BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES
The hero Gotham needs? Not exactly…
Treading on hallowed ground may be nothing new for Telltale, but bringing Batman back to PlayStation a year after Rocksteady wrapped up its definitive Bat-trilogy is gutsy. Crucially, this fivepart adventure series has something that sets it apart from previous Bat yarns: it’s as much Bruce Wayne’s story as it is Batman’s.
You spend roughly half of this two-hour premiere episode hobnobbing with high society, helping Harvey Dent run for mayor and butting heads with crime boss Carmine Falcone as the first son of Gotham. This is where the majority of Telltale’s traditional moral quandaries come in. Already it’s humanising Bruce in interesting ways: he’s fallible, someone who can shake the wrong hand and cause a media frenzy. Though Bruce’s side of the story gets off to a sluggish start, and a late twist feels forced, it’s a foundation that has the potential for greatness.
FIGHT KNIGHT
As for Bruce Wayne’s caped alter-ego, Telltale’s series depicts a Dark Knight at the start of his crimefighting career. Catwoman is on the scene, and several future supervillains are teased, but too often the world and its denizens feel like a remix of Batman’s greatest hits. Only a curious new interpretation of Oswald Cobblepot stands out as fresh. Simple sequences where Bats links evidence to piece together events, or determines a plan of attack on a squad of goons, offer something novel, but Telltale hardly deviates from the formula. The illusion of choice continues apace and quicktime combat, though well staged, won’t be threatening Rocksteady for pulsequickening fisticuffs.
Running on an updated version of the Telltale Tool engine, the volume of framerate stutters and general bugs are reduced, but it’s not the seamless experience it should be. It’s a real looker though, the chunky comic book visuals a perfect match for the material; and there are fleeting moments of impressive direction – the Waynes’ murder playing out in shadows, for instance.
A definite improvement on recent Telltale disappointments, then, but it never quite dazzles.
VERDICT
A promising, if not stellar start. It may be wise to see if the rest of the season soars before putting your faith in this particular version of the Caped Crusader. Jordan Farley