Batman: Enemy Within – Episode 5 Review (PC)

The time has come to face the spoils of your actions. The relationship has brewed all season, and it's time to see if you'll see a vigilante or villain outcome. The final episode of Batman: Enemy Within is finally here, and with it our last review for this season. Did it all pay off, or was it a dud?

Batman: Enemy Within - Episode 5 Review (PC)
The review for Episode 1 can be found here.
The review for Episode 2 can be found here.
The review for Episode 3 can be found here.
The review for Episode 4 can be found here.

Batman: Enemy Within is available on Steam for $24.99.

The dark knight rests on the rain-slick gargoyle overlooking the city with the same grimace and grim foreboding as the statue itself. He is being torn between two worlds, worlds of possible allies and lives continued forth. Every instinct tells him to go one way, while logic dictates another. Can he continue to trust in the allegiances he’s made, or will they prove to be his undoing? Whether vigilante or villain, Batman’s closest friend must be dealt with.

The final chapter of Telltale’s Batman, Enemy Within, has arrived and with it the conclusion to what is easily the best modern Batman story you’re likely to find in any medium. While the season started off with one direction, it quickly swerved to another, much to its benefit. It’s a story about friendships tested and strained, and how no matter how close you might be to someone, there could be a fundamental difference that severs it all together.

Batman: Enemy Within - Episode 5 Review (PC) - Revenge
It’s going to be difficult to dance around the spoilers while still emphasizing how great this chapter was, and how it elevates the season to top tier status. You’ll just have to trust me when I say the choices you make do actually matter. While the end results might be similar, in a Telltale game it’s all about the journey, not so much the destination. The relationship you’ve been fostering with John Doe finally comes to a head, with him choosing to become a vigilante like his hero Batman, or a villain in lieu of his disillusionment of Batman’s sense of justice.

In the end, John must face the consequences for his actions, and his line of trust with Batman will eventually run out. However, the end-credits scene does differ depending on how your chapter 5 experience went. Speaking of ending, you will be given a major choice to make in this chapter that leaves one wondering how they will do a season 3, if that is even in the cards (and after how well season 2 did, I would reckon it’s desired). If instead Telltale is asked to take on another DC hero, even better.

Batman: Enemy Within - Episode 5 Review (PC) - Reflection
Season 1 of Telltale’s Batman was interesting, but ultimately lacked any real punch. Season 2 relies more heavily on established characters this time around, and that seems to work for its benefit. Even though the characters are familiar, their origins and behaviors are slightly askew, bringing new life to a franchise that may be getting tired for some fans.

The scenery and camera work really come out to play in this installment, making the action more exciting and the drama more captivating. While it reuses some locations, they (except for one) never feel tired because the characters draw so much of the attention. Musically the game is astounding for this episode, with the Vigilante path offering up some truly memorable scores that will prompt many players to turn to YouTube to find out the title of the song that played during certain scenes.

Batman: Enemy Within - Episode 5 Review (PC) - Remorse
John Doe continues to deliver his lines expertly and wonderfully, carrying the writing perfectly. Really what will make or break your enjoyment of this season is how much you enjoy John Doe, and I haven’t met a single person who has sang anything less than high praise for how he is written and performed.

Within the sphere of Telltale games, there are some seasons that I can say are absolutely worth playing by any player. Before it was just Walking Dead season 1 and, even more so, Tales from the Borderlands. Now I can confidently put Batman: Enemy Within on that towering pedestal. While the season does dip in quality in the middle, it more than makes up for it with a triumphant last episode. The differences in the Vigilante and Villain paths are so different that it’s worth playing through episode 4 again just to set things up for the path not taken first in episode 5, to see how that version of events plays out.

PROS CONS
 + Amazing finish to a captivating story.  – A couple plot points were rushed to make room.
 + John Doe steals the show with writing and VA.
 + Great visuals and awesome score.

9.5
Amazing

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