Welcome to classic Wallace and Gromit…
The past two Wallace and Gromit games have been great, but they have seemed to lack a real villain like that of the evil Penguin and Preston the dog. Muzzled seems fit to fix all that with the character of Monty Muzzle. But can it live upto fans expectations?
Well, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. Muzzled is typical of the series, Monty is a nasty piece of work with a bit of charm to fool the villagers. As usual, Gromit sees through the man’s plans but can he do enough to stop him alone? Well, I’ll leave you to find that out…let’s just say that Gromit isn’t the only clever one in this episode.
The story begins with a news story that a dog shelter has been destroyed and there are homeless dogs going around terrorising the neighbourhood. Wallace has invented an ice cream maker which can make any flavour; it also comes in very handy later on! The basement is ransacked with 3 dogs who steal parts from the machine and after getting them back from the mutts; you soon begin to feel for them. Then Monty knocks on the door to offer Wallace a place at the county fair to repair the shelter with funds earned from it.
Monty so obviously has an ulterior motive, and in true Wallace and Gromit style…only we and Gromit are able to see it at first. He’s a very typical villain, but one that the series definitely needed. The bees and the dogs from the previous episodes were good, but lacked the devious nature that Monty Muzzle shows in the episode.
Puzzles in this episode are around the same level of difficulty as past ones. There is at least a new area to explore at the fair, which is where most of the game takes place. If I’m being honest though, I was hoping that the episode would be a bit longer than it was. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it from start to finish…I just wanted more and sadly after completing it, there’s little reason to go back. That is, until the XBLA version comes out and 360 owners have the chance to earn achievements, but they don’t even have The Last Resort yet. The pacing of the episode seems better than the past 2 and the gags are damn good. Dialogue is overall great, the script is tight and it just feels like classic W&G.
Muzzled wouldn’t work without Monty himself. He may appear to be a somewhat typical villain, but that works in his favour because nobody else can see it. It adds to the humour of what makes Wallace and Gromit the iconic series it is. Telltale really has done wonders with the series so far, oh sure there are the odd camera and control issues, but nothing that deprives you of a great experience. Ignore all those complaints about the technical side of things and just enjoy what is a classic game for the fans.
The Verdict
Once again, Telltale has made me change my mind on what my favourite episode is of the series. Last month it was The Last Resort and now it’s Muzzled. I didn’t expect it to be toppled, but here I stand corrected. I love it and want more episodes like it. Next month’s season finale may be different, but I’m sure it will impress me nonetheless.
