The Brooding Brute | Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham Review

Episode 3: New World Order ended with a pretty major cliffhanger and it made me excited to hop into Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham. So far the series has only managed to impress me here and there. Nothing overly amazing that really shined on its own. Episode 4 is the most exciting episode yet, but at the same time, also the weakest in due to its pacing.

Batman wakes up inside Arkham Insane Asylum and it’s very obvious what character you are going to be introduced here. I don’t consider it a spoiler since you meet the Joker within the first 5 minutes of this episode. So far I enjoy this version of the Joker. Less crazy (so far) and more wild and loose. Clearly a smart person that has an agenda, but you have no clue what that agenda is. He does monologue quite a bit in an attempt to get the most out of his screen time. Either way, your time in the Asylum doesn’t last long and Batman is back doing what he’s known for: beating up baddies.

Throughout this series I’ve always claimed my favorite part of the series is playing as Bruce. He gets to make the tough decisions and dive deep into the complex social situations. That holds true for the few Bruce sections you get to play in this episode. His world is really crumbling and you fully understand how weak his position is becoming. 

Guardian of Gotham excels compared to the other episodes by having something important happening from start to finish. You go from being in an asylum, meeting a hostile barricade, dealing with an angry ex-friend, investigating a murder, and confronting a big enemy. Things happen quickly as they jump from one situation to the next. I enjoy this aspect. Normally, there is a section or two where things slow down and start to drag. Telltale tends to focus on a big beginning and a big ending. This episode was entertaining from start to finish.

The downside to this is how chaotic this episode can feel. After investigating a murder, suddenly a drone controlled by The Penguin attacks me. It was random and the danger was concluded almost immediately. Plot-wise, it revealed something tiny that could’ve been handled another way. I practically laughed out loud when Batman sneaks into a building and these drones attack again for a dramatic chase scene. Why didn’t the drones alert everyone where Batman was? I have no idea. The episode tends to jump around a little too quickly and while it kept me interested, it didn’t flow as smoothly as it could. It felt more like one separate event took place, then a black screen, then another separate event.

This episode also doesn’t really advance the story in any major way until the very end, but it does dive deeper into some characters’ pasts. It gives more meaning for the future, but doesn’t do much to make this episode memorable on an overarching narrative standpoint.

There was of course, the usual frame-rate issues that plague the past episodes as well. I’m split on this episode, however. On one hand, I enjoyed this episode from start to finish. On the other hand, the pacing and strange occurrences that led from one event to the next carried too much of a perfect randomness to it. With all that said, once again this episode left on a tough decision and huge cliffhanger that I cannot wait to see where it will go. So, you did it again Telltale, you still have your hooks in me.

This review is based of a review copy of the Playstation 4 version of Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham developed and distributed by Telltale Games.