My thoughts on Episode 1.
So I picked up the Season Pass today and thought I'd jump right in. This "review" of sorts will be my thought process as I went through the episode, and will kinda work as a mental recap for me once Episode 2 rears its head around the corner. Expect of a lot of random precise thoughts, not just a review that ticks all the boxes on what was good or bad, I like to theorize and just drop little notes for myself.
First off, the comic panels that formed the new logo. I can see what they were going for... but yeah that was kinda weak. Main Menu has a pretty cool look to it, as well as some "epic" music. Haven't yet tried the Crowd Play feature, but I'll probably grab a friend and see how it works.
Jumping into the episode, the first thing that drew my attention was the awful audio editing from the bank robbers. On my PS4, the game also ran extremely poorly for the whole heist sequence. Considering Telltale told us that they were beefing up the graphics, I wasn't really seeing it. Batman shows up and looks awesome, love the look of his model in this art style, and it held up well throughout the episode. The stealth combat with Batman picking the guards off one by one varied from mildly amusing to kind of a snooze. Once Batman started going toe to toe however, the combat picked up in a more arcade fighting game style of combat. Also to note was shortened time for some button prompts, which added to difficulty, even though I didn't die once in my playthrough, and when I did miss a prompt, no consequence came of it.
The fight between Batman and Catwoman was actually pretty fun. It made good use of their gadgets and had Batman being brutal both physically and verbally (for real, I found myself chuckling at Batman's threats all episode long, good job Telltale). The editing between the action and Alfred patching Bruce up wasn't working for me however, it looked sloppy, and I personally could have done without.
Onto the election party at Wayne Manor. Some good writing for Bruce aside, I found myself confused at how the elderly couple backing the Wayne family looked so poor when characters in the background looked nicer. Vicki Vale had a strong introduction in this first episode, and I'm excited to see how large of a part she plays further down the road. Harvey Dent seemed like kind of a tool, and though leaving him outside the meeting was probably the only decision I had to second guess myself about, felt like it would have made no difference regardless (it was a meeting for Bruce, so no hard feeling, Harvey). Carmine Falcone also delivered a strong presence throughout the episode, though not much having screen time, as well as not seeming likely for a return later down the line (most likely to the busy schedule of Victor Sullivan voice actor Richard McGonagle).
Following this was some down time that kinda dragged for me. I wasn't really buying into Cobblepot's revolution scheming (though I did like his setup and history with Bruce, he seems like a British Joker), and while it may possibly hold potential, it didn't impress me here. This was also when I realized that Telltale wasn't going light on violence, which was a pleasant surprise. The press conference presented a few interesting ideas (though the press didn't mind me checking my phone), and also revealed a plot point that carried the story forward in a new, promising direction. The whole Wayne Manor sequence was good setup, but I personally was bored at Telltale's attempt to reintroduce us to Bruce's tragic past (though from the title card to the next episode, it looks like we'll be seeing more of that soon groans). I get that it's important, as his parents play a key role in this specific story, but guess I've seen this done to death already, and just want them to get back to the meat.
Which the game precisely did when Bruce meets up with Harvey and gasp Selina Kyle (for real, this was actually a pretty cool twist). It was awesome seeing the two not so subtly banter back in forth referencing their alter egos (seriously though Harvey, how do you not even bat an eye at "Better change your suit"? HE'S ALREADY IN A TUXEDO!!). The dock warehouse segment was a pleasant surprise. While not too complicated, and I'm sure could be accomplished by linking things until they worked, I enjoyed taking the two seconds to think and feel like I was doing a little bit of work. Also to be noted, this was surprisingly graphic, not that that sort of thing bothers me, but completely unexpected. After a cool interrogation (where no harm was done), it was nice to have the choice to point Gordon in the right direction, while also letting him see that the Bat can show mercy.
While a nice idea, I had no trouble in deciding to give Gordon the evidence and then suit up to take down Falcone. Cool note: that car change. Though it probably isn't subtle, it definitely brought a smile to my face at a nice addition. The whole planned attack sequence was pretty sweet as well, while the game took a turn for the cartoon-ish as a giant minigun just pops out of the ceiling in the Falcone fight (but come on, it's Batman, I'm just nitpicking). Then we get another simple choice, as we arrest Falcone and are told a pretty interesting twist.
As the Episode ended, I wanted more right away. The Next Time Trailer showed off a peak at every plotline that would be prominent to follow, as it should, and left me excited.
So what did I think? I enjoyed it. While definitely not perfect, hell probably not even their best pilot, Telltale laid some solid groundwork for what should be a really solid Batman story. The choices weren't too difficult, and its yet for us to see just how impactful they are, but some great action, nice attempts at humor, good character introductions as well as tons of new story threads made for a compelling and also lengthy experience. I'm hoping they keep this amount of quality and length in the episodes to come.
P.S : Does anyone think Bruce might have some romantic approaches later on down the road? Or is that just our favorite playboy philanthropist being himself?