Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 3 Has Too Much Bruce Wayne Politicking

Batman: The Enemy Within, the second season of Telltale’s original Batman story, started off with two amazing episodes. Unfortunately, that momentum slows with Episode 3, even if it doesn’t grind to a complete stop. Fractured Mask does seem to set up the plot for the remaining two episodes, but does it almost entirely through Bruce Wayne.

Harley Quinn has survived being abandoned on the street, and now claims there is a mole hidden underground with the rest of the villains. She also asserts that she is now the leader of The Pact. This doesn’t sit well with Bane, but he seems to comply with Quinn’s demands for the time being.

The real shocker is the return of Catwoman. After helping The Pact secure the frozen body of The Riddler, as well as the technology to mimic his eyes, the organization turns to Catwoman once again to help find out more information on The Riddler’s secret plans. Even though he was working with allies, The Riddler still kept the important secrets close to him.

Because so much time is spent around Quinn and the rest of The Pact, there’s very little time for some sweet Batman action. In fact, the Caped Crusader only appears two or three times. That said, the rare Batman appearances do lend themselves to some interesting interactions with John Doe. Do you treat him the same way you do as Bruce Wayne? The choice is yours.

One of the big problems with playing as Bruce is he doesn’t have the same masked luxury Batman does. This means you’re going to end up in too many situations you don’t want to be in, including being used to further the feud between Gordon and Waller, as well as shaping John Doe into whatever he will eventually turn into. Regardless of your choices, you’re going to make just about everyone mad at you in some way. Get ready to talk yourself into a number of situations that you’ll then have to talk yourself right back out of.

The lack of Batman segments also means there aren’t as many action sequences in Fractured Mask. This isn’t that big of a deal, considering the sequences pretty much are just a series of quick-time events. However, previous episodes have split time between Batman and Bruce Wayne in more satisfying and interesting ways.

This episode also brings tough decisions about your relationship with Selina Kyle. Is Catwoman your friend, foe, girlfriend or something in between? This will largely be shaped by how you treated her back in the first season, but even if you were cold and standoffish back then, things can change.

Unfortunately, the problem with Fractured Mask is mostly that it follows two of the best episodes of Telltale gaming I’ve ever played. The Enemy Within started at a breakneck pace and managed to maintain that through the second episode. Too often, the third feels dragged down by long conversations and tons of establishing elements.

I have faith the series will pick back up and finish strong. There are still two more episodes to go and plenty left to resolve, including the pretty major (and incredibly bleak) cliffhanger. I have a feeling there’s just going to be a bit of a lull in the middle of the season.

Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 3 - Fractured Mask is now available to play on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices.

So what do you think? Do you agree that Fractured Mask dragged a little compared to the previous two episodes? What do you think will happen in the next episode? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.