Review: Batman – Realm of Shadows (PS4)

One Hell Of A Start

Batman Realm Of Shadows Video Review

After releasing a few successful walking dead related episodic titles, Telltale has finally took its storytelling talents to Gotham City. Batman Realm of Shadows places you in the role of Bruce Wayne and Batman, but mostly as Bruce. The heavy focus on Bruce is not a complaint, it actually digs deeper into the story of Bruce more than any other batman related games, and this is only episode 1.

Story

Episode 1 opens up nicely; you star as Batman attempting to stop a robbery on the night Harvey Dent’s endorsement party, the party Bruce Wayne is supposed to be hosting. A few things unfold between the countless crimes in Gotham City, Harvey’s shady Mayor campaign, and what now appears to be alleged corruption regarding Bruce’s deceased parents. Bruce is in a position where again Gotham relies on him,  not as the Dark Night but as Bruce. Telltale took the right steps to make the dynamics  between Batman and Bruce transparent, making the the overly focus on Bruce very interesting oppose to overwhelming. The balance between Batman & Bruce was fairly uneven however, it was perfect for episode 1.

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Sound & Audio

Telltale passed the sound test with Batman, the voice acting is phenomenal. With exception of Harvey, most of the characters introduced in Realm of Shadows both look and sound like they belong. Theme, music, the voice of Batman fairs much better than its Christian Bale counter part.

Gameplay

Telltale doesn’t offer anything new in gameplay when it comes to Batman. It still consist of quick time events and sometimes you have the aim and click scenarios to mix it up, but not nearly enough. Even for a Telltale title this will always be a disappointment when your main character is Batman. On the other hand, Batman is a detective in his own right and telltale takes full advantage of Batman’s detective traits. Telltales gameplay theme works very well with Batman in most scenarios.

Verdict

Episode 1 is nothing less than spectacular, it holds just enough drama and shock value to leave you wanting more. Telltale set a great tone and did a masterful job recreating the Batman universe. Realm of Shadows was the the best way to show off the new Telltale engine. Episode 1 was one hell of a start and I can’t wait for episode 2

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