While cinematically Batman has been having a rough time lately, in the world of video games he has been doing quite well thanks to Rocksteady Studios’ Arkham series. It looks the Dark Knight’s excellent gaming run is going to continue with Batman: The Telltale Series. I played the first episode and witnessed the second during the PAX West group play and it is amazing! While the Arkham series was all about giving you the moves to feel like you were Batman doling out justice, Telltale Batman is all about getting in to the mind of Batman. What it is like to be Bruce Wayne making hard choices.
Gameplay wise Telltale Batman doesn’t differ that much from other Telltale games. It is still a choose your own adventure title with Quick Time Events (QTEs) for the ‘action’. While at first it seems odd to take the action out of a Batman story, this is the first game to really get in the head of Batman and let you pick how he deals with the threats against Gotham, or even better whether Batman is Bruce Wayne’s alter ego or the other way around. It is like the ultimate motion comic.
Stylistically Batman: The Telltale Series looks a lot like Telltale’s other comic book to game outings with a heavy cell shaded look. Though much like The Wolf Among Us this just adds to the game’s living comic book feel. It looks like one of Batman’s on page adventures. Which is to say pretty great.
I guess how much you like Batman: The Telltale Series will depend on how much you like Batman. If the Dark Knight is not your thing, playing a game where you get behind his eyes isn’t going to do much for you. If you are like me on the other hand, and love Batman, Batman: The Telltale Series is a must play. It is another impressive game from Telltale. At this point after Batman and The Wolf Among Us, DC should just give Telltale license to do all their characters.