Batman: The Enemy Within (2017) | Video Game Review

Episodic storytelling built Telltale Games' reputation but most of their series struggled with meaningful player agency. The Walking Dead showed promise but later seasons felt increasingly linear despite dialogue trees. Then came Batman: The Enemy Within, a sequel that actually delivered on the promise of choices that matter.

This review examines why The Enemy Within represents Telltale's storytelling at its absolute peak before the studio's closure. We'll break down character development to technical performance, exploring how this Batman story feels unpredictable.

Set one year after the first Telltale's Batman series, Bruce Wayne faces his most complex moral challenge yet. The Riddler's death triggers a chain reaction that brings both Amanda Waller's Agency and a new criminal organization called the Pact into Gotham City simultaneously.

The second season's story centers around an undercover mission where Bruce must infiltrate the Pact by posing as a villain, working alongside re-imagined versions of Bane, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze and most importantly, a pre-Joker "John Doe".

Without spoiling the major reveals, your relationship with John Doe becomes the emotional backbone of the entire experience, culminating in player choices that literally determine whether he becomes a hero or the iconic villain we know.

The Enemy Within draws selectively from Batman's comic history while charting new territory. Harley Quinn's characterization borrows elements from both her animated series origins and more recent comic portrayals as an independent anti-hero but Telltale's version feels distinctly more grounded and psychologically complex.

The Agency storyline echoes themes from comics like "Batman: Year One" and various Amanda Waller appearances in Suicide Squad runs. Mr. Freeze's tragic back-story pulls from "Batman: Mr. Freeze" while adding layers that make his motivations more compelling.

Most significantly, the John Doe character represents a completely original take on Joker's potential origins, drawing inspiration from "The Killing Joke" concept that anyone can have "one bad day" while subverting expectations about predestined villainy.

Here's where The Enemy Within transcends typical episodic gaming. The writing team crafted a Batman story that genuinely grapples with moral complexity rather than simple good-versus-evil dynamics, forcing players into difficult ethical decisions.

Character development operates on multiple levels. Your relationship with John Doe evolves based on many small choices, creating a version of the character that feels uniquely yours by the final episodes. Harley Quinn receives particularly strong characterization, presenting her as a capable leader rather than just Joker's sidekick.

Pacing builds tension expertly across all five episodes. Each installment ends with genuine cliffhangers that make waiting for the next release difficult. The story structure allows for intimate moments and action sequences seamlessly.

Rather than traditional action mechanics, combat primarily relies on quick-time events and investigative sequences. The detective work feels much more seamlessly integrated into compelling storytelling than the first season, with detailed crime scene analysis impacting dialogue options and character relationships.

Choice consequences operate on both immediate and long-term scales. Small decisions early in the season can dramatically alter character dynamics and available options in later episodes, offering genuine variety rather than cosmetic differences.

Exploration elements remain limited but purposeful. Investigating environments as both Bruce Wayne and Batman provides different perspectives on the same locations, reinforcing the dual identity theme throughout the experience.

Difficulty balance favors accessibility over challenge. Most players can succeed at action sequences regardless of reflexes, keeping focus on narrative decision-making rather than mechanical skill barriers that might frustrate less experienced gamers unnecessarily.

Technical performance varies significantly across platforms. PC and console versions maintain stable frame rates during most sequences, though occasional stuttering occurs during scene transitions between episodes, creating minor but noticeable interruptions.

Visual fidelity remains solid for the comic-book style art, with character designs that feel distinctly Batman while maintaining Telltale's signature aesthetic approach. Environmental details create convincing representations of Gotham City locations without pushing technical boundaries or straining hardware capabilities.

The Telltale Tool engine shows its age through inconsistent character animations and lip-syncing issues that occasionally break immersion during critical dialogue moments. Loading times between scenes can stretch beyond 30 seconds on older hardware.

Voice acting carries the entire experience with exceptional performances across the board. Troy Baker's John Doe delivers a complex portrayal that makes the character's transformation feel earned rather than inevitable. Laura Bailey brings depth to Catwoman/Selina Kyle that goes beyond her typical femme fatale archetypes.

The musical score by Jared Emerson-Johnson perfectly balances orchestral Batman themes with more intimate character moments. Each major character receives distinct musical motifs that evolve based on player choices and relationship development.

Sound design creates convincing atmosphere during both detective work and action sequences. Environmental audio helps establish Gotham's grimy urban setting, while combat sound effects provide satisfying feedback during quick-time events.

Five episodes provide approximately 10-12 hours of content depending on exploration thoroughness and dialogue choices. Multiple playthroughs reveal substantially different story paths, particularly regarding John Doe's character development and final transformation.

The season pass pricing offers reasonable value considering the production quality and replay potential. Individual episode purchases cost more overall but allow players to evaluate quality before committing to the complete experience.

No additional DLC content extends the base experience, but the substantial branching paths provide natural replay incentive without requiring separate purchases. This design choice keeps players engaged through meaningful story variations rather than paid content.

Technical stability remains the weakest element. Save file corruption occasionally forces complete episode restarts and choice tracking sometimes fails to carry decisions between episodes correctly, creating frustrating interruptions to the narrative experience.

The binary ending paths create genuinely different experiences rather than superficial variations. Playing through both possible conclusions reveals how dramatically player choices can reshape fundamental character relationships and story outcomes.

No traditional side quests exist but optional dialogue branches and investigation choices provide meaningful variety within the linear episode structure. Multiple conversation paths often reveal different character information or relationship development opportunities.

No multiplayer elements exist, keeping focus entirely on the single-player narrative experience. The choice-focused gameplay wouldn't translate well to collaborative play anyway, making this design decision both practical and narratively appropriate for the format.

Batman: The Enemy Within represents Telltale Games at their absolute creative peak, delivering on the promise of meaningful player choice that most episodic games only pretend to offer. The relationship with John Doe alone justifies the entire experience, creating one of gaming's most compelling character studies.

Perfect for fans of narrative-driven adventures who want their choices to genuinely matter. Less suitable for players seeking traditional action gameplay or those frustrated by technical inconsistencies in older game engines.

The price point remains reasonable for the amount of quality content provided, especially considering the substantial replay value from different choice paths. This stands as essential playing for anyone interested in interactive storytelling.

A masterclass in episodic storytelling that proves player agency can create genuinely unique experiences, despite technical limitations that occasionally interrupt the narrative flow. This represents interactive fiction at its most compelling and emotionally engaging peak.

Batman: The Enemy Within, Telltale's follow-up to Batman: The Telltale Series, is available digitally on PC (Steam, Windows Store), PlayStation 4, Xbox One and mobile devices (iOS, Android) starting early August 2017.

A physical edition Season Pass disc for PS4 and Xbox One console is also available at retail stores, containing Episode 1 on-disc and granting digital code for access to the remaining episodes as they release through March 2018.