Blast From the Past (Game blog 6: Revisiting The Wolf Among Us)

Two weeks ago I posted about The Wolf Among Us by Telltale games. I commented on how the game offers the player choices that seem to have weight thanks to the branching narrative structure of the game. I said that by giving the player some control over the story, the game tricked players into feeling that all of their decisions really mattered.
This week I intend to enhance that argument.

The Wolf Among Us is a very story driven game. Game mechanics take a back seat as the player becomes immersed in the world of Fabletown. The game is populated with characters that you come to know and care about and as the player you become increasingly invested in the characters and their roles in the story that unfolds around you. I think that this investment is key to making the choices ingame feel important. Sebastian Domsch says that "(choice situations) are invested with some form of motivation, that is: the player will be interested in the outcome of the choice and will expect one outcome to be better than another." In this case the motivation to make a choice comes from the players involvement in the narrative and feelings towards characters (good or bad). As you get to know the characters you from opinions about them, those opinions could change from one playthrough to another, but in any case the game does a good job of making you feel something for them. If you dislike a character you will probably choose to be a little harsh with them, or if you like a character you'll want to be nice. As you get to know characters better your choices become more and more motivated.

The game also does its best to make sure you know your actions will have consequences. When you respond to characters in certain ways a message appears onscreen telling you that the character "will remember that" and characters ingame also voice their opinions on choices you make, showing you an instant result of your choice. The largest decisions in the game, the ones that significantly affect the narrative path, actually take up the entire screen and all you can do is hover between your two choices as music blares ominously in the background.

As mentioned in the last blog, the player really has somewhat minimal control over the narrative, but the game tricks them into thinking they have a lot more. By investing the player and giving them motivation, the decisions are given weight, and by showing that actions have consequences, the choices become more meaningful. The player becomes used to the idea that their choices matter, and begins to think that all of their choices matter, even though many of them don't change a thing. In this way the game seems to become more real and personal to the player, enhancing their experience and immersion.

The way that The Wolf Among Us tells its story and portrays its characters gives the player a reason to play, a reason to choose the best option and makes them feel a part of the game. Despite its limited story paths it feels extremely interactive and personal. I think this is the biggest success of the game.