Posted in: Games, Review, Video Games | Tagged: Batman, Batman – The Telltale Series, dc, dc comics, entertainment, games, Telltale, telltale games, video games

Batman – The Telltale Series Episode 1 Review: Bat-ter Up!

Batman is such a vast character nowadays across so many different mediums, in so many incarnations, it's hard to identify him as any one thing. He can be a stoic father figure, a silent watcher, a brutal vigilante or a goofball kid's character depending on what you are consuming. There are a lot of ways that creators have added their voice into the ever growing mythos of Batman.

That's why a Telltale series on the character is such an interesting proposition. While it might sound super slogan-y, a choice based dialogue game based on Batman allows you to really make him the Bat you want. That's why I'm happy to report that Telltale's new venture pays off on that promise (well, you might have trouble making your Adam West fantasies work).

One of the core things to find out in any new Batman story is where exactly the universe stands. Who in the Bat-family is around? Is Jason Todd dead? Is Harvey Dent Two Face yet? Is Batman part of the Justice League? There are so many permutations of this story, you always have to right yourself in the setting. That's why Telltale have played it pretty smart in this first episode by going back to the near beginning. Bruce has most definitely been Batman for a while, but it seems his co-horts and rogue gallery is yet to build, making it something akin to Year 1.5. After opening on Batman meeting Catwoman for the first time, you start off by endorsing Harvey Dent's campaign to become mayor, leaving Bruce trying to navigate a complicated political world. When Carmine Falcone ends up barging in to your fundraiser, it is all pretty much down hill from there.

As I said, this is very much early career Batman, so you'll be tussling with goons and gangsters, rather than clowns and alligators (besides the presence of Catwoman.) This makes for fertile ground in terms of character choice, as your motivations are socially and politically motivated. Figuring out exactly at what arms length to keep the police, Falcone and Harvey Dent is the spinning plate that you're tasked with managing in this first episode. It feels very clever, given the choice based nature of the game, as it falls back on the cerebral aspects of the character, rather than his physical brute force. It makes sure that this doesn't feel like any previous Batman game. That counts for a lot, and while the story in this first episode is hardly riproaring, or full of stellar surprises, it's a confident, solid bit of ground laying for the series.

One of the truly interesting propositions about this game is that you are crafting your version of Batman and Bruce with your own temperament. It really feels like you are playing two roles here, and it's really cool to navigating that. Will your Bruce Wayne be snide, or playing an always happy facade, always saying just the right thing? You will spend a lot of time as Bruce in this episode, so you get a lot of time to begin defining him. On the Batman side of things, will you be a Batman of pure threats and fear, or will you really get in there and hurt people. Will you spout Batman-y things to criminals, or will you take a stoic, silent approach. To me, during the episode's 2 and half hour playtime, I really felt I was crafting my own version of this character.

This concept does have an inherent problem for fans of the franchise though, which is probably staring you in the face right about now. You know this story, and by putting the timeline at the beginning of the continuity, we obviously know how these character relationships are largely going to play out. After all, why would you invest much time helping Harvey Dent when you know he is going to turn into Two-Face at some point? Well, I won't go too deep into spoilers here on how this is handled, and we only get hints at this in this episode, but it seems Telltale are taking creative licence with some of these characters. In this episode, it is hinted that the future is not predetermined which really is essential for a game like this. Twisting what we know about these characters will be key to keeping us guessing at the consequences of our actions.

One of the other things that really helps the game shine above all the other Telltale titles right now is the developer's new engine. This is far and away Telltale's most graphically impressive title to date, with an overall smoothness that has been missing in previous games. While the studios roughness was almost a trademark at this point, it really is refreshing to see one of their games really sing.

If there is somewhere that the game could use a little work, it is the detective aspect of the game. Like I said, the game leans back on a less physical version of the character in this episode, so it's a problem when the detective work feels a little menial. It's mostly just connecting a few fairly obvious dots. When you get something wrong, Batman just remarks 'that it isn't right' or 'I need more proof'. I wish there was some room for genuine error here, with a lot more information to work with to make this feel a little more involved, but we have a lot of episodes yet for this to evolve.

However, in the brief moments of physical Batman-ing, it's worth pointing out, that while Telltale will never be able to match an Arkham Knight combat system, the fluidity of fighting with quicktime events feels better than ever here. You also get nice little details and special Batman moments if you perfect every move, which is a nice touch.

Overall, Telltale deliver on what a 'Telltale Batman' game should be, at least in this first outing. There is nothing story wise that will blow you away, or gasping at a shock twist, but it's all really solid work fueled by clever choices. Telltale play to all their strengths here, and if the idea of the developer taking on the Dark Knight sounded at all interesting to you, you most likely won't be disappointed. This is all helped by a completely new engine, making it the best looking content ever from the developer. While the detective work could use some more work, there is nothing here that stopped me enjoying my first steps into the cowl of Batman, or the suit of Bruce Wayne. While hopefully the story has some fireworks in store, this is a really solid pilot episode.

Buy it if: You are a fan of Telltale's choice based, story focused titles or just want a new kind of Batman game.

Avoid it if: You need an action game or don't really have an interest in the character

Score: 8.8/10

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!