Review – Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC, PS3, X360)

The Joker has given you and four other goons the job of patrolling one of the cell blocks of Arkham Asylum, to ensure that Batman doesn’t interfere with his insane plans. Similar patrols have already disappeared this evening, but with yourself and four others, all well armed, there’s no way that Batman will make it through here, right? But with a quick glance around the room, you only count three others. What happened to that bloke up on the catwalk? Two of the others notice as well and proceed to investigate, asking you to stay put and guard the door. A scream erupts from the other end of the cell block, then silence. Was that the third man? The two on the catwalk split up to investigate, and you begin to feel your heart rate rising. He’s here, you know he’s here, but where? Two metallic objects sparkle in the dim light as they soar through the air, striking your two remaining comrades in the head. You panic, turn for the door, and all you see is darkness.

That’s how you would feel if you were playing as one of The Joker’s henchmen in developer Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum. Thankfully, you won’t be, as it would prove to be a very frustrating and fruitless experience. Instead, of course, you assume the role of Batman, the world’s greatest detective, and the worst nightmare of petty criminals everywhere. Though it’s not just petty criminals that you’ll encounter in Arkham Asylum, as the institution from which the game derives its name is home to the most colourful characters in all of the Caped Crusader’s rogues gallery, including The Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, The Riddler, and Bane.

The game begins with Batman escorting The Joker back to Arkham after a wild night on the town with the crazy clown. Everything seems to be going smoothly when The Joker springs a trap, with the help of the always amusing Harley Quinn, throwing Arkham Asylum into utter chaos and locking both Batman and Commissioner Gordon inside. As the rest of the game unfolds, Batman must pursue The Joker and uncover the truth behind his secret plans, all the while rescuing the innocent civilians caught inside, doing battle with Arkham’s other insane inhabitants, and engaging in a little detective work.

The gameplay in Arkham Asylum does a fantastic job of showcasing the many facets of Batman’s character. From his proficiency with hand-to-hand combat, his knack for stealth, his ability to investigate the scene of a crime and make brilliant deductions, and his collection of wonderful toys, Rocksteady definitely did their homework and made sure that all the bases were covered. The hand-to-hand combat is quite simple in design, using one button to attack and another to counter incoming attacks, but manages to be very fun in its execution. Hitting the attack button repeatedly will result in Batman unleashing canned combos on his enemies, and perfectly timed button presses will lead to critical hits, which deal more damage and often result in a knockout. Pressing the counter button when an opponent is about to attack you, which is indicated by a pair of lightning bolts appearing over their head, will see Batman perform a punishing counter attack on his assailant, regardless of where they are attacking him from. This means that Batman could perform a combo on a thug in front of him, and interrupt it instantly to counter a foe attacking from the rear. It can be very easy to feel like a total badass with such tools at your disposal, and the hand-to-hand combat is just the beginning.

Arkham Asylum wouldn’t be a Batman game if it didn’t provide access to the Dark Knight’s expansive arsenal of gadgets and gizmos. Players will have access to several of Batman’s famous gadgets, such as the Batarangs and the Batclaw, as they navigate the corridors of Arkham, and many of them have multiple applications. The Batarangs, for instance, can be thrown at unsuspecting enemies to score a knockout, thrown at enemies during hand-to-hand combat to stun them momentarily, or at switches and panels out of Batman’s reach in order to interact with them. As players progress through the game by defeating bad guys and completing objectives, they’ll earn experience points that can be used to purchase upgrades for these items. Upgrades include Sonic Batarangs that emit a noise that will lure enemies to a desired location or the ability to throw up to three targeted Batarangs at once, and the player can choose the upgrades that best serve their style of play. Furthermore, as Batman reaches certain areas in the game, new gadgets will be unlocked, allowing him to interact with enemies and his environment in a whole new way. Obtaining these new items also gives players the opportunity to navigate previously explored sections of the asylum in new and exciting ways.

However, the coolest of Batman’s toys is available right from the get-go: the cowl. His cowl is equipped with a multitude of lenses that allow Batman to view his surroundings through a variety of spectrum filters. Whenever players desire, they may enter Batman’s Detective Mode, which through the use of these lenses, Batman is able to see clearly in the dark, look through walls using x-ray technology, monitor an individual’s heart rate, spot structural weaknesses in the environment, and more. Detective Mode offers a great deal of useful information and can be very empowering, and when used to clear a room of five goons without breaking a sweat, almost feels like cheating. In fact, Detective Mode is so useful that there’s little reason to ever turn it off, save for the sometimes overwhelming blue hues, but is too much of a good thing really that bad?

Batman also uses the lenses in his cowl to perform detective work. Like the combat, the detective gameplay is quite simple, but unfortunately not quite as fun. Throughout the game, players will be prompted to enter Detective Mode in order to examine an area for a clue. This typically means navigating the area or room until Batman spots the evidence that he’s looking for, which will lead to a trail of some kind, left by DNA or tobacco, for instance, that Batman must follow. It breaks up the standard exploration gameplay to a degree, but it’s not very engaging or challenging due to the trails themselves being very obvious to spot and follow. However, the detective gameplay is a welcome addition regardless, because a Batman game without some manner of detective work wouldn’t fully capture the essence of the character.

When looking for clues throughout Arkham, Batman will occasionally stumble across a clue of a different nature: one left by The Riddler. Knowing that his favourite intellectual counterpart would be spending the night at his place of residence, The Riddler arranged several puzzles throughout the asylum for Batman to solve. These puzzles appear in three forms: Riddler Trophies, which resemble a green question mark on a golden base, that are hidden in hard-to-reach areas of Arkham, riddles that describe a specific item in the area that Batman must look at and scan in order to solve, and painted question marks that can only be seen in Detective Mode (another reason to keep it on) when viewed at specific angles. These Riddler Challenges are entirely optional, but offer valuable experience points whenever completed. Furthermore, they give players ample reason to revisit previously explored areas with new gadgets, and the sheer number of Riddler Challenges adds quite a lot of longevity to the game.

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