BATMAN - The Telltale Series - Episode 1: Realm of Shadows Reviews
One of Telltale’s weakest opening chapters yet
When it's obsessing over the broken politics of Gotham, this alternate take on DC's most famous franchise promises plenty – but lacklustre heroics and writing inconsistencies really drag it down. There's reason to be excited by some of the fictional deviations that the developer's taking, but they're yet to manifest themselves in any meaningful way, and the overemphasis on tired series tropes will draw many a groan. It's obviously too early to determine where this story is going to go, but our biggest concern right now is that Telltale isn't entirely sure either.
Even ignoring the many technical issues, this isn't a particularly inspiring start to Telltale's newest series. There's plenty of time for it to improve, but I'd hold off and see how the next few episodes go before taking the plunge on the series.
A disappointing start to what should be a potential rich concept, with an overfamiliar storyline and bland presentation.
The QTEs may be very lacklustre in Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 1: Realm of Shadows, even compared to Telltale's earlier works, and the combat scenes need work, but there's plenty of opportunities to grow after this first episode. All in all, it's a solid and promising start that establishes a world via "show, don't tell," and sets up enough plot threads to keep players interested in what comes next.
It will be impossible for Batman aficionados to not enjoy the first episode of Batman: The Telltale Series. However, while it's a very enjoyable amalgamation of all things Batman, it doesn't manage to stand out, or be original in terms of story. More importantly, it repeats the developer's frequent mistakes; boring QTEs, and useless (although immersive) "choose the answer" dialogue sequences and all. It's a good, promising episode, but it could be so much better.
Realm of shadows is not the best game on the market, but its not bad. Buyers should be cautious about buying the game right now though, because not all of the technical issues have been fixed for everyone.
Batman - The Telltale Series doesn't reinvent the wheel and it has plenty of confusing design choices, but in giving it the Telltale treatment, the studio have made a fascinating adventure game and a unique portrayal of the Dark Knight that, if the rest of the series can live up to it, might stand the test of time.
A steadfastly solid start to Batman’s Telltale series, but Bruce Wayne isn’t the only one with demons to overcome. Some poor writing and acting, plus the usual slowdown and engine troubles means that this isn’t a peak performance for the developer or the character, even if it does set up the rest of the series nicely.
This is a Batman game where it's kind of more fun when you're not Batman
Telltale Games is off to a good start with this new series. However, I do not think that the moments as Batman lend well to the genre.
An interesting and unique entry to the Batman universe
When it comes to Batman, I have some unreasonably high expectations and I am highly aware of it. But I can’t shake the feeling that I am not the only one let down by what Telltale has provided. On one hand they have laid the groundwork for a truly interesting and perhaps more human story that we have seen in Batman games before, but at the same time the delivery of said story doesn’t quite match the potential.
Thanks to a number of issues with the PC port, Batman's adventure is off to one of the roughest starts we've seen from the developer.
Telltale comes back again with their same formula for Batman: The Telltale Series. This first episode is pretty dull, but ends with a promising ending that opens the door for innovation..
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Realm of Shadows indicates that it might tell an interesting Batman story, but takes time to get there and suffers from Telltale’s tired design and engine limitations.
This is an easy recommendation to those who are fans of both Batman and Telltale, even before the next four episodes are released. Others may want to hold off, since the story is this episode’s high point, future episodes will dictate the total worth of the series.
While Realm of Shadows certainly didn’t hit as hard as some of the first episodes Telltale Games has done in the past, there’s enough here that will leave fans wondering where the story is going and wanting to come back for more.
Batman has gotten off to a promising start and has a pretty unique premise but there is still six or seven hours left to play. However, it feels largely the same as every other Telltale game and has technical issues like most Telltale games.
In 'Realm of Shadows' we see the usual monolithic monument of Telltaleness, wrapped up in a cape and cowl. We also see the shadow of something different, something new. It's not ready yet, not fully formed, and could die by the end of the series or even by the second episode, but it could also bring their craft to a new level. Either way, I don't see a need to wash my hands of it just yet.