Batman: Arkham Asylum Review
I am not a Batman fan. I don’t read the comics or watch the cartoon and I am not obsessed with the films. That being said, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a masterpiece that seamlessly integrates all of Batman’s skills into a tight package that nearly sustains its brilliance all the way to the end.
This is not to say it’s without flaws, but if you’re looking for a solid single player story that mixes action, stealth and simple puzzle mechanics, you won’t go wrong with this game.
The game centers around one night in Arkham Asylum. The Joker has taken control of the facility and Batman’s the only man who can stop him.
What Went Right
Combat: Batman likes to beat the hell out of people. Fortunately, the combat in Arkham Asylum doesn’t disappoint. During fights, you are required to time strikes, stuns, dodges and counters while fending off groups of thugs who are increasingly well armed with knives, stun rods and guns. While the fighting is simple, the animation is so fluid and convincing that I craved larger groups of opponents that allowed me to execute elaborate combos. Batman feels both powerful and agile, just as one would expect and even given the relatively limited number of moves, it never got old.
Hey Batman, I'm a huge fan, can I get your autogra - OH GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Stealth: The stealth sequences are not quite like any other game. While you don’t want the enemies to see you, you do want them to know you’re there. By systematically reducing their numbers, they become increasingly panicked, especially when The Joker sneers at their incompetence over the PA system. Batman has ‘Detective Vision’ that allows him to see enemy heat signatures through walls. This allows him to stay one step ahead of the thugs. While you must be careful of enemies with guns, it’s a fun challenge to sneak up behind a lone guard, silently knock him out and swing back up to the rafters or into a ventilation shaft without being noticed as you watch the remaining enemies grow increasingly agitated. They know Batman is out there, and they’re pretty sure they’re screwed.
I can see your bits and pieces! This one's going on the Bat-Cam
Presentation: Most of the voice acting is just ok, but Mark Hamill really stands out as the Joker. He is playful and sinister, but never feels too campy or over the top (for the Joker). Batman looks convincing and his increasingly worn and weary demeanor and appearance over the course of the night gives you the impression that he isn’t invulnerable. The environments on Arkham are varied and always interesting, and everything is well polished.
Gadgets: Batman has his usual collection of ziplines, scanners and good old batarangs, but he adds detective tools to his arsenal such as tracking analysis devices where he can trace people based on their fingerprints or alcoholic breath etc. He also hacks door panels and uses explosive gel to destroy walls (and if you’re good, crush enemies with the rubble). It’s not all strictly beat-em-up as Batman also finesses some situations.
What were they thinking?
Detective Mode: I don’t want to say that the detective vision was a bad idea, or that it didn’t create some fun game situations, because it certainly did. The problem was I wanted to be in Detective Mode almost the entire time as it’s hugely advantageous to know where every enemy is. This reduces the world to a faded blue with red skeletons for enemies, and completely ruins the incredible visuals the game otherwise possesses. I found myself turning it off just to look around once in a while. You’d think they could just have given you the advantages of the mode without all visual streamlining.
Boss Fights: There are some fun moments, such as climbing onto the back of lumbering mini bosses while they flail around striking the other thugs attacking you, but for the most part Arkham Asylum loses its charm when you’re facing a single enemy. Most of the boss fights devolve into simple pattern recognition and it’s not nearly as fun or fluid as the regular combat.
And for my greatest joke of all: the boss fights in this game!
Extras: I know lots of people like the Metroidvania island layout, and collecting every hidden Riddler trophy adds replayability, but I found it contrived. Other than Riddler puzzles where you need to line up a specific photograph according to a riddle, most of the trophies boiled down to exploring every corner of every room mindlessly. In addition, the challenge rooms where you must complete a task from the game in the lowest time possible just didn’t have the same appeal when there was nothing on the line. It’s the story of this game that drives it forward.
Verdict
Batman: Arkham Asylum is an excellent game that is more than worth its price tag, and the negatives are minor at best. The stealth segments of this game alone are worth the price of admission, and I’m not even a traditional stealth game fan. The enemies feel smart, but as Batman you’re given the tools to outmaneuver them as long as you’re sensible about it and the game never devolves into a formulaic beat-em-up.
Best of all, this is a game that doesn’t take its license and preinstalled base for granted. Although there are brief missteps, it continues to innovate until the end.
