Back in my first review for Telltale Games Guardians of the Galaxy Episode One (which you can read right here, and you really should!), I described the Telltale Games Batman series as “lackluster.” So when the second season was announced during the San Diego Comic Con, I wasn’t very enthused to play due to the bad taste the first season gave me. Despite that, I still played the first episode of The Enemy Within, called The Enigma. The fact Riddler was in it peaked my curiosity, and I’m glad it did because I loved it. I loved it so much; I decided to play through the entire first season. Playing the game again made me realize how wrong I was.
*I’m going to try to make this a spoiler free as possible. Don’t go crazy if I spoil anything*
STORY
Now when I called Telltale Games Batman “lackluster,” it was because this is another origin story. I understand that Telltale Games wants to make their mark with their own setting, but another origin story was tiring to me. However, during my second play through I learned to really love what was done. Telltale Games changed a lot, but kept many things the same. A good example is Harvey Dent. He is the same Harvey Dent that turns, but depending on your decisions changes how he turns. John Doe is also different, but you’ll know that the moment you meet him. As you play you will definitely notice the similarities and differences.
Telltale Games also pulled a trick out of Rocksteady’s Arkham Knight hat by creating their own villain, Lady Arkham. Lady Arkham is the main antagonist of the season and it’s pulled off rather well. I’d say better than the Arkham Knight, which was the worst kept secret ever.
During my second play through, I also enjoyed the story development in not just Batman, but Bruce Wayne as well. The story wraps around both worlds of Batman and Bruce Wayne very well. Playing as both Bruce Wayne and Batman is something that’s never been done (at least I don’t remember). Have you ever wanted to play as Bruce Wayne? Well now you can!
CONTROL
Telltale Games Batman uses the Telltale tool that all of their games use. While nothing in Telltale Games Batman is groundbreaking, it does give you an interesting option in each episode. There’s a point in every episode that allows you to choose to be Bruce Wayne or Batman to solve a problem. Bruce Wayne allows you to try to persuade someone by how you talk to the person. It’s an option that I rarely used because I’m not that good at it. The Batman option allows you to be aggressive and violent if necessary. There are consequences for both actions too. For example, if you’re too violent to a criminal, Jim Gordon will start to dislike you. Gordon hated me in my game. Guess I was too violent, but I regret nothing.
VISUALS
Telltale Games have a certain look in their games. The visuals aren’t special, but it gets the job done. Bruce and Batman look the part. The Batman costume looks like it’s a combination of The Dark Knight Trilogy and the Arkham series.
For the most part, I feel Telltale games did a great job with the characters and setting. Gotham City looks like a dark and grim place. Most of the characters look like they’re ripped from the movies, video games or comics. The one character that doesn’t look the part to me is Penguin. He was a character that Telltale Games changed to adapt to the story they created for Bruce and Batman. I’m sure Penguin’s new look will grow on me in the end.
There is one part of the game where the visuals look like a PlayStation One game. The characters go from smooth to very boxy. I remembered it my first play through. I thought it would have been patched when I played it again, but it wasn’t. It’s not overly distracting or disrupts the game, but it’s pretty obvious.
AUDIO
When it comes to Telltale games, the voice acting is very important. If a character has a voice that doesn’t match, it can be distracting and possibly a turn off to a player. While I stated earlier that I didn’t like how Penguin looked, his voice was exactly how I pictured it. The John Doe characters voice is the only one I didn’t really like, but I can’t give you the reason without spoiling it for anyone.
The music from Telltale Games Batman seems like it was inspired from The Dark Knight trilogy. The music is dark, but it gives you hope at the same time. The placement of the music is well done between dramatic moments to the action scenes.
FINAL THOUGHTS
To sound like a broken record, I didn’t enjoy Telltale Games Batman the first time I played it. The problem was I played it without an open mind. Luckily the release of Telltale Games Batman: The Enemy Within – The Enigma made me want to play it again to figure out if it was the game or it was me. And it was me. After the second time, I loved it despite its faults.
Overall, any Telltale Games fan will enjoy Telltale Games Batman. It has a good story and is just as fun as any other Telltale game. Batman fans might be a little more skeptical. If you look at past films, Batman fans can be a little difficult to satisfy. If you’re a Batman fan, just play the game with an open mind and I promise you will enjoy it.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
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