Thomas Roach reviews Batman: The Telltale Series Episode Two – ‘Children of Arkham’…
Children of Arkham picks up immediately after the events of the previous chapter, Realm of Shadows. Bruce is coming to terms with the truth that his father was involved with organised crime within Gotham. Bruce has to deal with the fact that his Father’s legacy is a lie and that Batman is based on a lie. Alongside Bruce coming to terms with the revelation, he must build on his relationships with Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent and James Gordon to uncover more details about his father’s shady past, as well investigating his old friend, Oswald Cobblepot, who is brewing a revolution against Gotham.
Whereas episode one appeared to focus of world building and setting up this version of Batman, episode two really delivers on its character development and its story. It is great to play a Batman game where Bruce Wayne is the main character. The game still has plenty of Batman moments, though Telltale seems to be telling to story of Bruce Wayne and presenting how complex a character he really is. It is great to see well known characters from the DC universe interact with each other in a new interpretation of the Batman mythos. With a great art style and a fantastic voice cast, Gotham and its characters are really brought to life in the game.
This episode is considerably shorter than the previous episode by about 30 minutes. Whilst this is disappointing to some extent, it episode has much better pacing than episode one. I however will argue that the story generally flows better and at no point throughout this episode was I bored. Because of this I am more willing to play far shorter episodes if their story is refined rather than have several extra scenes stuck in to add length to the gameplay.
Weighing up value for money over the quality of the content I don’t think it is an issue though I can understand that the players may feel frustrated at the length. It will be another 5 to 8 weeks before episode three is released and getting just over an hour of gameplay is not ideal for gamers who like to play Telltale Games in one sitting. Having only played the episode through once I am still curious to go back and follow the alternative routes which will take the story in a different direction. Even after a satisfying session, I believe this episode will have some replayabilty which will reassure fans who need to wait 5 to 8 weeks for the next instalment.
This episode also does very well at building up to a climatic ending which fans of Batman will most definitely recognise and enjoy. Plenty of moments from this episode and the previous one are paid off in a very satisfying way which gives the player a new idea of where the game is going and what to expect from future episodes. There are some unexpected moments that come as genuine surprises to the player which is very satisfying. It is easy for games like this to be cliche, so I am glad that Telltale are challenging the players expectations of the story in a fulfilling way.
Having played through pretty much every Telltale game over the past few years I have experienced a great variety in the gameplay and the action sequences that the developers have to offer. I can say that Batman has the greatest combat and action sequences out of every one of their games to date. This feels very appropriate considering you play as such an iconic character like Batman who is known for his great combat skills. Whereas action and combat in for example The Walking Dead felt very slow and sluggish, Batman does this very well with each move feeling natural and with smooth execution. All the combat in the game is played through Quick Time Events which feel far more refined and varied than the previous Telltale games, delivering a great deal of immersion into the game. The core gameplay which can sometimes feel like a point and click adventure in other Telltale games is accompanied so well by the story and the combat mechanics that this is one of the best experiences I have had with Telltale’s gameplay to date.
Children of Arkham is far superior to the previous episode Realm of Shadows in my opinion; the execution of the gameplay and a great story will provide a fun experience for gamers and especially Batman fans. This most recent episode will have you hooked and very keen to find out what happens in the next instalment.
Batman: The Telltale Series – Children of Arkham was reviewed on PlayStation 4.
Pros
+ Intriguing plot and characters
+ Better pacing than episode one
+ Best action and combat from Telltale to date
Cons
– Considerably shorter than episode one
Rating: 8/10
Thomas Roach
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Originally published September 21, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
