Affecting the narrative: A case study of ´The Wolf Among Us´

Brooklyn, the 1980s. I’m standing in the dingy living room of a rundown apartment complex, slapping a 4ft, dressing-gown wearing toad around the face as Snow White enters with the toad’s young son, who trembles in fear at me, Bigby ‘the big bad’ Wolf.

Just an average day within the universe of The Wolf Among Us, the latest release from Telltale Games and based upon the popular comic book series, Fables.

'The Wolf Among Us'

Set in New York, The Wolf Among Us (TWAU) is a point-and-click adventure game centred on characters from fairy tales and folklore. In a gritty take on their stories, these fairy tale characters have been driven from their homelands and have taken refuge in New York City. Here they try to live normal lives and hide themselves from regular humans, with Bigby Wolf taking on the role of Sheriff in this dark and twisted community.

Bigby Wolf, Snow White & Toad - Some of the weird and dangerous inhabitants of TWAU

TWAU is, like Telltale’s last big release The Walking Dead, an episodic and player led experience. As you play through the game you are given numerous choices and, as stated at the start of the game by Telltale themselves: “[the] game series adapts to the choices you make. The story is tailored by how you play”.

How effective is this design though? Does choice and consequence create a deeper, more meaningful experience for the player? Does it create a stronger story? Perhaps more importantly, is there a price to this choice? Are the limitations that exist within video games counter to the proposal of free player choice within a game?

First and foremost, I think it’s important to describe the experience of playing TWAU. As I said, it’s a point-and-click adventure game which involves the player investigating scenes by interacting with items and people; using your wits to choose what to see, who to talk to and when to act. TWAU also features quick time events (QTEs) wherein you’re required to act fast, following directions on screen in a limited time-frame – usually used in chase or fight sequences.

Point-and-click games are strikingly different in play style to the more ‘traditional’ gameplay method of putting the player in direct control of their character. You are very limited in terms of character movement (sometimes not having any choice in where your character goes) but you are given more freedom with your environment and the pace of the game is determined by your interactions. The play style is more an interactive story than a traditional game.

Classic point-and-click gameplay as well as some QTE fight elements

Is this type of game inherently more engaging than a traditional game, and is this where player choice belongs? Is player interaction dependant on this play style? Personally, I would say no. I believe both gameplay styles can be equally engaging and story driven. Just take a look at The Last Of Us (dissected by myself in a previous post) – it’s engaging, dramatic, character driven and an extremely well-crafted game. Its style of gameplay has little to no effect on the story, and I believe it’s the story itself that really affects player engagement. Some narratives are suited more to traditional gameplay styles, some more to the point-and-click style, and some to even more unique ways of playing, but in all of these, the story is key in this engagement and player choice and consequence can fit in all gameplay styles.

So, if it isn’t the type of game that makes choice important, perhaps it is the idea of shaping the experience in general. Seeing what effect player interaction has on a story is perhaps interesting because of the ‘live feedback’, the ability to see your actions shape a world. This is something no film or book can do, it’s an exclusive trait belonging to video games, and when a great narrative is twinned with player interaction, there is the possibility for truly engaging storytelling.

Choice plays a big role in TWAU and can determine vital plot points

There is however, a problem with this system. The limitation of both technology and creativity hinders the extent to which player choice can affect a game’s narrative. You cannot, for example, have player choice drastically alter the outcome of a game beyond two or three possibilities – the sheer amount of programming needed would require a huge amount of storage – not something readily available on a disc.

Even as technology improves however, and storage and computing power become less of a concern, creative limitations will always exist. Stories are written by people, and much like crafting a great screenplay or novel is a difficult task, writing a great video game narrative is a challenge. Having multiple endings, strands of investigation, different dialogue responses and avenues of conversation requires a person, or team, to factor in and write all of this content. Compare a simple, linear narrative to one which has multiple choices, branches and outcomes, and the creative work multiplies exponentially.

Due to these limitations, player choice will always be restricted. The real art comes in hiding these restrictions. A well-crafted choice system will distract a player from the limits of their choice by giving them drama, action and immediate consequence in return – it’s safer, and more satisfying, if a player’s interaction is rewarded instantly and dramatically, than to leave them disappointed with a slow-burning narrative development.

So player choice is important, encourages engagement in a story, gives a player control and yet is limited to the point where that control is, effectively, an illusion. Why then, do games continue to use choice mechanisms? Why do players continue to enjoy them?

One possible answer is the community aspect that often comes with a choice led experience. Many games utilise a multiplayer element to extend play time, and websites like YouTube are full of play-along videos; in which viewers can watch walkthroughs, learn techniques, and discover hints and secrets from players filming their performance.

Games like TWAU however, often take this further with dedicated forums for discussion and in-game statistics and comparisons. During my play through of the first episode of TWAU I was met with statistics that matched my performance against other players:

Stats in TWAU track player's progress and match it against others globally

Elements like this help to bring players together, chart their experiences and compare the outcomes of their actions. This doesn’t remove the limitations that hinder player interactivity, nor does it affect my play through directly, but having a community to discuss and deliberate with extends the experience and increases the engagement a player will have with the story.

Channels from YouTube take this further by using audience opinions and voting to direct the choices they make – the digital age has brought with it an increase in online communities, and games utilising choice systems are able to whet the appetite of fans and encourage a group experience.

When it comes down to it, choice and consequence in gaming may not alter the story of a game drastically, and may not be the key reason behind a player’s engagement with the narrative, but, that player interaction, that sense of control and choice (however much of an illusion it is) creates a deeper link with the story and sets it apart from those we read or see on the screen.

The Wolf Among Us is a fantastic game; dark, brooding and full of twists and turns that keep players guessing and wanting to continue their hunt. Player choice may only augment this experience, not create it, but what’s really important when playing a story driven game is the story itself. Tailoring that story with independent choice, and yet retaining the structure and plot as it was originally designed will ultimately create the strongest experience, and a strong experience is, above all else, what matters.