Were.Wolf

Were.Wolf - A Howling Good Time!

A free-to-play sneaky 2D platformer starring the monster within.

A Quiet Wolf

Werewolf tales are almost as old as humanity, yet there aren't that many werewolf games. Those that do exist concentrate on the animalistic nature of the wolf, with violence and gore aplenty. Were.Wolf, a stealth puzzle platformer developed by Yrgo, takes a markedly different approach. Putting the werewolf in the role of the hunted rather than the hunter is an interesting strategy, but whether it works is definitely up to the individual player.

By the Light of the Moon

Conceptually, at least, this game has some real heart. The werewolf genre is not as well-explored as one might think and there are simply not enough stealth games that rely on transformation mechanics in the independent realm. By combining the two, the creators of Were.Wolf are pushing forward at least a few mechanical ideas that ought to be explored further.

Were.Wolf might feel high-concept, but that disguises the fact that most of the mechanical parts of the game are fairly straightforward.

Conceptually, [Were.Wolf] has some real heart.

While the elevator pitch might sound unique, the truth is that most of what you're going to see here is going down well-trodden paths. A platformer that makes use of shapeshifting and stealth isn't quite as unique as the premise might make it seem, but the choice of including a well-known monster helps it to become something more.

Concept Rating: 3/5

Beautiful Beasts 

Anyone who's played an indie pixel platformer will go into Were.Wolf with certain expectations. If you find out that the game was made by students, your expectations are likely to drop even further. What's amazing about this game, though, is that it surpasses even those expectations that many would have for a more experienced developer. With incredibly fluid animations and some great art in the cutscenes, this is a game that's much more visually appealing than one might expect.

With incredibly fluid animations and some great art in the cutscenes, this is a game that's much more visually appealing than one might expect.

The audio's also an important part of the puzzle, one that almost demands to take precedence over the visuals. In Were.Wolf, the music, and incidental sound effects are all top-notch - honestly, there's no reason that these students shouldn't be working at a professional level already. Visuals and audio work together here to create an amazing atmosphere.

Graphics & Audio Rating: 4/5

A Little Too Wild 

Though the concept is solid and the presentation is amazing, Were.Wolf does start to fall apart when you look at the gameplay. It's not that anything here is especially bad, but rather that nothing is quite polished enough. Every move in this game has been done somewhere else, and everything has been done better. There are just too few frustrations involved in playing this game to make it fun.

It's not that anything here is especially bad, but rather that nothing is quite polished enough.

Some of the issues are, however, ameliorated if you choose to play with a controller instead of the keyboard. The unmappable controls and the button placement make it hard to get through some of the jumping puzzles, while the responsiveness will lead many players to some unfair deaths. A little more polish would have solved some of these issues, but others might just be due to the relative inexperience of the team.

Gameplay Rating: 2/5

A Brand New Monster 

While Were.Wolf has some real promise in terms of its atmosphere and concept, it's still a game that's trying to find its footing elsewhere. It is short and free-to-play, though, so it's more than worth the time of most players. If you're looking for a good-looking game that you can finish quickly, you can do much worse than this one.

Replay Value Rating: 2/5

TL;DR

Were.Wolf is a stealth platformer that shows its student project roots.