Batman: The Telltale Series Review

"Episode 1: Realm of Shadows"

Campaign (Spoiler Free)

Batman is one of those characters that has seen a plethora of stories based around him. With that we're given another look at the character, but from a team that typically develops a much stronger story when working on existing material.

It's hard to develop a story about a character that has seen so many interpretations, but I feel that Telltale has done something no one else has with the character. When looking at Batman that's all you typically get to see with the man behind the costume largely being left behind. This tale is more than just a jump into some guy that dresses like a bat to take down criminals as you actually see the other side.

In the first episode you play as Bruce Wayne more than you do Batman and it was interesting to see a story build around that person while still having some awesome fight scenes thrown into the mix. Your actions also greatly affect both sides of his life with choices being very impactful.

While many are familiar with DC Comic's Batman and its well of characters it seems that this series will follow a different approach to things. It was immediately apparent that while certain traits carry through many are changed by a large degree and it'll be exciting to see them develop.

The city of Gotham is also great in design being somewhat futuristic while still having that feeling of corruption and poverty. I also loved the start to what should be some interesting stories in regards to more key elements, but I won't spoil anything there.

I just want it to be known that I particularly loved the start between Batman and one of his iconic pals. The story does contain good bits of action, but also does well with balancing the progression of other aspects in Wayne's life and also includes an interesting solving mechanic which I'll go over shortly.

Gameplay

This is definitely one of the better looking games from Telltale with much higher levels of detail and care in the world. It looks great while also having no stick out graphical areas and it's great to see this property getting the full treatment. For those unfamiliar with past Telltale series the games are a mostly cinematic experience with quick time events and a focus on storytelling.

There are a number of new mechanics in the game such as combination movements when in battle or more in-depth quick time system. This included things such as aiming with weapons, combining clues and control of tools. The solving aspect I mentioned earlier is another new mechanic where players need to look around crime scenes in order to piece the situation together and this in turn adds a better dimension to him being an actual detective.

They've really done a great job in capturing the iconic character while still retaining that Telltale style you know. It was also nice to see some regular customization as well go into the story aside from making just choices that impact what happens.

The Conclusion

Batman: The Telltale Series is truly Telltale at their finest providing a perfect imaging of this iconic caped crusader. This first episode is a great step in establishing their own Batman universe and I'm excited to see where this series is taken.

The character they've already developed are exciting and we've really just began to touch base on what could potentially happen. It also takes the series back to better lengths in terms of content and being a self-contained story that builds forward.

The episode was purely stellar and it seems they have a great understanding of not just Batman, but Bruce Wayne as well. When it comes to Batman all other stories focus on the costume too much when the man behind the mask also has importance to the world and also feels the effects.

Batman: The Telltale Series for PC and Xbox One
Review Code Provided by Sandbox Strat

Rating Overall: 10