Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 2: Children of Arkham (XB1) Review

A twist of fate.

The second episode of Batman: The Telltale Series blew by much faster than the first. Part of that is due to it being about 30 minutes shorter, but also to do with the better pacing and more interesting character development. Children of Arkham continues down the alternate rabbit hole of the first game, and its finale unveiled some of the true motivations of its characters. The twists and turns so far have been fun, but after finishing episode two, I am now more invested in the series.

The story this time around focuses more on how Bruce Wayne handles some uncomfortable truths about his family. Without going to deep into spoiler territory, the second episode deals with how Bruce comes to terms with what is going on. He questions dear friends, and makes alliances with others. It is all wrapped together in a succinct package, and the writing is outstanding.

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MSRP: $4.99 ($24.99 Season Pass)
Platforms: XB1, PS4, PC, 360, PS3
Price I’d Pay: $4.99

One of the biggest issues I had with the original outing seems to come hand-in-hand with Telltale games. Performance was just plain bad. The stuttering during combat scenes and weird glitches should be ironed out at this point. With episode two it seems the team has made some improvements, as the game play portions are much better this time around, although there are still some hiccups during cut scenes, which is peculiar for sure.

The second episode also ditches the detective sequence found in the first and instead offers up a choice towards the end that lets players decide how to tackle a specific situation. Do they go in as Bruce Wayne and try to solve it with words, or take actions as the Batman. Either route leads to an entirely different conversation, and the finale leaves so many interesting questions behind, I cannot wait for the next entry.

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Children of Arkham delivers a great follow-up to the original episode, while also cleaning up the pace and some of the technical issues. I am more invested now than after the first episode, and am excited to see how things develop. Telltale has crafted a unique take on the Dark Knight, with characters taking on new roles, making it interesting for fans of the character. I am extremely excited to see where this story ends up.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Interest in next episode: Very High

Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.