The latest installment in The Wolf Among Us series didn’t hit home as big as it should have. There were no major choices that will haunt you afterwards and there was never a big scene to get your blood pumping. Sure you made choices and there was a fight scene thrown in, but it didn’t satisfy my appetite. The plot didn’t really advance all that much either. The only saving grace is the depth this episode gives the overall setting. The only problem with that is no one wants more general setting development in the fourth episode.

In Sheep’s Clothing starts out almost immediately after the third episode ended. Bigby is recovering from the beating he took, and Telltale uses this chance to try and incorporate a gruesome moment. It felt entirely forced and was completely unnecessary. After that, there was a refreshing moment between Snow and Bigby showing some more feelings between them. Then the episode really starts, but it doesn’t actually ever go anywhere.

the wolf among us episode 4 in sheeps clothing

You meet with one character who doesn’t give you any answers besides reaffirming some suspicions you probably had way back in episode two. Then you meet up with other characters, have a fairly boring conversation by Telltale terms, and they give you your next destination. This is where the decisions come into play, but they have no real affect on anything. There is a fight scene that isn’t necessary except to keep your attention, which in fairness, it certainly does. The only time the game really picks up is in the last minute. That isn’t exactly rare for a Telltale game, but if the ending was extended at least for a few minutes the entire episode may have felt more satisfying.

The only thing that In Sheep’s Clothing gave me was exactly as what the title states. Every character you interact with gives very good reasons for their actions. When people fall on hard times they get desperate, and they will do anything to survive. The fables of Fable Town are all having a rough time. The official government isn’t being helpful, so they turn to someone else, like the Crooked Man. There are a lot of moments in this episode where Bigby can come off like the villain—making him the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

That’s not a matter of choices you make, but the laws you are reinforcing. When you accuse a character of running products for the Crooked Man, but he claims he is being forced to against his will. What do you do? Sadly the game doesn’t really give you much freedom in that regard, but mentally is another matter. You can understand why some people are doing everything they can to get by, and Bigby is lucky enough to have a real job where he doesn’t need to scrounge for everything. Toad put it best when he asked Bigby how much a Glamour costs and Bigby didn’t know, because he has never needed to pay for one.

the wolf among us episode 4 in sheep's clothing the butcher

You can insert your argument here for the 1% versus the 99% or the Have’s and the Have Not’s, but what this episode really does is paint a deeper picture for Fable Town. It became clear to me why someone would go to the Crooked Man for a Glamour.  They couldn’t find a job as a Fable, so they needed a Glamour to look human for a job, but they needed money from a job to get the Glamour. It’s a dark spiral that the Crooked Man offers a freedom from.

This added depth and insight into the world paints a more vivid picture in your head. In the long run this will make the world of Fable Town more enjoyable. However, no one wants this in the forth episode. This was needed in the first or second episode as the setting was being developed. It’s a little late to be talking about the setting and world when the main villain was just introduced in the last episode’s cliffhanger.

I sat down expecting this episode to be a rush of adrenalin or serious detective work. I knew who the bad guy was now so I wanted to go catch him. I felt cheated after being given such an important lead and then nothing major happened. In Sheep’s clothing felt like padding. Sure it had important moments and it deepened the overall story, but it didn’t feel substantial enough to be considered a full episode. It’s essentially when a TV series does a recap episode right before the season finale. You get all excited expecting a big episode only to be hit with a useless recap episode. You feel cheated like your time is being wasted, but at the same time, you look forward to the next episode even more, because you know the next episode will be a really good one.

the wolf among us episode 4 in sheeps clothing

In Sheep’s Clothing is not nearly as bad as a recap episode (since it isn’t recapping anything) but the lack of real plot advancement makes you feel the same way. This episode wasn’t the greatest, but it had its uses. It lasts only a little longer than an hour so that makes it feel even cheaper, especially when nothing to write home about happens. What it does do is it makes you crave the final episode even more. In Sheep’s Clothing was a letdown, and I will consider it the worst episode so far, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less excited for the next installment.

This review is based off a retail copy of the Playstation 3 version of The Wolf Among Us Episode 4: In Sheep’s Clothing developed and distributed by Telltale Games.

Stumbling Towards The End | The Wolf Among Us Episode 4: In Sheep's Clothing Review
Overall Score6.5
Positives
  • Writing Is Still Wonderful
  • Deeper Insight to Characters and Setting
  • Builds Anticipation For The Finale
Negatives
  • Technical Issues Continue To Persist
  • No Major Plot Advancment
  • Unnecessary Fighting and Gruesome Moment
6.7Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)
0.0

About The Author

Neil has had a passion for video games ever since the Atari entered his life so many years ago. He's been writing about them for over two years and sees no end in sight. Reach out to him on twitter @nconnors13