The second episode of Batman: The TellTale series raises the stakes in a major way, with both weighty decisions, and a plot that continues to astound.
Batman: The TellTale Series- Episode 2 Children of Arkham
Developer: TellTale Games
Price: $24.99 for a Season Pass
Platforms: PS3, PS4 (reviewed), Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Android, iOS
I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of Batman: The TellTale Series, to the point of calling it the beginnings of “what could be the greatest Bruce Wayne story ever told”. Despite some minor frame rate issues, Episode 2 – Children of Arkham, reinforces my opinion, as it continues to adapt the grimy world of Gotham in new and fantastic ways.
Children of Arkham begins shortly after the ending of the first episode, with Falcone suffering as a result of your choice while in his office. While this episode continued on with Falcone’s plotline, the revelations behind the Wayne Family’s shady past and the Penguin’s rampant madness, took center stage.
I found myself being constantly shocked at the twists Children of Arkham took in its narrative. The sudden murder of an important character took me by surprise, given their assumed plot armour, and that was only the beginning. As the episode goes on, you learn more and more about the Waynes, their secrets, and who’s been keeping them. While Realm of Shadows kept me enthralled with its politics, Children of Arkham grabbed me because of the increasingly dark past that the Wayne family has kept hidden.
The choice at the end, seemingly a staple of TellTale games, carried much more weight than the first episode. I immediately knew what to do with Falcone at the end of Realm of Shadows, but Children of Arkham had me going back and forth until the last second. This intense feeling of stress added a certain gravity to the episode’s ending that the first episode lacked. This seems like it’s only the beginning of a tense and steady incline, as the Penguin, and the titular Children of Arkham are shaping up to be some very legitimate threats to Bruce, Harvey Dent, and all of Gotham.
It goes without saying that the gameplay in Episode 2 was identical to that of the first episode, but the quicktime events and detective sections were as fun as they were before. I especially like that this series is putting a heavier focus on the detective side of Batman, in both plot and gameplay, as it feels like an aspect that’s been overlooked as of late. The highlight of this episode was undoubtedly when you’re given the choice to confront a character as either Bruce Wayne, or Batman. This kind of decision is remarkable, as it truly lets you form your own version of the Batman.
The visuals are the only area that I can complain about. The first 15 minutes of this episode were bogged down by frame-rate drops and stutters, which temporarily drops any immersion the story had. Luckily, these issues disappeared entirely after that section, but the stilted beginning was still somewhat disappointing.
The sound continues to impress, with a certain feeling of pressure that feels natural to the streets of Gotham. The pieces still feel as though they take inspiration from nearly all of Batman’s previous themes, which is a great touch.
The Final Word
Children of Arkham improves on Batman‘s first episode in almost every way. Despite some familiar graphical issues, the increasingly tense plot and weighty decisions more than make up for it. Batman: The TellTale Series is still on track to become one of the greater Batman stories, thanks to twists and interpretations that any Bat-fan will enjoy.
-MonsterVine Review Score: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
