Review

Batman: Episode 1: Realm of Shadows

Even before the critically acclaimed series based on the Walking Dead comic, Telltale was known for developing good licensed games. Afterwards, they were superstars making some of the best adventure games this side of Serria and LucasArts. And while some of the properties seemed like a stretch – Tales From the Borderlands was surprisingly great –Telltale always handled these popular franchises with care…

When I found out that Telltale was taking on the caped crusader, I was thrilled! Past experiences have proven this developer to be well equipped to handle comic book adaptations. As long as they have a strong narrative and a clear understanding of what makes Batman a great hero, there’s the potential to create something profound. The only thing left for them to do would be to make sure the game played well. Easy-peasy right? When it comes to the plot, Telltale hit it out of the park. “Realm of Shadows” opens with an attempted robbery at Gotham City Hall. After brutally dispatching a security guard, a group of mercenaries head towards the hall’s vault. Batman of course isn’t having it and intercepts the group in the usual fashion; scaring them half to death before picking them off one by one.

A couple of fights and an exciting encounter with Catwoman later, the story shifts to bat’s alter ego; a night of crime fighting aside, he still has work to do as Bruce Wayne. A private fundraiser is being held at the Wayne Manor for Bruce’s friend and mayoral candidate Harvey Dent. Everything is going swimmingly until crime boss Carmine Falcone crashes the party. Apparently Dent, who’s been in talks with Falcone, felt that he needed more help getting into office. Bruce of course isn’t a fan and well, let’s just say he was happy when the guests starting leaving.

What follows is a series of events that are full of meticulous misdirection. Strings are being pulled by different groups, including some that have yet to be formally introduced. The revamping of certain characters also adds a bit of intrigue; Oswald Cobblepot (who fans know as the Penguin) is a childhood friend of Bruce this time around. By changing certain elements we’ve grown accustomed to, Telltale has made old happenings feel new. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Bruce Wayne back Harvey Dent politically. However, this is the first time I’ve questioned Dent’s motives before he becomes a two-faced criminal.

Beyond the plot, Telltale did an awesome job in showcasing what makes Batman great. Everything from his fighting prowess to his skills as a detective is on display. What really makes this game unique are the segments as Bruce Wayne though. Trying to balance living as a wealthy public figure and a caped vigilante can be nerve wracking. Those normal Telltale mechanics, like people remembering what you say and do, mesh so well here! Who would think that just shaking hands with someone could lead to negative press and/or false accusations?

So far we have a strong narrative and gameplay that respects the different facets of this particular hero. All that’s left was to make sure the game played well and “Realm of Shadows” could’ve been a hit. Unfortunately, that’s only true if you don’t play the PC version. We got our review code for the season when this episode launched. I finally got a chance to play it a week or so later. Why? Because my access was blocked by a black screen, preventing the game from loading past the intro – it didn’t exactly freeze but nothing happened after hitting start. I spent hours in Steam’s forums and on Google trying to find a fix. Different remedies floated about, some seemed ideal, others I refused to try (I shouldn’t have to get rid of all my saved Telltale games files just to get this one to work). It wasn’t until I found a certain YouTube video detailing some compatibility issues that I was able to actually experience the game.

(This is all I saw for a week straight.)

Black screen of nothingness aside, I was met with an assortment of bugs. The most notorious were the frame rate issues that made QTE’s more frustrating than they’ve ever been. I can’t follow the onscreen prompts when the window of opportunity skitters between obnoxiously quick and nonexistent. Just walking during certain segments was difficult. After a few more tweaks to settings (thank you forums) I was able to get it to run ok; I was able to play but I’d still jump forward in time every so often. Voices were almost never in synch with character’s faces and the action was choppy. Bottom line, I am flabbergasted at how bad the PC version of “Realm of Shadows” is as a Telltale product – there are still players who’ve yet to play because of these issues!

Telltale’s response was to issue a patch that either didn’t fix the major bugs or caused those who were playing with minimal issues to start experiencing new ones. For instance, at one point in the game I was prompted to interrogate a suspect. I was given the choice of doing physical harm or fear tactics to get him to talk. I chose fear. When the next scene loaded, Alfred berated me for putting the man in the hospital. In the hospital? I didn’t touch him! The game wasn’t accurately tracking my choices. Seeing as how these actions have consequences that reverberate throughout the season, a bug that removes my ability to choose what Batman does ruins the experience.

What happened? That’s the only question I have. Regardless of my graphic card of choice or if I choose to play in a windowed screen – two reasons why your game might not work – things shouldn’t be this bad. And no, it doesn’t matter that this is the PC version. This isn’t an MMORPG where one would factor in heavily populated servers or a graphically intensive game like The Witcher 3. There is nothing here that would challenge a modern PC’s ability to run it; the game is being optimized for Android phones for crying out loud! Basically, what I’m getting at is that we shouldn’t have to rely on the community to get this game running properly. It’s 2016. Just because gamers have accepted that this platform requires…patience due to how often things are patched post launch, doesn’t mean it’s ok to release a product in this state.

I still believe that Telltale is a capable developer that treats popular franchises with respect. The story they’re crafting is really interesting and the gameplay mechanics that’s been used in Telltale’s recent games (like how people remember you actions) are a solid fit for this franchise. Hopefully, “Children of Arkham” won’t suffer from the same bugs as this episode. It would be a shame if people stopped trusting in this developer!