Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham | Xbox One

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Guardian of Gotham finds Bruce Wayne an inmate of the infamous Arkham Asylum, following a violent, drug-induced public outburst at the end of episode three. Still under the drug’s effect, Bruce’s addled mindset offers a true-to-life perspective on Gotham’s criminally insane.

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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

Canted camera angles, a toxic colour palate and distorted filters make for a visually and thematically standout introduction, in which you’ll rub shoulders with a number of recognisable villains. Observing staple baddies during their recreational time is bizarrely fascinating, especially those there by Batman’s hand, but the nameless ‘John Doe’ is all business.

John’s unmistakeable green hair and wide-mouthed smile aren’t yet known to Wayne, though his charismatic enigmatism, twisted humor and maniacal laugh confirm who he is to the player. This first encounter is a sacred moment in Batman lore that, thankfully, plays out masterfully by establishing an uneasy mutual respect between the two; a respect we know flourishes in the shared knowledge that each would cease to exist in the absence of the other.

Whilst we’ve seen the physical effects of vigilantism on Bruce before now, his all-too-brief stint in the asylum and a tangle with the Children of Arkham’s psychoactive drug reveal developing nicks in his mental state, completing the once invulnerable figure’s human deconstruction. For a critic of Harvey Dent’s politics, his behaviours can be remarkably two-faced.

During Batman’s inevitable hiatus throughout Wayne’s incarceration, Dent seizes the opportunity to morph Gotham into an oppressive police state somewhat unopposed. With Catwoman fleeing in the face of danger and intentional restructuring of the GCPD ousting his allies, the landscape a free Bruce Wayne discovers is far from ideal.

Concocting an antidote in all of a minute to cure his ongoing ailment, (which is frankly galling, considering the drug is framed as a significant threat) not one to lay about, the Caped Crusader moves to restore equilibrium. In the spirit of the series, however, it doesn’t quite go that smoothly. Bombardment from Penguin’s sustained hostile WayneTech takeover; from Harvey and the city’s supposed civil servants; from the Children of Arkham’s freshly unmasked cult leader - it all proves a little much, leaving a lot of resolutions to reach in the upcoming finale.

Though pacing issues perpetuate the series’ alternating ups and downs, from an interactive perspective, Guardian of Gotham is on the stronger end of the spectrum.

While the busy narrative offshoots emphasise the desperation of Gotham’s plight, at this late stage, they should be meeting to form one gripping throughline. Steps are taken towards this goal, but not striding enough that we can fully shake the feeling that our last outing might be somewhat scattershot. The omission of a customary teaser for what’s to come further stokes the flames of uncertainty, but hopefully it’s to avoid spoiling what’s all killer no filler - laser-focused - rather than carrying a negative connotation.

Though pacing issues produce another slight lull and perpetuate the series’ alternating ups and downs, from an interactive perspective, Guardian of Gotham is on the stronger end of the spectrum. A gruesome crime scene maintains engagement, even if the links are blindingly obvious to draw, while a Scarface-inspired action sequence is the best one yet. Whether you actually see the latter depends on the decision you make in closing, which finally seems to make good on the promise of choice carrying significant consequence, though we won’t truly know until we see how the wider picture pans out.

Despite starting and ending strong, these moments simply bookend a mostly uneventful middle that comprises a majority share of the short episode. Guardian of Gotham has more redeeming qualities than episode two, but having been bitten then and nipped now, it’d be easy to become shy.

Pros

• More significant choices
• Stylistic opening and introduction to The Joker
• A desperate, darker side to Bruce Wayne
• Strong interactive gameplay segments
• Eager to see how Batman will fix a Gotham in shambles...

Cons

• … but there’s so much to do we don’t foresee being satisfied on all fronts
• Antidote makes a mockery of the Children of Arkham’s drug
• Fizzles out in the middle
• Short runtime

Score 7/10