Bigby Wolf is not a happy man. Chalk it up to a particularly brutal scuffle with a bearded woodsman that I choreographed to a point that sent the pair crashing out a second story window. Or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that as the sheriff of Fabletown, he has to choose between focusing on a lead in a murder case, or following up on an urgent phone call from a friend in trouble. Then again, maybe it’s because the once-Big Bad Wolf has been exiled alongside the rest of his storybook legends and doomed to centuries of trying to assimilate in the grimiest burrow in New York City.

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So I guess if I were Bigby, I wouldn’t be very happy either. The Wolf Among Us , Telltale’s follow-up to Season One of The Walking Dead, sits nestled in a comfortable space for both newcomers and Fable-aficionados alike. Taking place 10 years before the comic-proper prevents newbies from being dumped in the deep end of the pool. And the writing is strong enough to help form a basic image of these characters through the dialogue without bashing us over the head with pandering exposition. By the end of the first scene, you’ll all know just what kind of a person…err…wolf that Bigby is, and you’ll be well on your way of molding him into your own personal Fable. And for us fans of Bill Willingham’s series, Telltale isn’t stingy with the nods towards some of our favorite characters and places. Stumbling across Bluebeard’s case file and poking through an amazingly realized version of Snow White's office had me cracking smiles throughout my entire playthrough of the demo.The immediate thing that separates The Wolf Among Us from The Walking Dead is the aesthetic styling that screams out during this new adventure. The streets of NYC are bathed in stark, neon shades of blue and pink. Characters speak with less of the blunt realism of Lee Everett and his crew, instead assuming variations of classic noir staples. The first hour features detectives who’ve taken one too many trips around the block, femme fatales with sharp tongues, and a bureaucracy that makes you want to think outside the legal box. And then there is the music, which harnesses all of the fantastic, evocative synth of an ‘80s action movie. Think what would happen if John Carpenter had a chance to direct an adult animated version of Drive, and you’ll be in the same neck of the woods as Wolf.But deeper than gorgeous superficial differences between the two, Wolf forges its own unique identity in the way that it handles action scenes. Though TWD is one of the most remarkable games of the past few years, most of us can agree that the handful of scenes involving combat left something to be desired. Being suddenly forced to quickly aim a gun using an inaccurate and slow-moving reticle wasn’t nearly as memorable as the rest of the game. Thankfully, Telltale seems to have taken that into account, and the intense moments of The Wolf Among Us unfold in a unique, ingenious, and entertaining manner.

When Bigby gets into a physical altercation with another Fable – which is bound to happen when you’re the sheriff of a town rife with angry, magical beings – they play out as if you were choreographing a cinematic action scene. When Bigby began grappling with a brutish woodsman, I was given the power to choose where to take the scuffle next. In a wide-shot of a derelict studio apartment, I could move my reticle over an open window, an old wooden bookcase, or a stove littered with kitchen appliances. Once I chose to have the fight bound over in a specific direction, I was then given more options as to which objects to grab as weapons, how to defend myself, and where to focus on my attacker.The entire scuffle played out through a series of wildly tense choices. At the end of it all, I was left feeling the same sensations I did after a particularly tough moral decision in TWD. The possible outcomes of this fight danced in my head, and I wanted to immediately reload my save and see what would’ve happened had I acted differently. The whole “choose your own adventure” aspect of these fight scenes left me anxiously awaiting the next one, as opposed to dreading the next combat scenario in TWD.I was initially a bit worried that having this story take place a decade before the first issue of Fables removes a bit of the suspense regarding specific characters. I know which characters will live, which relationships will blossom, and where most of the players will eventually end up. But after speaking with lead writer Pierre Shorette, I realized that The Wolf Among Us is less concerned with the destination, and much more focused on the journey, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Bigby is an interesting character, in that he’s much angrier and more physical than any of Telltale’s previous heroes. Throughout TWD, I chose to have Lee act with the sole goal of keeping Clementine safe and sculpting her into a strong, independent woman. But with Bigby, that’s all out the window. I have to keep order in a town full of vulgar frogs, alcoholic pigs, and smug mirrors with an affinity for end-rhyme. This time around, I’m willing to do whatever's necessary in order to right a wrong, even if that means throwing a flanneled woodsman out a window.After playing about an hour of the first episode of The Wolf Among Us, I walked away with the utmost confidence in Telltale’s next adventure. Any fears that this game would have to cower in the shadow of The Walking Dead were immediately put to rest, as it became clear that this story stands tall with its own unique voice and style. I seriously can’t wait to see just how unhappy of a man I can make Bigby when The Wolf Among Us launches early this fall.

Marty Sliva is an Associate Editor at IGN. He once got drunk and pitched a Scooby-Doo game to a handful of people from Telltale. That is a true story. Follow him on Twitter @McBiggitty and on IGN