Over a year ago, I reviewed "Batman: The Telltale Series", a video game I commended for creating a unique Batman story and experience for fans and gamers. Considering the end of that game, a sequel was certain, which brings us to season two of the series, also known as "The Enemy Within". Unlike the first season's monthly release schedule, this season had more of a slow burn releasing the five episodes between August of last year to this March. While I would have liked a regular schedule, the story it was telling and how each episode ended only made me more anticipated for what would happen next. After such a long period though, it's finally over and the people at Telltale have outdone themselves in their continuation of the Batman story the players create for themselves.
Something to note is that while you can technically play the game on its own, they give you the option to import the choices you made from the first game, making it a true continuation of your Batman's story. I really liked that aspect because when it comes to game sequels, what you do in the previous story doesn't necessarily carry over; but then again, not all games have choice systems like Telltale games do.
A lot of what worked from the previous game is still prevalent for this one. Characters and voice actors return and are still to form, fight scenes that suck you in, the comic book style works hand in the hand with the graphic content (don't forget the M rating), and fan favorite characters are reimagined in realistic ways (well, most of them at least). But what makes this game more innovative is once again the choices you make in the story, and there's a lot more variety this time around. A complaint many had about the first game is that choices you made didn't have that much impact in the long run. You can't really say the same this time around. One difference is that you have more options during fight scenes; there are instances where you're given two options in how to take down a thug, but don't take too long to choose or you'll be the one taken down (something I learned the hard way). But the choices that really matter are the interactions with characters, and this game really puts you through the ringer this time around. In the first game, your choices were in reaction to the forces trying to break down Bruce and Batman. Here though, it really makes you question your morality; what you think may be the right thing to do will have ripples that effect your allies and their view of you. Like the last game, there are still obvious good choices and choices that will make you look like a dick, but there's a lot more gray area this time around. While before your Bruce and Batman's livelihood was on the line, now it's their soul.
But let's talk about the most fascinating aspect of this season: the Joker. Introduced last season, John Doe was a patient in Arkham that Bruce met, but he wasn't actually the Joker yet. I complained before about how he was around without being a direct result of Batman. Well, Telltale seemed to have a plan all along, because this is just as much John's story as it is Bruce's. The choices you make as Bruce influence the path John takes, where he'll eventually either become the villain everyone's familiar with or go way off script to become a vigilante in his own right. There are even two different versions of the season's final episode based on what road you take John down. In any case, like so many versions before, the Joker truly is a direct result of Batman's actions.
Personally, while I did my best to keep John on the right path, I couldn't help but make him into the traditional villainous Joker. While the vigilante route was a unique take, I still want my Batman story to have some familiarity with how I view the mythos. I had a similar instance last season where I could have prevented Harvey Dent's face from being scarred, even though his later actions were still very Two-Face like, so I figured why not get the full Two-Face anyway? The point is, I had the Two-Face and Joker I wanted.
As for the episode I had with my villain Joker, I have to say that this is probably the best new adaptation of the character since Heath Ledger's version in "The Dark Knight". When John goes bad in this game, he doesn't do it half-assed. He makes it clear to Bruce and to Gotham that he is a force to be reckoned with, that he didn't just decide to become your enemy on a whim. As I hoped, he definitely topped the craziness of last season. Despite all the pure evil he commits though, I would still try to reach to John's good side, much like I did with Harvey before him. Even the climax offers something new, with Bruce dealing with the Joker as himself instead of Batman. While it does have the standard quick-time action scenes, the feel of everything around it is a combination of psychological thriller and slasher film (the dinner scene in Texas Chainsaw Massacre came to mind), noticing some inspiration from Joker stories like "The Killing Joke" and "Death of the Family".
Much like "The Dark Knight", when the dust settles, your Batman, his allies, and Gotham will never be the same. There's even a heart-to-heart you have to have with Alfred at the end that will most likely ultimately lead to how the next season begins (if there is one, although it's very probable). I don't really have any predictions for a third season, but things I would like to see are Scarecrow and Dick Grayson's introduction and debut as Robin.
If you loved the last game, "The Enemy Within" is a must buy, especially if you want to keep the story you started going. All in all, the Telltale series does a great job at filling the Batman video game hole left after the Arkham series' apparent conclusion.
