Warning: this post contains spoilers.
I don’t often write with spoilers but some of the things I wanted to mention are very spoilers and so I don’t really have much choice. But firstly, I just want to say that I have this game on the PS4 as part of PS+, but I bought it on the Switch anyway because who plays PS4 games in 2020?
So it’s yet another Batman game. This one exists in its own, somewhat different DC Universe, where there are no superheroes or supervillains (yet) – just normal folk with science and gadgets. The plot is that someone called Lady Arkham is planning to poison Gotham to “fix it”, and it also tells the story of Harvey Dent (who hasn’t become Two-Face yet) running for mayor whilst being supported financially by best mate Bruce Wayne.
Also mates with Bruce is Oswald Cobblepot, who, yes, becomes the Penguin, but he’s like no Penguin I’ve ever seen. He has the British accent but he’s tall, young and thin.
And then there’s Catwoman, who clocks that Bruce is Batman within seconds, and Bruce is remarkably relaxed about it (before bedding her, of course).
Unlike previous Telltale games I’ve played, there’s very little graphical adventuring here. It’s a make-dialogue-choices and QTE game, which made me worry at first because the horror that was Heavy Rain still lingers in my mind. Luckily, it is a much better game than that in almost every conceivable way – better story, better game logic, lack of nonsensical situations, and no stupid twist. But I’ve said enough about Heavy Rain before and I don’t wish to get that angry again. Still, it not being what I’d consider a “Telltale adventure” any more was a bit disappointing. There are some investigation sections which are close, but they’re too simple and shallow to be puzzles.
Being a fair weather Batman fan, some parts of the story didn’t sit that well with me. I didn’t like Selina and Bruce’s instant recognition. I wasn’t a fan of how you could be a very, very violet Batman (it seems you could kill and let people die) even though that was player choice – it isn’t a choice Batman makes. I hated who Lady Arkham turned out to be even though I saw it coming from a mile away. I also thought the back story about Bruce’s parents being bad guys was rubbish. But, in the context of it all being an alternate-universe Batman tale, I could work through all that.
I did enjoy it though. There were no real plot surprises, and some of the QTEs didn’t really work, but it was well worth playing. I’ve the second series lined up ready to go now too, so will no doubt play that as well.
