[E3 2016] Telltale’s stunning Batman puts the Detective back into the Comics

Though the title of the project may say otherwise, Telltale isn’t making a Batman game. Telltale is making a Bruce Wayne game. There’s a big difference, as we’ve rarely seen that in movies and definitely not in video games. For the most part, Batman’s focus has tended to be on the action side of his repertoire (batarangs, punches, batmobiles and smoke bombs). But he’s first and foremost a detective, using intuition and deduction to work his way through a situation before unleashing hell on criminals.

Telltale’s latest take on the hero aims to bring back that detective, giving as much air time to the rich and intuitive Wayne as it does to the action hero Bat. And though they are the same human being, Bruce Wayne and Batman wear two very different masks — with Wayne potentially the darker one.

During a hands-off demo at E3 this week we were treated to the first 30 minutes of the game. Batman plays like two different experiences, flipping back and forth between the character in and out of costume, weaving the threads of the plot throughout.

We initially see Batman working to thwart a heist at City Hall. The vantage point is completely on the heavily-armed robbers; as the scene progresses, Batman sneaks throughout the setting, just out of camera sight. We see him, but only in flashes; we’re meant to feel that unnerving fear creep into us as shadows move in our periphery. One by one the robbers are taken down (or strung up) until Batman is finally revealed. The entire sequence plays like the beginning of a modern Batman film, perhaps resembling the opening Joker bank heist in The Dark Knight.

But this is a young Batman, early in his crime-fighting career. He still relies on action and muscle, and isn’t as hardened yet to know when to slow down. With Batman, we see what the crime syndicates (and police) come to understand: he may be sneaky, but we know what we’re getting.

It’s the Bruce Wayne side of his psyche that really intrigues us. As the demo flips to the handsome billionaire, now hosting an election party for an equally dashing Harvey Dent, every moment seems fresh. While we always know what Batman can physically do, Wayne must strategically approach each conversation as its own battle. The consequences seem to proportionately increase based on what Wayne says or does, who he confides in, and even who is watching. It’s the sort of politics that make him seem that much more intelligent and tactical; he’s often thinking several steps ahead, observing and reacting accordingly, putting together the pieces of what’s occurring.

Bruce Wayne is Prime, with Batman there just for cleanup of messy situations.

The game uses Telltale’s updated graphics engine, making for some stunning visuals. It still retains the graphic novel look, but the characters have a much more three-dimensional quality to them now, with textures and shading adding to depth and volume. It looks less like a living piece of paper now and sort of more like a model with an animation filter on it. The game uses visual contrast to differentiate between the two sides of Wayne’s psyche; the dark backdrops of Batman incite mystery and fear, while the upper class world of Bruce Wayne is highlighted by brightness and color.

The duality of Wayne/Batman is fascinating as a concept, and could end up an intriguing way to present the comic book. With an all new story, Telltale could very well have the makings of a classic story for the Dark Knight. Batman: A Telltale Series debuts this Summer.