Thomas Roach reviews Batman: The Telltale Series Episode Four – ‘Guardian of Gotham’…
After a great cliffhanger at the end of New World Order – the previous episode of Batman: The Telltale Series – Guardian of Gotham had a lot to live up to. This episode opens with the player witnessing the brutal beating of Oswald Cobblepot at the hands of Bruce Wayne. Bruce at the end of the last episode had been poisoned by Lady Arkham which drove him to the fit of rage to commit such an act. Because of this Bruce winds up being incarcerated in Arkham Asylum which starts up this episodes series of events.
One of the exciting things from the recent trailer for Guardian of Gotham was that the Joker was set to be introduced. Whilst it is cool to see a new version of the Joker – the most iconic Batman villain, his presence didn’t really have much impact onto the story as a whole. This episode does set up a likely appearance of the character in episode five though his appearance was slightly underwhelming. I do think this somewhat subtle introduction will pay off at a later date.
Guardians of Gotham does suffer from pacing issues and this contributes heavily to making this probably the least enjoyable episode. With a great beginning and a great ending the episode is filled with a very lackluster middle which doesn’t feel like it serves the plot as well as it could have. The story gets you where you need to go, though some parts feel very unnecessary and almost out of place at times. Each part of the story serves its purpose to get Bruce from point A to point B but seems to lack any real depth until nearer the end of the game.
This episode does have a great ending and a fun finale to playthrough. I think many people will enjoy the final section of Guardians of Gotham but agree that getting there was not as fun as previous episodes. The ending also sets up an exciting finale with a great deal of uncertainty of what is going to happen next. The final part of the episode is action packed and paced very well. There are two alternate paths you can follow which will either let you take on Two-Face or Penguin. The action sequences are played out through the use of quick time events which I feel are pulled off very well – as they have been in all previous episodes.
Unfortunately this is the weakest entry into the series so far. Despite its flaws the episode still continues developing a narrative that I am excited to see unfold. With just one episode left I am excited to see the impact of this episode play out into an thrilling finale. Despite not being as fulfilled as I had hoped in this episode, I am certain that the narrative will go somewhere really exciting in the finale and I am very much looking forward to the story’s climax.
Batman: The Telltale Series – Guardian of Gotham was reviewed on PlayStation 4.
Pros
+ Overall story remains strong
+ Fun action sequences
Cons
– Pacing issues
Rating: 7/10
Thomas Roach
Originally published November 23, 2016. Updated November 30, 2022.
