Batman: Arkham Asylum is the stealth action-adventure title from Eidos Interactive and uses the Unreal Engine 3.5. The over-the-shoulder third person game is based around the rich history of the Batman universe and was released in late August this year. If you haven’t seen any of the Batman movies or followed the Batman cartoon series or even if you haven’t played any of the games based on Batman, then Batman: Arkham Asylum is the title which will get you hooked onto the ‘Holy Awesome World of Batman!’.
The entire game takes place on Arkham Island, Gotham’s island prison reserved for the craziest criminals out there. The game starts off as Batman brings in a Joker who has been captured much too easily and without offering much of a fight, which is cause for concern for the Dark Knight. He stays back to personally see The Joker shackled and thrown into a cell. But the Joker has other plans. He frees himself and all the madness is unleashed. Players control Batman as he makes his way through the perilous traps of the Joker, and beyond the silly musings of The Riddler.
When it comes to environments in the game, the developer really hasn’t put a single foot wrong. The environments convey the state of the power in the hands of Batman’s enemies, changing much through the course of the game. The influence of Killer Croc, Poison Ivy’s plants and even the Dark Knight himself, is clearly visible on the environments. One huge island divided into three main sections, each with its own buildings, structures and tunnels, is brought to life by the development team beautifully. Every little detail of every part of every area is absolutely stunningly done, and every minor detail can be noticed, and should be noticed. Heck, that’s what it’s there for! And in some cases is essential to catch your eye, if you want to solve The Riddler’s puzzles. Environments receive a more than healthy 10 out of 10.
Game graphics so easily pop out of the screen that you begin to wonder why there aren’t more games like this. The graphics of Batman: Arkham Asylum are simply stunning to say the least, and the loony Arkham world is rendered to perfection. Smooth, clean, fluid graphics, coupled with little or no loading times is always good to see in a game. And Batman: Arkham Asylum has exactly that! Graphics are so fine that you can even zoom in to see minor details such as the name of a villain carved on a plaque, or the floating debris in a jar full of liquid. The graphics in the game score a 9.7 on ten.
The gameplay in Arkham Asylum is extremely thorough. You can’t just go all guns blazing (not that Batman uses guns) and expect to take out most of your adversaries like in many other games out there today. Careful planning, strategy and stealth tactics still don’t fully cover the gameplay in Batman: Arkham Asylum. There is so much more. Punches blindly thrown, count against the player and act as a combo breaker. Stringing a few hits together, interspersed with well-timed counters and stun attacks to tackle and take down the waves of criminal henchmen is exactly what you need to do. Just amazing! The Riddler keeps popping up on Batman’s radio every now and then to throw down challenges and taunt the Dark Knight. The gameplay thoroughly deserves its 9.8 rating out of 10.
The game has an interesting enough story mode, which sees the Joker set up one big, elaborate trap to ultimately defame the Dark Knight in the eyes of the citizens of Gotham City. And Batman knowingly, willingly and gladly jumps into the trap laid by him. He has the burning desire to stop evil forces, in all of its Gotham forms. Within the story mode is embedded another ‘Hi diddle diddle’ and ‘Holy Riddle Batman’ mode. The Riddler has hidden many of his trophies around the asylum and the island for the world’s best detective to find. The Riddler also poses a riddle in each part of the island for Batman to solve.
And Batman’s detective mode is an impressive way of viewing the world around him. When he switches to this mode, clues become more visible and enemies and their heart rates and states of mind, stand out from the background, making it easy for the Bat to pick them off, one by one, using his stealth techniques. The Riddler’s question marks painted on walls, ceilings and floors are only visible in this mode, and by keenly scanning them, Batman can tick off the riddling villain. Finding The Riddler’s Secrets Maps shows you the location of the various Riddler trophies, riddles and Arkham Chronicles around the island.
The challenge mode, a separate mode altogether, has Batman completing hand to hand combat fighting tasks or stealth take downs against the clock. Players must string combos together to attain a higher score. And goons attacking must be blocked and countered before they inflict damage to Batman. Bonus points are earned for not taking a single hit in a round, and even for defeating all the thugs in one large sweeping combo. The challenge mode is the best place to learn how to attack enemies efficiently and defend oneself in the best possible manner.
Along the course of the game many character files can be unlocked which give detailed info on some of Batman’s arch enemies and there are even character trophies to ogle at, including a character trophy of The Joker all powered up by titan, the same stuff that makes Bane the monster he is. The Scarecrow and his specially formulated mind altering gas give the Bat quite a time figuring out what is real in a world where the Scarecrow is depicted as a huge fearsome creature looking down on a seemingly tiny Batman.
The Final Word: Batman: Arkham Asylum is just the most beautifully crafted game and one of the strongest contenders for Game of the Year. Fluid moves, striking graphics and one of the most loved heroes of all time, with his associated villains make for a really great game that you will definitely want to play over and over. Plus, the end has you begging for more. Let’s just hope Batman’s villains are planning something to get back at Gotham’s Dark Knight. Few games can better the experience delivered by this amazing title.
Graphics: 9.7/10.
Gameplay: 9.8/10.
Environments: 10/10.
Overall (not an average): 9.9/10.