BATMAN: The Telltale Series - Episode 2: Children of Arkham | Xbox One

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Children of Arkham bizarrely excavates a lot of the groundwork laid in the opening episode, only to relay new foundations in favour of pursuing an altered path. The result is a second episode that's full of exposition and not conducive of an engaging series narrative arc, but one that will likely benefit those to come.

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by Sam
​Sant

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@SlamShotSam

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Developer: Telltale 
Games
Publisher: Telltale
Games
Platforms: Xbox One,
​Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PC, Mac, iOS, Android
Players: 1 - 12

After a reminder on the events of Realm of Shadows, players join Bruce Wayne in the iconic Crime Alley. Lost in thoughts of the fateful night his parents met their untimely end, the bereaved playboy all too conveniently remembers a repressed detail, immediately triggering a hamfisted unveiling of the overriding mystery.

With a new, sordid knowledge of his family’s past, Bruce sets about digging deeper amidst emerging threats that serve to hamper the effort.

The titular Children of Arkham are a zealot group that seek revolution in Gotham, lead by a masked figure whose identity Telltale are undoubtedly building towards revealing. The arm you’ll encounter are lead by an unrecognisable rendition of the Penguin; a young, plague-doctor-masked Cobblepot with valid criminal motivation that stands in stark contrast to the exaggerated caricature we’ve come to know.

​They manufacture a drug that makes people act on their base desires - no thought spared for morals or ethicacy - to expose and “unmask” people in positions of power. It’s a literal integration of a prominent motif that makes the group and their motives compelling at this early stage.

Whilst Batman has his hands full, Bruce might occupy a less enviable position. Unforeseen events make the already treacherous political minefield all the more precarious, in addition to continued PR disasters accumulating to erode his good standing within Gotham.

​There’s an unshakeable feeling throughout that Children of Arkham serves more to check a box than to be a meaningful entry in the series, as it doesn’t play to the strengths established in episode one. There’s a lack of exciting, signature Batman moments - no impressive investigations, no intimidating interrogations - just a few cursory morsels thrown our way here and there.

Throughout the episode’s course, even seasoned fans will continue to be surprised by subversive twists and turns.

Some scenes don't do Batman’s intellect justice, and further pulled us out of the experience, whilst continued technical issues and unimpactful decision-making didn’t help the situation. Telltale have stated that they don’t need to innovate, due to already having a winning formula on their hands, but if this form continues they’ll soon be flirting with a stale one.

Throughout the episode’s course, even seasoned fans will continue to be surprised by subversive twists and turns that ensure they'll remain eager to see how things progress, despite the slight misstep. So many potential narrative strands are severed, however, that we aren’t left with much to keep us guessing in the meantime.
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Pros

• Continues to subvert expectations
• Grounded, relatable & morally grey characters
• Children of Arkham put in a good debut
• Great voice performances and cinematography

Cons

• Full of exposition when we should be getting to the meat of the story
• Some lazy storytelling techniques
• Severes numerous potential narrative strands, somewhat dampening intrigue
• Continued technical issues & lacklustre decision-making

Score 6/10