Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 1 Reviews
I wish I'd been given the chance to actually solve more of The Riddler's puzzles on my own – adventure games are traditionally all about that, after all – but the tension and drama that permeate The Enemy Within's first episode make it a winner. This strong start also leaves me very excited to see how John Doe's inevitable transformation into The Joker plays out, and morbidly fascinated to see what scars this version of Gotham City will leave behind on its inhabitants.
Some of the brief teases point toward a more meaningful story, but this episode mostly hangs its hat on an underwhelming and surprisingly violent Riddler tale
In addition to shaking up old ideas, The Enemy Within also introduces some new things to its mechanical and narrative tool belt. The Riddler makes an early and violent debut in the game with an interesting new backstory, and with our new big villain, there's a new big ally ... maybe. Amanda Waller has brought her mysterious government task force, known only as The Agency, to Gotham on a hunt for the Riddler. Indeed, we are in something of an Amanda Waller renaissance these days, with her featuring in no less than three concurrent franchises in television, movies and games.Batman: The Enemy Within makes incremental improvements on a successful formula — and the introduction of a new, relationship-focused choice mechanic was a big hit. It might drag here and there, but it sets up for big things to come in further installments. If Enemy Within is anything like its predecessor, a little patience will pay off.
Telltale starts strong with new characters and a charismatic villain.
The Enigma offers plenty of teases for the season ahead while also improving upon the combat and presentation for Telltale's take on the powerless superhero.
The Enemy Within has some great action sequences, but it leans too much on the wider Batman universe as a crutch. It doesn't put in the effort to make you care about the characters or the situations, and because of that, none of the choices feel meaningful.
I was really impressed with the first episode, and it feels like things are only just starting to warm up.
The Enigma (both the episode and the villain) is a good addition for this promising second season in which Telltale should make Bruce Wayne's sections more enjoyable and less static.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A mild improvement on the season one debut, but while the first episode offers some shock value it still lacks depth in both storytelling and gameplay.
Batman: The Enemy Within opens with a fantastic episode, turning the world of Batman on its head once more with new foes and new allies that you'll have to work with. It drags Bruce and Batman further down into the murky grey area that he inhabits, keeping players constantly guessing as to whether or not they're doing the right thing and bringing relationships new and old into the foreground.
Aside from improvements to the story overall, the first episode looks and feels much better than other Telltale Games I've played recently, with a marked upward shift in dialogue choices, graphics, and quality.
Anyone who isn't a fan of the "Telltale interactive story" style will find nothing at all here to change their mind on the genre, but fans of previous games will find themselves thrown into yet another adventure filled with questionable loyalties, tense confrontations, morally-grey decisions and that ever-nagging thought that maybe, just maybe, you should have turned left instead of right.
Despite being someone that ended up hating The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, I had a great time with the first episode of Batman: The Enemy Within. It plays to Telltale's strengths of putting a compelling twist on an established property, and it helps that there's a story that finishes by the time the credits roll. Batman's latest adventure is still far from over, and it's clear that there's a bigger tale waiting to be told, but The Enigma will leave players satisfied even if they don't continue the series.
Batman: The Enemy Within hits the ground running with Episode 1 "The Enigma". The series looks extremely promising and this single episode is worth checking out all on its own. Players will be instantly hooked on the drama, and will be dying to see what happens next. Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 2 can't come fast enough.
Despite some performance hiccups, the introductory episode of Batman: The Enemy Within explosively creates the foundation for a new and grand adventure in the Batman universe. Featuring excellent writing, impactful choices and strong voice acting, Episode 1 is a gripping, intense introduction to Telltale's new adventure.
The first episode of Batman: The Enemy Within is yet another great debut that does most of the things you'd want it to do.
The first episode of Batman: The Enemy Within marks a strong start for the second season of Telltale's DC-centric series.
Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 1: The Enigma, thanks to an interesting plot, new relationship system, good balance between dialogues, action and adventure, promises one of the most profound and interesting projects from Telltale Games. We hope that the creators will continue to be able to maintain strong dynamics and the presentation of the season.
Review in Russian | Read full review
At over two hours, Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 1: The Enigma is meaty instalment which picks up as strongly as the previous season left off. As a self-contained story, the Riddler's unique brand of psychotic behaviour makes for a satisfying arc – but it's the bigger picture involving Bruce and the deranged John Doe that promises plenty for the remainder of this series, and we're excited to see where it goes.
I'd like to see The Enemy Within challenge players' minds a bit more.