BATMAN - The Telltale Series - Episode 2: Children of Arkham Reviews
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.
The story is gripping, the game looks beautiful, the production values are excellent, but you don’t really get a lot to do.
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.
We continue where we last left our caped crusader... Falcone in custody and a question about Bruce's parents... but what next?
Telltale continues to craft its own version of Batman and Bruce Wayne. The action is still solid, but this is all about the story: Who is Bruce Wayne when everything he knows to be true is a lie? Given the truth of his origins, who is Batman? Telltale's Batman relies on safety and familiarity to subvert expectations here and it works well.
Telltale’s Batman is off to a great start, but only time will tell as to if the developers can weave a Bats story that ranks among the upper echelon of The Dark Knight’s adventures.
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.
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.
This review will contain spoilers for all previous episodes and the current episode of Batman The Telltale Series. For our review of Batman The Telltale Series Ep. 1: Realm of Shadows, click here.At the end there’s the promise of a new larger villain at play, who seems suspiciously like Telltale’s version Scarecrow with a slightly modified Batman Begins story, using a neurotoxin to “free” the city of Gotham. I’m just waiting for the inevitable Joker reveal, because let’s be honest, everyone who takes on the Batman mythos wants the chance to do their particular version of the Joker. At this point, while trying to honor Batman and give unexpected beats, Telltale has managed to make Batman actually feel dull. There’s a lot of potential in what they are doing, but Children of Arkham is more poorly rehearsed high school play than engrossing Batman fiction.
If Telltale stay this good we’ll be very happy with Batman, but if they successfully build on the good things about Episodes 1-2 then it could become one of their best seasons. We’re looking forward to finding out.
Episode 2 doesn't bring anything new to the table, instead opting to improve on the previous episode in terms of plot and pacing.
There's promise going forward, for the story at least, but this is an otherwise messy episode on several levels.
Telltale Games continue to be a formidable supervillain, and manage to turn Batman into the one thing he should never be: boring.
Children of Arkham is rather enjoyable and shines thanks to its refined writing, but the gameplay doesn't dare to get far from Telltale' standards and forgets about some interesting new mechanics we saw in Realm of Shadows.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
It has the air of young men putting on silly costumes, not knowing what they're doing, and trying to style it out.
In traditional Telltale fashion, "Children of Arkham" ends on a high note and I'm already anxiously awaiting the next episode.
It’s definitely aimed at the Bat-fans, but Telltale is busy crafting a superb story starring the dark knight that manages to feel fresh and brutal.
An improvement on the first episode, but still marred by technical issues and. A move in the right direction, but it's still too early to tell if this is more The Killing Joke or Batman & Robin.