Batman: The Telltale Series “The Enemy Within” Episode 1 “The Enigma” Review

Telltale Games is back with their unique take on the Batman lore and they deliver in ‘The Enigma,’ the first episode of the series’ second season.

I’ve been waiting for a second season of Batman: The Telltale Series and after playing ‘The Enigma’ I hope we get a third soon. There are so many iconic stories and characters in the Batman franchise which offer a lot for Telltale Games to play with.

‘The Enigma’ picks up almost a year after the events of season one. Batman is considered a legend in Gotham but the Riddler is back to cause trouble. This series likes adding interesting twists to well-known characters and that is why we get a Riddler who is sadistic, a showoff, and uses traps and riddles to mock his victims. I enjoyed the revelation that the Riddler was terrorizing Gotham long before Bruce became Batman.

While the Riddler did play a role in ‘The Enigma’ it was obvious that something much more sinister was at work. The threat that Gotham will soon face is what introduced Amanda Waller. She is one of the most dangerous non-superhero characters in DC Comics so of course, I was more than excited to see her in the game. Amanda is always planning something and that led to some tension between her and Batman during ‘The Enigma.’

Amanda’s presence does cause a rift between Batman and Gordon. So, it is up to the player if they want to completely side with Amanda, side with Gordon, or try and work with both parties. Telltale Games is all about making tough choices and the ones I had to make during ‘The Enigma’ were no different.

The story does seem better than season one and I hope the quality continues in the upcoming episodes. It was also great to see that your choices from the first season had an impact on ‘The Enemy Within.’ There’s also a lot of tense moments involving John Doe because we know he’s going to become the Joker and now are just waiting to see what makes him crack.

The gameplay hasn’t changed much but we do get a few more options during combat. Players can now decide how they want to take down an enemy during a fight. You’ll also have to push a few buttons, in a specific order, to ensure that your hits land.

For me, ‘The Enigma’ served as an amazing premiere for the second series. While the Saw franchise inspired puzzles weren’t tough, the overall story made up for it through tons of engagement and unique character twists.

Telltale Games’ Batman: The Enemy Within Episode One ‘The Enigma’ is currently available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Mac. Furthermore, the series will become available on iOS and Android-based devices in early October.

Have you played Batman: The Enemy Within yet? What did you think of ‘The Enigma’? Let us know.

Note: I was provided a Steam/PC review copy of this title from Telltale Games. The opinions are my own.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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