The Batman universe, with its never predictable and always current moral themes, is the perfect playing field for a developer like Telltale Games, who seeks to propose adventures that can be shaped by the choices of the players. A goal not entirely achieved with the first season of Batman: The Telltale Series in terms of real freedom and malleability of the plot, but this evidently did not discourage the studio from trying again.
The series dedicated to the adventures of the Dark Knight turned out to be interesting from several points of view. On the one hand we have seen some novelties in the classic Telltale formula, and the courage of the authors in painting an alternative version of Gotham, with characters from the backgrounds and roles redefined in order to propose a story free from the canons already seen and revised. On the other hand, the under-exploitation of the new mechanics and a not always balanced script have prevented us from reaching the high quality levels that the franchise would have deserved. The San Rafael studio then listened to player feedback to propose the inevitable second season: The Enemy Within.
NB: In the review there will be minor spoilers related to the first season, but not to the new episode.
If there's one thing the previous season showed us it's that every action has consequences, and Bruce Wayne has learned his lesson the hard way. After discovering the shocking truth about his parents and overcoming the repercussions of their actions on the city at the hands of the Children of Arkham, Bruce has begun to piece together his life and Wayne Enterprises, while Gotham enjoys a period of decline. of crime thanks to the help of Batman. Of course, this is not going to last.
The Enigma (and thus The Enemy Within) begins with Bruce Wayne's operation in a casino to foil the affairs of a wealthy arms dealer. Soon, however, we will have to take on the role of Batman when, without warning, the Riddler breaks into the scene with his henchmen, determined to settle a score with the trafficker. After the clash between the two, the masked hero will find himself in his hands a puzzle whose resolution will put us on the road to averting a new threat looming over Gotham. But solving the puzzle will be more difficult than expected e it will involve Bruce on a personal level, also forcing him to make morally uncomfortable decisions to save the city.
The episode itself will keep you busy for about 2-3 hours of gameplay, in which several new faces are introduced. They enter the scene Tiffany Fox (daughter of Lucius) e Amanda Waller, two characters who are sure to make a difference in long-term events. The Riddler in this version of the Batman universe is a criminal who has been in business since Thomas Wayne, who has been out of circulation for years and then suddenly reappears. What doesn't fully convince about this version of the historical antagonist (apart from the inappropriate hood) is his particular tendency to Jigsaw-like methods from the Saw film series, as well as a lack of depth and real charisma. There is to consider that the episode, while functioning as a forerunner for a bigger crisis to come, has the advantage of being self-sufficient, leaving us with an adequate sense of closure.
Curious and electrifying is also the role of John Doe, who, instead of being at the center of the scene, as perhaps one would have expected after the epilogue of the first season, remains on the sidelines of events, even offering us his help. The adventure somehow pushes us to maintain a certain non-hostile with him, making the categorical refusal of his help not obvious.
Furthermore, unlike some past episodes, we can certainly appreciate a better pace, with a greater balance between action and storytelling. The episode keeps you nailed to the screen without moments of boredom, making it pleasantly end all in one breath, without giving up an effective final twist.
The gameplay formula seen in the previous season returns in The Enemy Within with some improvements. The fights are still managed through the Quick Time Event, to which one was dedicated this time greater attention to rhythm, stage power and variety of choice: it will happen, in fact, to be able to choose between multiple options on how to hit an opponent, and, in general, the on-screen controls will be slightly less trivial, forcing the player to stay focused and reactive.
The investigation sessions are back, but they are less exciting, unfortunately still too linear and simple to give a real sense of fulfillment. Precisely in this episode dedicated to the Riddler the missed opportunity is felt more. Once again we hope that the chapters to come will bring an improvement from this point of view.
A step forward, on the other hand, seems to have been taken due to the consequences deriving from the choices of dialogue. Depending on what we decide to say to the characters on duty, we can now also change the with them. It will happen that you have to choose to please someone by displeasing another, and those choices will never seem "black or white". Of course we will only be able to appreciate the full extent of these effects with The Enemy Within rosieguo, but it is interesting to observe how the course of events puts us in non-trivial positions and difficult moral choices, which will tend to make the heroic outlines of the protagonist more and more blurred.
Also on the graphic side we can appreciate the good work of Telltale Games. Not only is the visual rendering slightly improved compared to the past thanks to a greater detail of the polygonal models, but the notorious technical problems that accompanied the release of the previous episodes finally seem a distant memory, limiting themselves to a not yet perfect lip sync. We hope that this goal will remain constant for the chapters to come.
The sound sector sees the return of Jared Emerson-Johnson to the composition of a soundtrack that is always effective and with a perfect atmosphere, even if perhaps less incisive than in the past. The voice actors of the first series also return, to which is added the excellent performance of Robin Atkin Downes in the role of the Riddler.
With The Enigma this second adventure of the Dark Knight certainly started off on the right foot, even if we hope for further progress in the race by Telltale. The narrative pace is effective, as is the greater involvement of the fights. It goes without saying that those who have never liked the style of Telltale titles will find no arguments to change their mind, while those who appreciate this genre of interactive adventures and a plot that promises to run on various shades of gray, balancing right and wrong, will surely find it interesting Batman: The Enemy Within.
