this one. It won't satisfy the gamers that are looking for "twitch gameplay" (Like an FPS), but it's right on the money for everyone else.
"Smoke and Mirrors" has converted me. Shorn of the need to introduce the game's world and characters, it quickly gets to business developing and telling a story with them.
There's a war inside of Bigby, that much is clear. And if the preview for Episode Three is to believed, this story is about to go to some dark places. We can't wait to see what's next.