Unfortunately, the second episode highlighted a drawback I wasn’t sure of in my review of episode one, and another more common technical issue. While I’d enjoyed the QTE action of Batman’s fists in episode one, I hadn’t been certain how long this could stay fresh for. By the end of one fight scene this time around, it became clear how much I’d rather be in charge of the action than just confirming the hits with a press of a button.

It was still satisfying to watch the action unfold in Telltale’s beautiful art direction, but I missed the hard-hitting and bone-crunching feel of attacks from the Arkham series. A comparison that’s difficult not to make considering they’re siblings of the same franchise and medium. It was all culminated in a single moment after I’d knocked the last of a group of goons out. I had activated my finishing move and was waiting for the satisfying feeling of putting the last one out and yet it didn’t feel any different to the rest of the 20 punches and kicks I’d dropped. It didn’t quite feel special enough to warrant the intense build of filling the gauge and left me wanting a more badass finale to our punch-out.

The other issue came in the form of something that plagued the game’s launch on PC. While my experience with the debut episode had run perfectly and bug-free thanks to the updated engine, this time around things weren’t quite as smooth. There was once or twice where the framerate completely dropped or the game froze up for a couple of seconds. It was nowhere near frequent enough to detract seriously from the action, but something worth taking into account if you had issues first-time around.

Episode two is a strong continuation of Batman: The Telltale Series, albeit a little slower than the opening hours. While plot points were coming at you quickly, the moments following kind of took the heat and excitement out of the moment in favor of reflecting on what just happened. The QTE action was still looking great, however, the lack of satisfaction and control in the way these played was disappointing as I felt it could have gone either way in the debut. While this is disappointing, it’s by no means something out of the realm of possibility to be worked on as the upcoming episodes are wrapped up.

Batman: The Telltale Series is still firing on all cylinders in terms of story, and is introducing new and more complex dynamics to character relationships with Bruce and Batman, as we should know to expect from the studio. Due to this, I find myself less enthused about pulling off slick combos as Batman, and more about watching how he and his human side tackle this sticky situation and the consequences of their choices. Things certainly didn’t look to be getting any better for Batman, which leaves me thinking; Is this Batman story necessarily going to end with Batman coming out on top?

Score: 3.5/5