Everything New in The Wolf Among Us Remastered

This article was produced in collaboration with our sponsor, Telltale.

In my time playing games from the talented crew at Telltale Games, no story has quite resonated with me more than The Wolf Among Us. The episodic noir narrative title, which was released back in 2013, thrusts curious players into a fantasy world of Fabletown, a place inhabited by Fables taken straight from the pages of some of my favorite fairy tales. The town in The Wolf Among Us is just as fantastical as it is gritty, a fairy tale nestled neatly in Manhattan, New York.

Upon picking up the controller one day in 2013, I was greeted with the guardian of Fabletown, a chain-smoking detective named Bigby Wolf, tasked with keeping the peace. Once acquainted with the Big Bad Wolf, I knew I was hooked, looking forward to solving a murder that had essentially fallen right into my lap, or doorstep. I have found myself itching to put my pseudo-detective badge on again all these years later, which is why I am so thankful for the release of The Wolf Among Us Remastered.

It’s More Than Just a Remaster

The remaster, which is out now and retailing for an approachable $24.99, depicts Fabletown and its inhabitants like you’ve never seen them before, thrusting players back into their detective work, solving crimes alongside the ever-trusty Snow White. It feels good to jump back into the story I fell in love with almost 13 years ago, now with a stunning facelift that will feel both new and nostalgic for The Wolf Among Us vets and just as visually striking for newcomers. Upon my first playthrough, I was magnetically pulled into this world.

I was 14, mostly playing horror titles or cozy games, and somehow found myself with a copy of The Wolf Among Us, a style of game I usually didn’t venture into. Although I had played and loved The Walking Dead, another Telltale title, I was hesitant, as I usually am when trying new things. I popped the disc into my very beat-up PlayStation 3 and was transported to a world beyond my own. I was hooked. While scenarios and characters are based on fairy tales I grew up on, the game is anything but fairy tale-esque, which I adore.

It is a distinctly unique experience seeing familiar faces in a new light, thrust into a human world that seemingly rejects them. The remaster builds upon the incredible story long-time fans know and love, with the same compelling characters, but with meaningfully enhanced technical performance, while offering players something new to love. This isn’t just a remaster for me. It feels like a homecoming, taking me back to my 14-year-old self first experiencing Fabletown and its residents.

What’s New in the Remaster

It’s been a long 13 years since I first got my hands on The Wolf Among Us, and with the highly anticipated sequel not too far ahead, it’s a great time to get a remaster. It’s the perfect opportunity to refresh our memory and dive back into Fabletown in preparation for the next chapter. In saying that, this is more than just a remaster — there are enough new additions in the remaster to give returning players plenty of reasons to dive back in.

Older fans can experience the game in a whole new light, with improvements spanning from visual and performance upgrades to bonus content. Players can anticipate a slew of upgrades over the original, such as:

• Improved character detail, lighting, environments, and animations that only enhance that neo-noir high-contrast aesthetic Telltale has mastered, as if ink-drawn characters are pulled from the pages of a comic book.
• An extensive art gallery, featuring concepts, familiar faces, and familiar environments synonymous with the game’s unique style and flavor.
• Over an hour of behind-the-scenes interviews, offering a deep insight into the development process and how the remaster was brought to life.

The cream of the crop, however, is the bonus content. Building on the strong narrative of the original game, players can experience five playable scenes that were previously deleted from the original, which offer new perspectives and a deeper dive into the iconic story. Once a game like The Wolf Among Us is over, I find myself seeking out as much content as I can to fill in gaps or give me a greater understanding of characters I may not have spent as much time with.

Deleted content gives players that juicy context we so greatly wanted. I remember so desperately wanting to get my hands on the “Fables” comics just so I could get more of the story, piecing together a full picture of Bigby. Offering greater context to an already amazing story can’t possibly be bad. I think the most exciting part of this remaster for me is the added art gallery. Concept art offers another tidbit about the characters and scenery I fell in love with. Especially with how stylistic these characters are, I crave seeing how they were envisioned by the creatives at Telltale before being brought to life. Concept art is essentially an unfiltered look at some of my favorite Fables, like Bigby Wolf, Mr. Toad & Toad Jr., and Snow White.

Tone is conveyed through art as well as character psychology, giving players a look at how these Fables’ physicality dictates their behavior and personalities. I just love art in general, and the stylized work featured in The Wolf Among Us is pretty amazing. Telltale also pays homage to their comic book roots with a Noir Mode, a new addition that players can toggle on and off, which allows detectives to play through the story in striking black and white, inspired by the visuals of an old detective flick.

Stark and sharp, this stylized viewpoint is a fitting one, making every tough decision and back-alley deal feel more important. I am sure this mode will serve to heighten tension, making difficult situations and decision-making feel heavier. It also makes character designs pop, a major plus. Think of this remaster as preservation, meant to dust off and immortalize all the greatness the game has to offer with added touches that give the narrative new meaning.

Given the chance to return to Fabletown, revisiting characters, making choices previously unexplored, and looking at the narrative in a new light gets me giddy to think about. I have always been a sucker for inventive narratives with high stakes, and being able to revisit one of the more creative story-driven titles in a new way is like being able to replay the game for the first time all over again. I am especially eager to revisit choices I made the first time around and see where the narrative takes me. I’m hoping to tap into Bigby’s more aggressive side in the remaster, getting into more fights, and being more assertive with my interrogation style.

Own the original? Save up to 50%. Through November 12, qualifying digital owners of the original get up to 50% off when buying on the same store and account (30% on PlayStation 5 without PlayStation Plus), and new players get 20% off (on PlayStation 5, for PlayStation Plus members). Defining choices made in The Wolf Among Us Remastered also carry forward into The Wolf Among Us 2.

Players who sign in to their Telltale Account while playing Remastered can carry those defining choices into the next season of Bigby’s story, and those who prefer to jump straight into The Wolf Among Us 2 can establish their past choices at the start of the game, with no previous playthrough required.

However you lived it, The Wolf Among Us 2 will remember. The Wolf Among Us Remastered is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox One (playable on Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility), and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store for $24.99, with the Nintendo Switch version launching at a later date.