Telltale's Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 1 Review Roundup

Season 1 of Telltale's Batman series was met with a mixed reception over its staggered release in 2016. It started strongly but had fallen flat by the time Episode 3 was being released. Can a second season--titled The Enemy Within--get fans of The Dark Knight excited once again?

Season 2's first episode is called The Enigma, and it focuses on a couple of old foes. Both The Riddler and The Joker loom over Batman at the start of this story, and they'll test the caped crusader's wits and morals in equal measure.

The episode launches today for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and so far we think it's much improved over Season 1: "The Enigma is a successful opening chapter to a Batman story that's shaping up to be more ambitious than anything Telltale attempted in the first season," wrote critic Tamoor Hussain. You can read more in our full Batman - The Enemy Within Episode 1 review.

Other reviews have started to emerge, and we've collated some of them below. For a wider look at the game's critical reception, head over to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Telltale's Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 1 - The Enigma
• Developer / Publisher: Telltale Games
• Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC, mobile
• Release: August 8 (PS4/Xbox One/PC), later in 2017 (mobile)
• Price: US $25 / £25 / AU $45 (PS4/Xbox One), US $25 / £19 (PC). Prices apply to the season pass, incorporating five episodes in total.

GameSpot -- 8/10

"Without the need to retell the origin story and unburdened by that baggage, Season 2 of Telltale's Batman series has started strongly with a variety of well-realized new characters. There are a number of tough decision-making moments that will give the you pause and invite you to consider the impact your choices could have. While gameplay is not markedly different, combat is tweaked just enough to make it an improvement over its previous iteration. Overall, The Enigma is a successful opening chapter to a Batman story that's shaping up to be more ambitious than anything Telltale attempted in the first season." -- Tamoor Hussain [Full review]

IGN -- 8.2/10

"I wish I'd been given the chance to actually solve more of The Riddler's puzzles on my own--adventure games are traditionally all about that, after all--but the tension and drama that permeate The Enemy Within's first episode make it a winner. This strong start also leaves me very excited to see how John Doe's inevitable transformation into The Joker plays out, and morbidly fascinated to see what scars this version of Gotham City will leave behind on its inhabitants." -- Ryan McCaffrey [Full review]

VentureBeat -- 60/100

"The Enemy Within has some great action sequences, but it leans too much on the wider Batman universe as a crutch. It doesn't put in the effort to make you care about the characters or the situations, and because of that, none of the choices feel meaningful." -- Stephanie Chan [Full review]

God Is A Geek -- 9.0/10

"There's a great balance of puzzles, investigations, combat, and story progression. I wasn't bored for a second playing Episode 1 of The Enemy Within, and I'm really happy about the direction they've gone in. Telltale Games make fantastic adventures, but it's been a while since I've been blown away by them. This is just what the series needed if it's to be successful, and after an exciting reveal at the end, I can't wait to see what happens next." -- Chris White [Full review]