Reviewed by KrustyManMeat
WOW. Let me repeat that, WOW. Even though I'm finishing this review after completing Batman The Telltale Series: Episode Two: Children of Arkham a few hours after completing it I'm still in awe of the entire episode. Each chapter bettered the one before it and completely blew Episode One out of the water and I loved Episode One.
There are things in Children of Arkham I want to talk about but can't. There are decisions that I made in Episode One: Realm of Shadows that have consequences here but I can't tell you about them. There are decisions I made a few short hours ago in the heat of the moment that will have ramifications in Episode Three that I can't tell you about and it kills me to say that. Everything that was set up in Episode One comes to fruition here and the storytelling is fantastic.
The game opens with a recap of the major decisions you made in Episode One. This was short and sweet and i'm glad this happens because it served to jog my memory and made me sit up and think if I'd made the right choices. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I was sat on the edge of my seat throughout every chapter. Each one flows brilliantly and although each chapter is short there is enough going on in each one to make your mind race with the possibilities of what's to come. As with Episode One you are thrown into the shoes of both Bruce Wayne and Batman and each character gets their chance to shine at various points throughout the story and at one point you're even given the choice of visiting someone as Bruce or Batman.
Episode Two is much more politically charged after the events in Episode One. Still aligned with Harvey Dent whose career in politics seemed to be on the up in Episode One, Bruce must now fight not only to save his family's good name since the recent allegations that his Father was corrupt have exploded all over Gotham City's news he must also decide whether he should continue to fund Harvey Dent’s election campaign. Sometimes it's pays to have friends in high places but only time will tell. But this is only one of the tough decisions you will have to make. Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin is a much bigger player in Episode Two as he plots to start a revolution with forces unknown. I'm keeping this review as spoiler free as possible which is hard but this story is best experienced without any prior knowledge. Trust me because you'll thank me later.
The gameplay is exactly the same as Episode One and that might seem like a bad thing but it get. it's instantly familiar so you can just concentrate on the story as it unravels around you. The Quick Time Events are back in force here but this time you'll get to experience them as Bruce Wayne as well as Batman. They Batman QTE’s are just as brutal as they were in Episode One which I've come to expect so I was pleasantly surprised when I played a QTE as Bruce and it was just as bone shatteringly satisfying. The detective gameplay segments are still very simplistic and no clues can be missed but this time the sequence you uncover which plays out when you discover/remember certain events left my jaw on the floor. But the least said about that the better.
Whether you're playing as Bruce Wayne or Batman everything you do in this world matters. Every choice you make has far reaching consequences. You might not see those consequences immediately but trust me they are coming in future episodes. Gotham feels alive because of this and even though ten seconds might seem like a lot of time to make a decision it goes in the blink of an eye. Telltale have taken everything I loved about Episode One and surpassed it at every turn. The only negative I can mention about Episode Two is it had to end. Telltale have hit their stride with Batman and just when you think things can't get any better they do. I cannot wait for Episode Three.
Review copy supplied by Telltale Games