In the past few years, Batman games have been getting better and better. When the caped crusader first started to get the video game treatment, most of the games were considered, sub par. Yet, when the Arkham series started in 2009, things began to change for the Dark Knight. The Arkham games have been met with praise from critics and fans, alike. In 2016, Telltale games announced that they would be taking their shot at a Batman series and that the game would release as a five episode season. Now, a new season has begun, Enemy Within.
The first season of Batman: The Telltale Series, brought something different. Instead of a game where we played solely as Batman–we also played half the game as Bruce Wayne, balancing the life of billionaire playboy and a masked vigilante. The game also had a rich story; separated into five different episodes that ended with cliffhangers or a point of contention that would make the wait for the next episode unbearable. Batman: The Telltale Series played like a comic book and the graphics gave the game a truly animated feel; Telltale took a different route with their Batman game and it succeeded, although, it had its fair share of glitches and lags– yet it was something different and it paid off.
A year later, Telltale announced a second season, Batman: Enemy Within. Again, it would be a five episode season, taking place a year after the events of the first.
The story starts out with Bruce Wayne investigating an arms dealer by the name of Mori, who owns a casino in Gotham city. Bruce hacks into Mori’s phone to gain information about an arms deal going on in Gotham city. He is then intercepted by a woman, who seems to be looking for a bit of romance in her life, when Bruce realizes that the casino is about to be robbed. He rushes through the back door, pummels one of the armed assailants, and calls Alfred Pennyworth his trusted butler to send the Batmobile. The iconic vehicle arrives and Bruce Wayne suits up. In the Casino, a criminal with razor sharp cane arrives and introduces himself as The Riddler, while Batman sneaks into the Casino and calls Commissioner James Gordon. He informs Gordon that The Riddler has taken hostages. The Police arrive, Batman defeats the Riddler, and he is awarded a puzzle box with a question mark, a key to the Riddlers next move.
Telltale prides themselves with their story telling ability. Enemy Within is no different; the first episode is malleable and dependent on the player’s choices. It customizes itself to how the player speaks with different characters, and who Batman saves or is not able to save, but Batman isn’t the only character whose interactions count either for the player or against them. Bruce Wayne’s choices and dialogue count as well. Players will spend a majority of the time in Bruce Wayne’s shoes, who has a plethora of characters to interact with. Often its his interactions and choices that hit the hardest. Characters will remember and hold on to the responses to shape how they’ll interact with Wayne over course of the episode.
Every character plays a specific role, but that role can either hinder or help Batman’s progress. The choices felt human and so did the characters. Most of the Gameplay consists of dialogue options and Quick Time Events, with bouts of puzzle solving here and there. These puzzles are simple and won’t offer hardcore adventure players much of a challenge, but they may catch some casual gamers off guard. QTE’s are the core mechanic and they flow smoothly, allowing players the opportunity to complete the command and see some rewarding fights.
One thing that makes the QTEs work this time around is that they allow the player the choice as to how they want to start the fight. In the first part of Enemy Within, Batman is about to fight the riddlers thugs. The player is given a choice to either throw the thug into a roulette table or pull the victim away. The mechanics of these events are simple and meet the game’s need for players to make a choice.
One thing, that really makes the game shine in a world of darkness is the music. Jared Emmerson Johnson, the composer for a majority of all the Telltale series, really took the time to create pieces that give the actions life and gives the characters individuality. While it may not have the classic tones of Danny Elfman, the scores are recognizable and build on the scene, making it more impactful for the players. There is a particularly noteworthy piece when Bruce Wayne picks up Batman’s cowl, a slow swell starts to play and when the music gets the loudest point the scene cuts perfectly. The music is a key piece to the game’s presentation and does its job setting the tone.
Batman: Enemy Within feels like a comic book with a tiny dash of the classic animated series of the 90s. The Cell-shaded graphics make the characters and the environments look and feel hand drawn. It pays homage to the Dark Knights origin and the details each character presents. While the characters do look great, their animations can be limp and not as articulate; it’s a tiny flaw that can easily be overlooked. The game isn’t graphically intensive, but the artists did their jobs to make each line and shading as immaculate as possible.
Batman: Enemy Within does a great job being a Batman game; it allows players to feel the life of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego. What really makes the game work is the multiple paths one can take throughout the episode that increases replay value, but allows the player to experience a new adventure each time.
Telltale really has an understanding of what makes a Batman story flow. The story is top-notch and pits players against difficult choices that makes the game enjoyable; but will also have deeper consequences later in the series. Enemy Within is a welcome addition to the Batman franchise. It shows just how much relationships mean and what we do to protect them.
The key thing I took away from the game is that we all have to make choices every day and we really should stop to think about what they mean to us and everyone around us.
The first episode of Enemy Within is a game anyone can enjoy with simplistic gameplay, comic book graphics, and a story that will keep you guessing. Episode 1 has emerged from the gate strong and has set a pace and tone for the rest of the series. The game will keep players intrigued and guessing as to what is going to happen in the next episode and who the main players will be. It’s going to be a wait until Episode 2, but the wait should be worth it.
Batman: Enemy Within is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One for $24.99, and you can also purchase the first episode for $4.99.
