This review contains major spoilers for Episodes One, Two, Three, Four, and minor spoilers for Episode Five. A full spoiler Season review will be published next week.
Same Stitch is both the best episode of The Enemy Within and the best TellTale finale since the early days of The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us. Full of satisfying conclusions and intriguing moments of character development, Same Stitch serves as a fantastic conclusion to a genuinely incredible Batman story.
Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 5: Same Stitch
Developer: TellTale Games
Price: $24.99 for the Season Pass
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One, PC, Mac, Android, iOS
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review.
I’ve really enjoyed this season of TellTale Batman, as could be assumed from the last four episode reviews I’ve done. Though TellTale has received its fair share of criticism in recent years, The Enemy Within has been something of a return to form for them (and this is coming from someone who has enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy and Walking Dead Season 3). A bad finale could have definitely stopped this newfound momentum in its tracks, but Same Stitch has done the opposite. If anything, it’s confirmed that things are looking up for future TellTale titles.
Episode 4 ended with John (now the Joker) and Harley disappearing with a decent amount of deadly nerve gas. After a few weeks, John leaves Bruce a voicemail and has his men torture Harvey Bullock to send Bruce a message. The Wayne Enterprises building is gassed with neurotoxin, Bruce is injured, and the Joker reveals himself in a costume that is far more reminiscent of his appearance in the comics. Joker reveals that he and Harley have hidden multiple gas bombs around Gotham, and that it’s up to Batman to save the city. It’s a classic Batman setup, and a perfect scheme to establish this new Joker.
Same Stitch is unique in that it has two very different scenarios depending on how much John liked you by the end of Episode 4. If John was still “friends” with Bruce, you go through Ace Chemicals and confront Waller. If John hated Bruce, you’re brought to a circus funhouse where you’ll battle the Joker while confronting your choices as Bruce and Batman. The amount of differences is quite surprising, as TellTale’s biggest criticism in recent years has been its lack of meaningful divergences. Your choices really matter in Same Stitch, which is a welcome feature.
Joker wasn’t too fond of me after Episode 4, so things started to get crazy. The plot becomes a macabre fusion of The Killing Joke and Death of the Family, with a heavy focus on Bruce and John’s severed friendship. Joker drags Bruce and his friends through a funhouse of psychological torture, chronicling every mistake Bruce has ever made. A ton of solid character development happens in the funhouse, as Bruce and his allies are forced to delve deep into their past and their relationships with one another. Having two seasons’ worth of choices laid out in front of you is a sobering moment, as it shows you what kind of Bruce/Batman you are. It’s a neat way to dissect the TellTale formula, as your past choices are literally on display throughout the funhouse. You even get to see how Joker and Harley’s dynamic has changed, as Joker is far more in charge and confident now. It’ll be interesting to see if this leads to the traditional abusive relationship the two are known for, or if it will continue to be a creative reversal. These reasons are why I much prefer this route to the Waller path.
This is all capped-off with a Death of the Family-inspired dinner scene where Bruce, Alfred, Selena, and Tiffany play a loaded game of “Never Have I Ever” at gunpoint. The best thing about this section is that you can turn the tables on the Joker by taunting him and answering questions incorrectly. Messing with enemies to make them reckless is a very Batman strategy, so I’m glad the option is available. The final duel between Batman and the Joker is fantastic as well, as it should be. This isn’t just a battle between a superhero and a supervillain, it’s also a battle between former friends. I had a pretty strong relationship with John until Episode 4, so fighting him was quite a meaningful experience.
The epilogue has you tie up any loose ends with Waller, Tiffany, and Alfred. While they’re all satisfying in their own ways, the episode’s final discussion between Bruce and Alfred easily takes the cake. Without spoiling too much, assisting Batman has taken a toll on Alfred, causing a rift between himself and Bruce. The final choice in this sequence is one of the most difficult in any TellTale game. I genuinely found myself staring at the screen for a few moments, trying to decide what to do. Even after making my decision, I was worried about whether I had made the right choice or not. It felt like a no-win situation, but not in a cheap way, rather in a way that enhanced the ending.
Of course, a few TellTale issues are always around. The framerate stuttered at times, and some mouth movements were out of sync on occasion, but at this point that isn’t news.
The Final Word
Same Stitch is an impeccable ending to Season Two of TellTale’s Batman: The Enemy Within. With tough choices, diverging paths, and an incredibly original take on the Joker, Same Stitch is the perfect ending for The Enemy Within.
MonsterVine Review Score: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
