Batman Arkham Asylum
Few mediums can produce such worldwide icons like comic books can. Certain characters transcend the genre and its uncouth reputation and become entrenched in our brains. Batman is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, faces in comics, movies and television. His origin story, his dedication, and his heroism is legendary even to people that have never picked up a comic book. After the cinematic horror shows we experienced under Joel Schumacher and equally horrible video game adaptations spawning every system in the past twenty years, it seemed Batman was going to remain comic fodder forever. Thankfully, due to the success of the Christopher Nolen Batman movies, we saw what the character had to offer us if taken seriously. In the wake of all of that, Rocksteady, together with Eidos, stepped in to show us that they could do for video games what Nolen did for cinema. Batman: Arkham Asylum is without a doubt the best licensed video game we have seen.
The buzz surrounding Arkham has been brewing for years. When they were able to nab the creative team from the highly rated and universally regarded Batman: The Animated Series people began to pay attention. Add to that the voice talents of series stalwarts Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Mark Hamil (The Joker), and the chances of finally having the game that would do the legend justice became better and better. This third-person action game combines a highly conceptualized stealth system with a brand new, “free flow” combat system that creates a game that not only immerses you in Batman’s world, but tells a story directly out of the Batman canon.
The story begins just as many Batman stories have, with an apprehended Joker being sped towards his home away from home on Arkham Island. The story slowly unfolds in front of you as you escort the subdued Joker (tied up on a plank much like Hannibal Lector) through the entrance of Arkham. Pieces and clues are laid out in front of you, a fire at Blackgate prison that forces inmate relocation, the warden’s mayoral ambitions, and the introduction of a few new characters. The game instantly puts you in the role of detective and allows you to fit what you hear together on your own. Very soon after, all hell breaks loose and you are set on your own into the pits of Arkham.The plot of the game seems to flow right out of the animated series, and the vocal talents make you feel that you’re acting out an episode of the show rather than playing the game, a feeling that actually adds to the experience instead of hindering it. What really sets Arkham Asylum apart from every other Batman inception is the role of The Dark Knight. Batman has never been a brawler. He is certainly an accomplished martial artist, but he never put himself in the midst of battle simply because he is not invincible. He has always relied on stealth and intellect to win, and Rocksteady has designed this Batman to be exactly that. Going in against a group of gun toting lunatics is as suicidal for Batman as it would be for anyone. Instead of just mindlessly attacking, you get to sneak up on opponents and silently take them out, or drop down from on high and string them up. You have to depend on finding your own way to weave in and out of villains unnoticed to succeed. There are countless passages to crawl through, ledges to ascend, gargoyles to swing from , towers to climb up, and obstacles to glide over that allow you to be as careful and calculating as you feel Batman would be. Once you are comfortable moving within the confines of the asylum, it literally becomes the ultimate weapon against The Joker and his minions.
Of course, no Batman game would be complete without gadgets. You begin the story with your grapple gun and batarangs, and as you progress you find more toys like explosive gel, a cryptography gun, a line launcher and the batclaw, as well as upgrades on equipment earned through experience points while fighting and exploring the grounds. Many of the areas and secrets you’ll find throughout the game are inaccessible until you’ve earned a certain item later on, making the return trips through parts of the asylum seem fresh. Since the island gives you a limited area with which to work, that small addition goes a long way in preventing the game from becoming repetitious. The greatest gadget in Arkham however is the detective vision. The detective vision allows you to act out the part of Batman the detective and solve riddles and puzzles exactly like Batman would. You can search out enemies to plan attacks, find hidden areas and track down friend and foe alike with the flip of a switch. It may seem tempting to play through the entire game in detective mode, but Rocksteady designed every piece of Arkham seemingly with that thought in mind. You are forced to use both perspectives to make it through every area, forcing you to decide which will serve you best in the blink of an eye. This is just one more example of how you are forced to think like Batman instead of a spectator in order to survive.
On top of all the great gameplay mechanics, Arkham Asylum looks fantastic. This is the rare game where the gameplay models look better than the cutscenes. Every character is spectacularly detailed and rendered flawlessly; Batman’s costume even begins to show wear and tear, becoming more ragged as the game progresses. The atmosphere of Arkham remains eerie and dark throughout without losing any of the artistic detail. Every blood stain, every piece of lunatic writing and every “trophy” the serial killers take is clear and detailed, reminding you just what sort of people you are dealing with. The battles with the Scarecrow are often breathtaking as well, if not a little bizarre. The only flaw is in the half rendered cutscenes where whole blocks of set are grayed out. Fortunately you spend far more time in-game.
Every piece of Batman: Arkham Asylum feels like a triumph. This is a Batman game that caters to fans, adding in cells with markings from every villain from Calendar Man to Prometheus of JLA fame, as well as being broad enough to please any individual with a casual interest. Add to that the 240 “Riddler Clues” peppered throughout Arkham, interview tapes with the inmates (many of them are authentically chilling), and tapes from the founder of Arkham documenting his decent into madness and the replay value is unquestionable. The combat and stealth mechanics are flawless, the setting and character design is lovingly detailed and planned out, and the story and acting are straight out of the best Batman lore. We have finally been treated to a comic game that is true to every aspect of both genres. Not only is Batman: Arkham Asylum the best licensed game we’ve had the pleasure of playing, it is far and away the best game of 2009 so far. It is very seldom that a game makes you feel like you are truly in it as opposed to simply playing it. Arkham Asylum will not only feel like salvation for comic fans who have waited for an authentic game for decades, but it is a game that is innovative in many ways without being at all rough. Aside from the occasional hackneyed phrases in the dialogue – it is a comic book after all – Batman: Arkham Asylum feels like a masterpiece.
- Adam Greene
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