The Dark Knight Gets His Rightful Place in Interactive Entertainment
The game opens with a police radio announcement that Batman has apprehended the Joker and is on his way to deliver him to Arkham Asylum. Once Batman reaches Arkham with the Clown Prince, he's greeted by Commissioner Gordon and the asylum's staff. Batman's keen detective intuition senses that something's awry as he states, "He surrendered almost without a fight. I don't like it." After a lengthy escort down the main hall of Arkham, listening to the Joker's ill mannered sense of humor (avoiding spoilers), the Prince breaks free and laughs maniacally that his captors inadvertently walked into his trap, turning Arkham Asylum into his very own personal twisted doll house. The Dark Knight then stares ahead, knowing that this will be the longest night of his life. Being that Arkham Asylum incarcerated the biggest and baddest villains in Gotham City, Rocksteady made sure that the Asylum looked and felt like a mad house. Arkham is decorated with the insanity of its patients, but that's only scratching the surface. As players progress through the game, they'll discover and delve deeper into this surprisingly vast facility. Graphically, this game looks gorgeous. The architecture, inside and out of the asylum is remarkable. That said, the Botanical Gardens comes to mind, detailed and filled with lush greenery which is obviously home to Poison Ivy. Perhaps what impressed me the most from a visual stand point was the Dark Knight himself. From the mask, to the cape, to the gauntlets and the entire suit, the developer rendered Batman with fine detail. There couldn't have been a better representation. Over the course of the campaign, players will begin to see the damage inflicted upon him. By the end of the game, his cape is torn, there slash marks on his suit, his face will bleed, the big bat will look like he had fought through hell, and of course… triumphed. Batman isn't the only character modeled to perfection. Villains and other characters (excluding the common staff, thug and security) are treated with almost the same level of detail, especially Poison Ivy, who's quiet the looker. One of the finer points I noticed in the game is the difference between dead and unconscious victims. Trekking through Arkham, players will find many dead bodies and of course, since this is DC we're talking about, Batman will leave a trail of unconscious henchmen lying about. If you look closely at Batman's fallen foes, you'll notice them breathing as their chests raises and falls. To expand upon the lore, there are also unlockable character profiles and trophies attached with concept art, something fans will certainly enjoy. Just by looking at Arkham Asylum, it is clear that Rocksteady dedicated themselves to make the game look and feel like Batman as close as possible.
Getting the visuals on point was very important, but this wouldn't be Batman if the gameplay wasn't right on target, and Rocksteady nailed it. Here's where the developer exploited the dynamics of the Dark Knight's abilities. Gameplay is comprised of four different elements, Free-Flow Combat, Stealth, Detective Mode, and exploration. Future action titles should take from what Rocksteady implemented in Batman. Free flow trumps many lock-on systems used in most action games and allows Bruce to freely take on multiple enemies at once, ping-ponging from one to another. All it takes is a tap of the joystick in a direction, and Batman will automatically switch to another target; even in the middle of a combo. There are just a few basic actions available in combat, striking (of course), counter (this is vital in combat), stunning where Batman uses his cape to disorient enemies, dodging and quick Batarang. Other actions become available with progression. Depending on what abilities players have unlocked, the game will reward them with an unblockable finishing move, and the combo can continue on from there. Take on 20 enemies at once, and players can even rack up a 30 hit combo. Though the combat feels fantastic, it can be tweaked up a bit. Often times in the middle of chaining a combo, I've found myself accidentally interrupting it by swinging at nothing but air even though I aimed for an enemy. This gets frustrating for those getting the combo multiplier into the 20's or higher. It's a great idea to free players from being limited to one enemy at a time in Free Flow, but it would have been nice if there was some sort of indicator as to which enemy Batman's facing. This would be especially helpful with finishers. Each time I got one, I would try to take out the more powerful henchmen, but instead sometimes the game slings me towards the closest target. Also, the game could have done a better job of gravitating Batman towards enemies. The camera also could have used a slight improvement. Most of the brawls Batman will engage in will be against other foes that are armed with melee weapons. However, there will be quite a few times where he will have to face up against those armed with guns and boxes. Yes… boxes. In order to keep track of these projectile wielding enemies, players will have alter the camera a bit. Gunslingers tend to drift off screen and fire at you while your guard is down. Though, the real trouble makers are the obnoxious box throwers. It's a bit difficult to predict their attacks if you're not paying close attention to them, especially when you're engrossed in kicking the crap out of henchmen. Combat expands upon itself when facing larger enemies. Though these encounters don't happen that often (and I'm glad that decision was made or else it would have felt over-played), it definitely adds a thick layer of strategy, increasing in the already vast variety found in this title.
The Stealth mechanics in Arkhan Asylum are also well done. Throughout the facility, areas that are set up for stealth are usually set in large rooms with gargoyle statues lining the very top of the walls. In most cases, players are likely to remain perched up top while shifting they're vantage point by swinging from one gargoyle to the other with the grappling hook. Once an enemy becomes vulnerable, a "Glide Kick" indicator will appear above their head and Batman's free to swoop in for the takedown. Of course, a good stealth game would give multiple options to approach every situation. The more gadgets and abilities players unlock, the more opportunities they'll gain in any given situation. One of my favorites which becomes available pretty early in the game are vertical takedowns. This allows Batman to hang up-side-down from a gargoyle and once a thug passes under him, the Dark Knight will drop and string the enemy leaving them hanging from the structure. It's a quick, simple, yet very effective way to wither down the enemies numbers. But Batman is certainly not limited vulture like actions. He can also get up close and personal by sneaking up behind each enemy and taking them out quietly. Vents are also accessible to help bypass their patrols. Now don't go thinking that the word "henchmen" is interchangeable with idiot in Arkham Asylum. Once the enemy notices that one of their own have been taken out, they'll beef up their security and patrol the section more cautiously for a period of time. This includes coordinating with one another, and making their rounds in groups while watching each others' backs. Later on in the game, Joker will equip his men with Collars that will alarm shortly after one of them has been rendered unconscious. This obviously will alert all the others that you are among their presence. Possibly the best feeling about the stealth mechanics is the fear heard in the henchmen's voices knowing that they're being taken out one by one as the search frantically for you, just like we see in other forms of the franchise.
Rocksteady makes a nod to the Metroid series (Metroid Prime to be more specific) with Detective Mode. Switching to Detective Mode alters the color scheme of the environment almost like X Ray vision, revealing the status of enemies, creatures, the asylum's staff, the environment, and hidden clues to areas Batman can reach or make use of. Detective Mode becomes mandatory when following DNA trails of specific characters in the game. But what players will make the most use of this is in the final element, exploration. The Riddler isn't featured in the game as a Villain, but rather a sarcastic spectator as he mocks Batman in search for his riddles. Throughout the facility, the Riddler has hidden a number of trophies, maps, and clues. Much like the Metroid Prime series, players my come across each of these, though not yet able to reach them yet due to not having the right gadgets at that given time. Players can inject hours upon hours of playtime solving riddles and finding trophies. This transitions to what is perhaps my favorite element of the game. Every action Batman completes, whether it's finding trophies, solving riddles gaining access to new areas and of course, defeating enemies results with a reward of experience points. I myself am not much of a Trophy or an Achievement whore, and I rarely get interested in gathering every collectable in a game. This process gets seemingly monotonous and an often time there's little to no reward in doing so. Being that in Arkham Asylum, every action/collectable rewards you with experience point adds a new layer of gameplay for me. Not only that, but this also unlock levels in the game's Challenge Mode, which is an excellent addition that expands replayability providing players with a series of brawling and stealth challenges which then post their scores on the leader boards. This proves that Batman Arkham Asylum to be one of the most valued single player experiences to be released this year. So for players who are just like me, take note that here's a game that gives purpose in exploring and gathering extras.
Joker's character has always been a pair of hard shoes to fill. The maniacal clown expresses his insanity through his voice and body language. Who better to play the role of the Joker none other than Mark Hamill from the classic Batman: The Animated Series. Teamed together with Kevin Conroy whose unforgettable voice played Batman in the animated series, the two complement each other along with others well voiced characters such as Harley Quinn, Commissioner Gordon to name a few, in engrossing players in an experience that almost feels like another chapter in the Batman franchise. The voice work and scripting is exceptional in Arkham Asylum.
Anyone who doubts this game for a second should seriously reconsider. Batman: Arkham Asylum breaks the mold and stands out not only as the best superhero game of all time, but one of the best licensed. Rocksteady cut no corners in developing Batman. They set the standards high in both production value and gameplay making sure that they got most of the experienced voice actors in the series telling a completely original story without straying far from the franchise. The game's mechanic does a fantastic job in making players feel like the Dark Knight, giving him that image that he's always been represented as. Akrham Asylum is a void that sucks, and immerses you into the Batman universe.