Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum
Rocksteady have delivered a stellar title that raises the bar for other superhero games to reach. I’ve found myself in a bit of a pickle while writing this. After getting my hands on a copy of Arkham Asylum and finally getting the chance to sit down and really take it in, I found myself getting deeply immersed in the world of Batman. I think the reason why though was that this particular Batman adaptation doesn’t follow code: instead of going for a more realistic game filled with moral dilemmas and a personal E.Nigma to solve, what it does is give you a chance to play Batman as Bob Kane probably would have wanted you to, in a world that he would have been proud of. The level of polish in Arkham Asylum is truly fantastic, and it’s the attention to detail and creativity that really brings Arkham and the inhabitants inside it to life.
You are Batman, and your job is to escort the Joker into the depths of Arkham alongside the guards working inside. But the Joker has plans other than being incarcerated. The Joker, with the help of an “associate”, breaks free, and runs riot around Arkham, playing games with Batman. Batman’s invited to a party Joker is having on the island, but he’s not allowed to go to it on his own will. First, he must experience Arkham under Joker’s control, meeting the inmates that inhabit the island along the way. It’s like a reunion for fans of the comics: a large number of the characters from them feature in the game, but in a more animated, original form. Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Dr Crane, Harley Quinn, The Riddler, Oracle, Bane and Zsasz all feature, amongst others, and you meet these characters during your progress through the game, in many different ways. One particular highlight in the game is your encounters with Dr Crane, and these scenes are far and away the best part of a mostly consistent game.
Finishers are satisfying. Batman's a badass.
The gameplay mechanic relies more on stealth than action, but when necessary, the fighting system is decent enough to not feel tacky or thrown in. When up against enemies, you have a range of moves in combat, ranging from punches and kicks, to countering and disarming, and when you finish off the last enemy in a group of them, slow motion kicks in for the finisher, giving you an extra sense of satisfaction. The stealth system is where the game shines though, as you can use many different forms of stealth play to take out your opponents.
You can clear an entire room of enemies without any of them knowing you were there. It’s an innovative, intuitive system, that works in conjunction with your environment, enabling you to take out enemies around you in the way that you see fit. When playing stealth, Batman has a “detective mode” installed in his cowl, allowing him to scan areas around him for enemies, clues & other items that can help progress through the game. This detective mode doesn’t feel cheap though. It’s not like the VATS system in Fallout 3 either: there are times when you have to use it, but for the most part, it doesn’t need to be used, but it’s fun to use and can be very useful in certan scenarios.
In general, the game plays very smoothly, the control system having no faults, and the environment becoming both the Joker and your playground, as you traverse the asylum in the way that you see fit. There’s a real sense of freedom within confinement: there is a storyline you need to follow, and the Joker is in control of the area around you, but it’s not linear a lot of the time. You can choose how you play the game at times.
Detective mode is useful for surveying your surroundings and choosing the best form of attack.
And this sense of exploration is enhanced with a very simple but effective upgrade system. As you beat enemies, you gain experience, and when completing riddles too, your experience is boosted. These experience points go towards upgrading Batman’s abilities, giving him new powers and upgraded armor, which can help you gain access to new areas and new riddles.
While you play through the game, not only the Joker, but the Riddler talk to you, berating you and teasing you. The Riddler will question you throughout, throwing riddles and clues at you as you progress, while the Joker talks to you via televisions and the intercoms, trying to effect you psychologically. When you’re in a room and you have to take out the enemies in a room, he will scare the guards, tell them what to do, tries to put fear in everyone. It’s one big game to him, and his sick twisted nature is portrayed excellently throughout, his real intentions being dark and dangerous, but his mannerism and approach far more perserve. Much like Heath Ledger’s portrayal of Joker in Dark Knight, you get a real sense of maniacal lunacy from Mark Hamill’s portrayal in Arkham Asylum.
Graphically, the game is very impressive. The game is all set at night, which helps build up the atmosphere. Batman's in his element.
Throughout the game, there is very little to fault. The ending is a slight disappointment to an otherwise consistently good story, and once you’ve completed the game, when you return back to the game afterwards, all the enemies are gone save for a couple of inmates, meaning that all combat is gone. The continuation is to find riddles, yes, but when I finished, I’d upgraded my attacking moves more than my environmental aids, meaning that they were gone to waste. Also, after a while, the fighting becomes a little monotonous, and when tons of enemies start swarming you later on, you end up reverting to some button bashing.
These faults aren’t particularly detracting, though. They are a little frustrating, particularly the lacklustre ending, but overall, the game is very solid, and very enjoyable. The longevity of the game is great, replayability high and challenge modes adding to the lasting factor. It’s a single player only, but it’s one of the few single player titles I’d be happy to pay retail for, because it would be it’s money’s worth. And with free DLC additions, you can’t go wrong there. Arkham Asylum isn’t just another game in a series of quite frankly average superhero titles: it’s far more than that.
Overall Impressions:
Rocksteady have clearly poured their heart and souls into the development of this game, not only creating Batman in the image that he perhaps should have, but also working solidly to almost pay homage to the comics that brought Batman to life, by creating not only Batman himself, but the characters in the world of Gotham and the landscape around them, in a style that suits the Batman from the comics.
Every character that features isn’t meant to be like real life, there’s no need for character modelling from real life people. What Rocksteady have done is make a game that feels like a full-on Batman game, with a gritty, deeply immersive atmosphere that pays tribute to what Batman once was.
Rating: 
This looks very solid (though not nearly as solid as Batman’s ridiculous muscles). I’d like Rocksteady to use the foundations of this game and incorporate them into a GTA style city. Much like what was done in the old Spider Man 2 game, where you could either free roam around stop muggings, save little girls balloons etc. As well as play through the story.