Delayed Reactions – Batman: Arkham Asylum
It seems that every time a movie or comic based game gets released, it’s assumed to be crap. I say this because every recent movie or comic-based game has been crap (or at the very least, poorly received. Think Watchmen, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, etc.) I even enjoyed Spiderman: Web of Shadows, but certainly not enough to sway my involuntary prejudice that adaptations are guaranteed to be crap. Once in a while, a competent studio comes along and provides me with hope that the tides may change. I’m talking about Batman: Arkham Asylum by Rocksteady Studios, a game that defines how comic book inspired games should be made.
I gain control of Batman during the title sequence and already it’s clear to me that the game has a mood and personality to it that would rival all other games I’ve played (think Bioshock). The scenery and lighting is dark and moody, the character models are clean and crisp, and the characters are reactive and entertaining. Its voice-acting cast is an notable guilty pleasure, consisting of “Batman Animated Series” stalwarts like Kevin Conroy (Batman), Mark Hamill (Joker), and Arleen Sorkin (Harley Quinn).
- Yeah, these guys don’t like eachother
Batman leads the Joker through the halls of Arkham Asylum suspicious of what the Joker has planned. He’s hiding something. In truth, Harley Quinn has already taken over the security office and the real fun is about to begin. As the Joker breaks free I am thrown into my first taste of combat. Consider it guilty pleasure #2. Oh how sweet it is. Batman can perform strikes and counter attacks, bouncing from enemy to enemy with great power and ease. The controls quickly become second nature. As I play on and unlock new moves, I realize how deep the fighting strategies can actually become. This is especially evident in the Challenge Maps where I found that the key to successfully performing combos is remaining aware and pacing my strikes. I’ve never seen a game provide such easy and simple controls, yet leave me broken and crying, trying to master the tactical edge of ‘the Bat’. I loved every sob-inducing minute of it.
I assume you’re saying to yourself “The combat is that good, eh? Well, they probably over use it then!” Not at all sir (or madam). The visceral combat is offset by stealth sequences that don’t get bogged down by complicated mechanisms or controls (a la Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell). Batman can traverse the environment with the grappling hook and get close to the enemies speedily all without triggering a single alarm. I found myself able to knock an enemy out on one side of the map, cross the full length of the map in mere seconds, and take out several stragglers before their fellow inmates came rushing over. And just like with any good stealth game, every encounter has multiple ways of being carried out (some more successful than others). It’s very satisfying to yank the solid rock floor out from under an enemy, grapple to the ledge above, wait for the other inmates to gather, then use the bat claw to yank them all over the railing. I’ve never experienced so much freedom of movement in a stealth game and I have to say, I don’t think I want to go back to anything else.
Good help is hard to find!
But to focus only on the confrontations would not be giving the game, or its developers, due credit. Some may question Rocksteady’s concept to limit the game to the secluded Arkham Asylum, especially with the trend in modern gaming to release nothing but sandbox style games, but I assure you, they knew what they were doing. It’s clear they really took the time to learn about the Batman universe and the significance of the Asylum. Because of this, they were able to breathe great depth into an otherwise simple story and its setting, leaving the player feeling like a very small part of a much larger picture. If they had attempted to put this level of craft and depth into the whole city of Gotham, the game would be longer than all next gen superhero games combined. The Asylum becomes an unsettling den of broken sanity, perfectly embracing the mood of the story which not only tests Batman’s resolve, but the player’s as well. The game reaches passed Batman at times to attempt to upset and disturb the player them self in very satisfying and appropriate ways (much like Eternal Darkness did). I will not spoil this for you, but I loved every minute of it.
As for shortcomings, I can only think of one: Detective mode. I can’t help but have mixed feelings about this feature. To its credit, this is the first Batman game that I’ve seen which actually acknowledges and incorporates the fact that Batman is the world’s greatest detective, aside from the gadgets and cowl. But the “all-seeing-blue-eye” approach has its downsides. Upon pressing the button, all hidden items and passages are highlighted with a maroon filter, all enemies become visible through walls, and if Batman picks up any fingerprints or someone’s fragrance in the air, he is able to track it. It makes for very focused gamely, creating an almost love/hate relationship for the player. I want to see the world, but I need to use this device. At times, though, its effectiveness is without question. While tracking one of the missing scientists, I could almost sense her uncontrollable panic lining the hallway, her fight-or-flight reflexes indicated by the placement of fingerprints on both the walls and railings (far from graceful).
My problem with the mode is simple: due to my whore-like exploratory tendencies, I kept the Detective Mode on all the time. In order to make completely effective use of the mode, it needs to be kept on all the time. I kept the mode on so much that I started to feel bad that I was missing out on the beautiful, carefully crafted moody graphics in favor of this awkward and unflattering blue filter mode. Because of this, I would force myself to turn the mode off only to be shot through the face by an inmate sniper I didn’t notice seconds later. If you don’t think about ambushes and object hunting as much I do though, this probably won’t be as big of an issue for you.
Sexy and scary at the same time!
Before I conclude, I must mention one man who, although you never see, leaves an indelible mark on the player’s experience: The Riddler. Edward Nigma himself. In and attempt to prove his mental superiority over that of the caped crusader, Riddler has placed 240 different challenges all over Arkham for Batman to solve. Though the game resembles ‘open-world’, it is actually closer to a distant Super Metroid cousin in that Batman cannot access all areas at the start. As you progress, the Detective Mode reveals where the destructible walls, enemy placements, and invisible markings are. In time, it becomes apparent that these areas hide secrets E.Nigma has placed for you to find.
Now, I must admit: I haven’t read the comics. The majority of my involvement with Batman comes from having watched the ‘Animated Series’ or the movies. But ‘Batman’ has already taken this into account. Each time I discovered one of Riddler’s mindbenders I unlocked character bios or Arkham patient interviews from characters spanning the entirety of the Batman universe. Along with these were the memoirs of Amadeus Arkham scattered all over the map which depicted the founder’s transition from an idealistic man of justice to a patient of in his own mental ward. The attention to canon and detail really reminded me just how vast and deep the cast of characters is in the Batman universe, beyond the game itself, and subsequently made the game feel much larger than any combination of game-y conventions ever could.
If nothing else, this game really captures the essence of Batman. It acknowledges the fact he’s the world’s greatest detective, an incredible fighter, and a stealthy fearful foe and melds it together in a way that no other Batman game has done before. In addition, Arkham Asylum is a fully fleshed out supporting character, vital to conveying both the plot and the gameply. But best of all, the game is fun. Really fun. Zipping across the room on the grappling hook, bouncing between enemies, performing combos, the mind games the story plays with you, solving the Riddler’s riddles; everything in the game works together to provide the player with an experience that is not based on repetitive action, but rather a collection of various legs which evenly support a fun play experience. This is definitely something to check out if you’re a fan of action/adventure games, and a must play if you’re a Batman fan.
‘Boris’
Pros:
Numerous unexpected moments of wow.
Easy to learn, difficult to master combat system.
Great graphics.
Great acting.
Well paced story.
Gained abilities allow variety when revisiting old areas.
Innovation provides variety in gameplay outside its core mechanics.
Reminds the player of the sheer size of the Batman universe through character bios.
Plenty of extras to find and unlock.
Cons:
Minor camera placement issues.
Effective use of Detective mode requires that it be used all the time *only effects people with a burning need to explore everywhere the first time through.*
No manual save.
For people who like:
Comic Book Games, Tenchu, Metal Gear Solid 2, Beat ‘em up Brawlers, Metroid Corruption
Check out the Gamecrashers Podcast – Episode 14 for more opinions and discussions on Batman: Arkham Asylum.
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