1.5 Faces and Counting

Just when you think you’ve got everything figure out, life throws you’re a curve ball, and that is definitely the case in Episode Three of Telltale’s Batman series. Batman had saved the mayoral debate, and his friend, while Bruce was getting to the truth of this family, and starting to save face.  That of course all goes out the window with then of episode two, and we are witness to the worst week in Bruce Wayne’s life up to this point.

The penguin makes his return, but not as the criminal, but as Oswald Cobblepot the former friend of our hero. He is successfully dismantling all of Bruce’s life and stealing all that he has ever worked for, and the worst part is he’s doing it in the open and everyone is helping. Mr. Wayne is fighting his own company, the city, supervillains, and even his own family’s dark past. The tension and stakes are definitely ramped up from other episodes and the drama is on point. There’s more fighting as Batman this time, and it’s a welcome reminder to who the real star is. With the right amount of battle and interaction, it’s a nice treat to get the blood pumping.

The face only a mother could love.

Telltale Games prides itself on its story telling over everything, and that aspect of Episode Three is simply great. There are so many twists and turns, unforgettable villains, moral dilemmas, and even the loss of a friend due to your own bad decisions.  This might be a game, but it needs to be a good story first and they haven’t forgotten this fact. That said, more so than ever before I was noticing a lot more glitches and awkward transitions where characters would jump around, the audio wouldn’t match, and the mouse pointer flying around due to a full screen resolution bug. This always reminds you you’re playing a game, and can really subtract from the immersion.

The character development shines in this latest tale, as you get to see the descent of Harvey Dent into something much more sinister, without going straight up villain. I would have liked to see more hints of this in the previous episode so that it was more gradual, but considering we never get to see the mental breakdown into his future persona, it was a treat to see his friend try to talk him down from the cliff.  The acting is better than ever with a believable mayor on the edge in Harvey, and also the witty banter and budding romance of Batman and Catwoman. I did however keep getting the feeling in the story that “this wouldn’t happen in real life” to all of the terrible things happening to Bruce Wayne via his company abandoning him, but that seems to be a common troupe in Batman movies so it does work on some level.

With the end sight, you can tell that all the pieces are in place, and the show is really starting so though I would call this the best episode so far with its great plot points, twists, and acting, I am hopeful for the future, and can’t wait to see what they throw at us next.