Batman: The Telltale Series (Episode 1: Realm of Shadows) Reviewed for PlayStation 4. Also available for Xbox One & PC.
It’s tense in here. The mobster in the center of the room thinks he strikes an imposing figure, walking slowly around the pool table, hoping to intimidate Bruce Wayne into helping his criminal empire. He doesn't know about the Batcave below, or that Wayne could easily mop the floor with everyone present. This is Batman he's talking to, and nothing will shake his resolve. Then the mobster speaks a line, and the Dark Knight’s stern resolve cracks. This is Bruce Wayne, after all. He's just a man.
Telltale Games’ Batman: The Telltale Series (Episode 1: Realm of Shadows) puts story first and is better for it. Rocksteady Studios' take on Batman, in its Arkham series, focused on how many bad guys he can punch, rather than why he’s punching them. Telltale wisely keeps the action scenes short and spotlights the man behind the mask. Much of the game finds him navigating political engagements and media attacks, where his problems can't be solved with a right cross to the face. Though many of those choices will have little or no effect on each episode’s end result, they do hand over the power to define what kind of man Bruce Wayne becomes.
Since their breakout hit set in the world of The Walking Dead, Telltale has tried on a bunch of different franchises, but from Game of Thrones to Borderlands to Minecraft, the games all felt similar. Batman shows some significant improvements, especially the addition of a detective mode that allows players to investigate crime scenes in an interesting way. Unfortunately, setting the game early in Batman’s vigilante career leads to a retelling of his origin story. Everyone knows young Bruce Wayne’s parents got shot in an alley in front of him, scarring him and sending him toward the cape and cowl. Yet that story is retold here again. In this early timeline, Jim Gordon is still a lieutenant, Harvey Dent has just one face and most of the rogues gallery is M.I.A. Wayne’s fight against crime revolves around well-armed thugs and local crime boss Carmine Falcone … or does it? This first installment of a five-episode “season” raises many questions and answers few.
Still, Telltale’s take on the Caped Crusader is well done. A solid story and new mechanics keep things interesting, especially the glimpse at a side of Batman rarely represented.
