BATMAN - The Telltale Series - Episode 2: Children of Arkham Reviews
While anyone will be able to enjoy the Telltale Batman series, it definitely feels as if you need to have at least a decent understanding of the basics for this interpretation to really make an impact. Fans of the Dark Knight will love the ways the traditional story is being twisted and turned here, but those not so familiar may not quite know why things are as important or shocking as they may seem
Batman: The Telltale Series — Episode Two: Children of Arkham is ultimately dispiriting, as a follow up to the amazing Season Premiere cliffhanger and fails at following that up with a sorry payoff to Episode One. A lot of the Episode feels rushed and underutilized, making it nigh impossible to dive back into the dichotomy of the mask of Bruce contrasting with the true face of Bruce, Batman. The vision for the Season does become quite clear after this Finale, but as a standalone, it fails to stand on its own two feet.
Telltale's Batman: Episode 2 not only exceeds the first episode in every way but manages a fresh take on Batman lore, which is no small feat.
Batman The Telltale Series Episode Two: Children Of Arkham improves greatly upon its introductory chapter.
Children of Arkham has the balance of you playing as Batman and Bruce Wayne. The story keeps getting better and better, and interestingly enticing. I like where Telltale is going with their first season of Batman, and I am thrilled to know what Episode 3: New World Order has to offer.
What really stands out to me after these first two episodes is how Telltale has managed to take such a popular, well-established character and world and yet manages to make the experience feel both fresh and interesting. That is a tall order, as a narrative heavy game like this could have easily gotten off of the rails when trying to deviate from such familiar source material, but kudos to the team for stringing together two really solid episodes to open this series up.
Episode Two ‘Children of Arkham’ picks up directly from the episode one’s cliff-hanger and is full of tough choices and intense drama, both as Batman and Bruce Wayne.
"Children of Arkham is a solid follow-up to Realm of Shadows. As most Telltale games, it suffers on the altar of the outdated engine, but makes up for it with its striking aesthetic and atmosphere. Batman’s established backstory is partly thrown out in favor of a gloomier, moodier reimagining, but it’s handled well and flows very naturally. While I enjoy Telltale games for the most part, it’s been a while since an episode of one of their series had me this excited for the next one. But then again maybe I’m just that much of a Batman fanboy."
Episode 2 is the great tasting, less filling sequel to episode 1. It throws more action at you and digs a little deeper into the characters that episode 1 was only able to introduce. I am still digging the Bruce Wayne part of the story, and Selina Kyle’s character is very engaging. There are some minor technical issues, but they do not prevent you from enjoying the total experience. If you like Batman or enjoy the way Telltale Games creates a world, I have no reservations recommending this game.
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.
Telltale continues to tell a unique Batman tale (see what I did there) in the second episode of its series featuring Gotham's most iconic vigilante. The gameplay may be brain dead, but the story is well worth pursuing if you're a fan of the Bat, or just like a solid video game narrative to consume.
Telltale’s take on the universe is fresh, and it’s nice playing through a Batman story where you ultimately aren’t sure where things are going. Batman: The Telltale Series is quickly becoming one of my favorites that Telltale has worked on to date. Hopefully this continues with the final three episodes still to be released.
Children of Arkham does a great job at building and expanding the characters, while also developing not only the plot against Gotham but also the Wayne family storyline. There’s a major reveal near the episode’s conclusion that is going to have serious repercussions for Bruce Wayne, and it’ll be interesting to see how both the public and Bruce react to the revelation.
I'm truly impressed with Telltale's take on Batman creating a tense and exciting story while holding nothing back.
Continued technical issues and a stumble in story hold episode two of Telltale's latest series from being as good as it's debut predecessor. That being said, if you're a fan of the caped crusader, there are still some interesting threads dangling that are worth seeing through to the next episode.