BATMAN - The Telltale Series - Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham Reviews
I went into the fourth episode expecting intense turmoil that would lead to an exciting finale, but instead came out thinking, 'Oh, that's it.'
Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 4 might take a different narrative path than most players would expect, but overall it works well. While the Children of Arkham story kind of takes a backseat, what is presented here is engaging and fun. It also does a good job of tying up a couple of its many loose ends, and setting up for a climactic finale in the next episode. However, the minor technical issues that have been present since the beginning are massively exacerbated here, to the point that they impact the enjoyment players can have with the game. Perhaps after an update is issued things will get better. Hopefully the final episode is crafted with more care.
Guardian of Gotham is a solid episode, but outside of a few little flashes, doesn’t excite or intrigue me as much as what went before. I’m torn on whether or not I like the Joker’s appearance, it doesn’t have time to really linger too much in the moment, and ultimately, it’s just one of those episodes that takes you part way on a journey without getting you to your destination.
Though the limited interactivity during combat sequences is grating, this episode is one of the best in the series
Clocking in at about an hour and a half, episode four did what it had to do to drive the story along without overstaying its welcome. While I would have liked a little more explanation from one of the plot points that was skimmed over way too quickly, Guardian of Gotham was otherwise a prime example of Telltale’s character development and relationship expertise.
Despite the abrupt ending in Guardian, Batman: A Telltale Games Series has been one of the most consistent works the developer has put out to date. I still get the occasional audio or jerky animation issue on PC, but at least on my machine, nothing in the first four episodes rang any major alarm bells. With just one chapter left, I think you're in the all clear for going all in on this.
While this is the weakest episode in Batman’s Telltale series yet, my investment in the unpredictable, multi-layered plot hasn’t wavered, thanks to the critical state of each of Bruce Wayne’s relationships. Episode four’s first act felt like it was just filling in time for the season finale, but some conflicts have still been built upon, including showcasing how the people of Gotham are reacting to the intense political climate. I’m still excited to jump into the season finale - especially to see the consequence of the series’ weightiest decision.
I'm still really excited to see how it all gets wrapped up and love the fresh takes on the Batman characters, I just felt this episode fell flat.
Given how strong the writing has been for the previous three Batman episodes, I’m still incredibly excited to see how this whole season will wrap up. Unfortunately, Guardian of Gotham didn’t really do much to make me more excited.
Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham follows up nicely on the plot twists and themes introduced in Episode 3, providing Batman with his darkest and most challenging video game story yet. The proceedings border on unpleasant at times, but then again, it's Gotham we're talking about here.
Adrenaline and the strength of Bruce's will are at the core of Episode 4, which is shorter than the previous episode, but more action-packed and enjoyable. Will Episode 5 live up to the high expectations generated by the well-crafted first four episodes? It's up to Telltale.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A solid enough penultimate episode, but the overall quality of this series hinges on how Telltale brings the threads together to finish it.
If Guardian of Gotham tense atmosphere and hard choices are anything to by in this penultimate episode, then Telltale is on the verge of delivering the definitive Batman story in video game form.
I may not have been impressed with Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham, but it leaves a lot of mystery surrounding The Joker and his motives. And with this, I hope Episode 5: City of Lights can prove that the season will close with an intense and thrilling finale.
Telltale's poor fourth episode run continues, but delivers the potential of a solid series ending.
The ball that is given to the Caped Crusader in Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham initially looks the most interesting yet; however, he takes it… and does nothing with it. Once again, this feels more like "another day in the life of Bruce/Batman" rather than an epic superhero story, with an exciting beginning, a riveting middle, and a dramatic finale - which, after the mediocrity experienced so far, makes hoping for the latter to be any good quite hard.
"Guardian of Gotham" is some of Telltale's best writing to date. It masterfully paces several dangling story threads into one tightly delivered penultimate episode while also seeming to build the greater Bat-verse for future seasons. It's exciting and uniquely theirs at this point.
Guardian of Gotham continues on downward trend of this rickety episodic series. The script is sometimes too hasty, full of omissions, insignificant moral choiches and insipid plot twists.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This is the worst episode in a great season, but it doesn’t seem as though it’ll tarnish the entire package too much. It’s inoffensive at best but feels very much like a way to artificially extend the story without any real substance.
Episode 4 brought back what I enjoyed about the series. The plot and characters were more interesting, and the choices were tougher with bigger ramifications. The villains are actually evil in this episode, and the pressure for everyone is pushing to an explosive conclusion. No one walks away from this unscathed, and that is how I like it. If episode 3 let you down, episode 4 will pick you back up.