Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 5 Review - Why So Serious?

Published: April 16, 2018 1:00 PM /

Reviewed By:


batman the enemy within same stitch episode five review header

The last episode of Batman: The Enemy Within ended with John Doe making an important choice. Either he took after Harley Quinn's teachings and became a villain, or he took after Batman and became a vigilante. Either way, John Doe officially becomes the Joker. Same Stitch deals with this, having all of Batman's choices come together and wrap the story up. Does this climactic finale manage to impress, or are we finishing up another Batman series on a low note?

Taking place two weeks after What Ails You, Same Stitch sees John Doe finally emerge from hiding as the Joker. No matter how Joker feels, Batman needs to prevent him from carrying out his twisted plans. Naturally, The Agency insists on assisting or hindering Batman depending on how much he wants to do things their way. Harley Quinn and Bane are both more than happy to seek revenge on Batman for taking out The Pact. Just to make things slightly more complicated, Alfred insists on giving Batman a new partner.

batman the enemy within episode 5 review harley
The moral choices!

Depending on your choices, a good chunk of the episode is going to play out differently depending on if Batman is dealing with criminal or vigilante Joker. The vigilante version is the more interesting one, giving one hell of a unique twist on the character. The relationship between Batman and the Joker is center to a lot of the game, and it's handled with such care and in such a unique way that Telltale really seems to have breathed new life into a decades-old mythology. Watching how their drama plays out and eventually ends has been one of the most unique Batman tales I've seen told.

I have many good things to say about how Same Stitch wraps up Batman: The Enemy Within. However, there was one plot twist that I found rather awkward. Since the end of the first episode, one major question has always been "who killed the Riddler?" Over the past few episodes, the mystery has sort of tapered out as it ended up not really being that important in the grand scheme of things. Same Stitch suddenly, and kind of awkwardly, attempts to force this plot point back into the spotlight.

It doesn't really work. While it doesn't bring down the episode too far, I do wish a bit more effort was spent on this one. It's especially awkward when later we learn Batman could have solved this mystery at any point just by zooming in on a picture he already had, and he just never did so. It makes him look less like world's greatest detective and more like world's biggest dummy.

batman the enemy within episode 5 review combat
The... moral choices?

Of course, Batman is going to be spending a lot of time in fights this time around. Some absolutely excellent battles with Bane, Harley, and Joker all made this episode one visual treat. Seeing Batman and Joker team up to bring down an overpowered Bane is a fantastic moment of teamwork. Later they have a Batarang throwing fight, knocking each other's tools out from the air with pinpoint accuracy. I took a particular liking to the final encounter, seeing Batman and Joker fight in front of a wall of Bruce Wayne memorabilia, Joker's weird shrine to his beloved friend.

Of course, none of this drama would work if it wasn't for the genuinely talented voice actors in the game. The performances given in Same Stitch are top of the line, and each actor really got me into the scene. I know I've been praising him pretty consistently now, but I really can't get over Anthony Ingruber. Every performance in the game is great, but Anthony puts such a unique spin on Joker. It feels like he rivals greats like Mark Hamil and Heath Ledger in quality. I would absolutely love to see him get future work for the character.

batman the enemy within episode 5 review injured
This isn't moral at all!

So we've hit the end of Batman: The Enemy Within. Without any major technical issues, Same Stitch is free to wrap the game up in a way that kept me attached the whole time. I've come to love Telltale's version of Batman, and how this season has managed to be such an improvement. Ending the season on such a high note really set in stone that we may have witnessed Telltale's best episodic story yet.

Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 5: Same Stitch was reviewed on PlayStation 4 using a copy provided by the developers. The game is also available on Xbox One, PC via Steam and GOG, and mobile devices.

Review Summary

9.0

Wrapping up Batman: The Enemy Within on a high note, Same Stitch provides one of the most fascinating versions of Joker along with some real eye-catching fights.

(Review Policy)

Pros

  • Wraps Up the Story Well
  • Joker is Fascinating
  • Fantastic Fight Scenes
  • Great Voice Acting

Cons

  • One Twist Feels Awkward and Shoehorned

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Samuel Guglielmo TechRaptor
| Reviews Editor

I'm Sam. I have been playing video games since my parents brought home a PlayStation whenever that came out. Started writing for TechRaptor for 2016 and,… More about Samuel

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Batman: The Enemy Within
Developer
Telltale Games
Publisher
Telltale Games
Release Date
August 8, 2017 (Calendar)
Genre
Adventure
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