E.G. Review: Batman Arkham Asylum
Licensed IP’s have had a sordid history. Most games based on a movie, comic book, or other medium have a tendency to suffer from a deficiency in playability to put it politely. Why is it that a seamless transition from visual or literary media to interactive media seems impossible to accomplish? It’s a baffling mystery that has been unsolved throughout the lifespan of video gaming. That is until now thanks to Rock Steady.
To put it simply, Batman Arkham Asylum (BAA) is the establishment of truly competent, dare I say, even good licensed IP gaming. BAA truly captures the essence of the Dark Knight and translates it into interactive form expertly. The key to Rock Steady’s success is fidelity to the source material. As the moniker suggests, the Dark Knight is a warrior, defender that waits in the shadows. He is a detective, a smart hero, that relies mostly on stealth and cunning rather than brute strength. Of course, this doesn’t mean Batman can’t defend himself. The Man of the Shadows is master of martial arts and can take out even the biggest of thugs. However, it isn’t the thugs that are dangerous in Batman’s world. The canon of the Dark Knight is filled with the most psychotic, vile, evil beings from a two-faced, violent multiple personality to a fear-mongering, twisted scientist to a maniacal sociopath genius by the name of Joker.
Speaking of which, the BAA begins with the capture and return of Joker by the Dark Knight himself. However, things go awry once Joker escapes and hatches his well laid plan to take over the Asylum. Batman must explore the grounds of a recently-commandeered Arkham in order to stop the Joker and other familar, super-villain faces. BAA works very much like Metroid in the sense that you are equipped minimally but will gain access to more equipment later and also in that many areas within the asylum are accessible only once equipped properly.
As you explore the grounds, you will find two things: thugs and puzzles. The thugs are a great way to test your bat-fu or whatever Batman uses. BAA features a very intuitive battle system that relies heavily on parries and counters which makes sense for a crime fighter that likes to use his enemy’s strength against them. Pressing the “Y” or “Triangle” button at the right time will allow Batman to either counter or parry. From there, you can unleash some devastating combos. Although the counter/parry system is quite intuitive and well executed, it can’t save a beat ‘em up from it’s worse habit: being repetitive. The fights get a little dull after awhile. However, to its credit, BAA does allow you utilize your gadgets within the fight to spice things up a bit.
Thankfully, your encounters with the thugs are not all brawls. Batman will often find himself in scenarios where he must take out thugs one at a time to complete his mission. Stealth and cunning are necessary for these missions. You can hide on top of high-perched gargoyles, underneath floor grates, or other shadowy places to wait for the perfect moment to strike. BAA offers the opportunity for strategy and depth not seen in other titles starring a Snake and a Fisher.
As for the puzzles, the Riddler has scattered trophies and riddles across the island of Arkham. Once you solved a riddle or find a trophies, you unlock secret stages and game modes outside of the main campaign. The riddles are pretty interesting and worth finding to earn valuable experience points. Although you can earn experience points through combat, it is through the solving Riddler’s mysteries that you can earn the most points. These points allow you to upgrade your equipment and yourself. Upgrades include but not limited to multiple batarangs, combo throws, deadlier explosives, etc.
Visually speaking, BAA offers a very dark atmosphere in Arkham, beautifully bathed in full moonlight. Character modeling is superb and fluid despite a tad sluggishness for the Dark Knight himself (his bat suit must weigh a ton). What is most impressive would be the facial modeling of each major character. From the aging lines in Commissioner Gordon to the grizzled look of the Dark Knight to even the oddly-shaped, ghastly appearance of the Joker. Everyone looks stunning in their own way.
In fact, all the characters sound stunning as well. The voice acting is quite good in BAA and shows the dedication of each voice actor to the role. Most voices from the animated show have made a return including Hamill as Joker who, by the way, gives a truly funny and scary performance. As for Batman, the voice work is a little clumsy here and there, overall, it works quite well. All the characters are so visually and audibly stunning that you would wish to actually play as those characters. Thankfully, on the PS3, you can play as the Joker in Challenge Mode where you try to take out as many guards as possible using cunning and an array of interesting Joker gadgets. Why should Bats have all the fun?
Speaking of Challenge Mode is a nice way to add a little more life to the game once you finished. You can unlock different levels and modes by solving the Riddler’s games. You can test your fighting skills or your hunting skills in Challenge Mode and pit yourself against other players.
Although I would have liked a longer campaign, BAA offers a lot of game for the money. Every minute was entertaining thanks to terrific presentation and perfect pacing. There are flaws to note such as some sporadic screen tearing, sluggish Batman, invisible walls, repetitiveness, etc. but these are minors quips compared to how good the game is overall. The game offers many instances of true creativity and brilliance that most games today lack. A good example of this would be Scarecrow. Play the game and you’ll understand what I’m saying.
What’s important to note here is that Rock Steady understood the true essence of Batman and, as a result, was able to deliver a truly great Dark Knight experience. They understood that Batman was an intelligent crime stopper with a traumatic childhood that drives him to be an immovable object in the fight against an unstoppable force. They understand that Joker is completely maniacal, crazy, psychotic, and a genius all rolled into one person, chaos in a purple suit. Rock Steady decided to start with the true essence and build the game from that foundation. It’s a smart idea that earned them a truly fantastic gaming experience and the best licensed IP game to date. Congrats, Rock Steady. All the fans give you a bow of respect.
-jj
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