As we got going with our review of Batman: Arkham City, a thought crossed our minds. Two years ago, with Christopher Nolan’s second Batman movie still fresh in our minds, we wouldn’t have imagined that the Dark Knight’s fortunes, or ours, would turn around so drastically with a video game. Because as history has shown, games based on Gotham’s shadowy hero have more or less fizzled out into the night. But Batman Arkham Asylum managed to bring to glorious light Gotham’s Knight of old. And after keeping us hanging for two long years, Batman: Arkham City takes the concept of power hungry madmen and unleashes them all at once in an area of Gotham City deemed unfit for habitation.
Warner Bros.’ action adventure game sees a superhero put through his paces with several criminal personalities out to do him in. This open world title throws players into a multi-layered scenario bound to keep anyone addictively glued. Rocksteady Studios manages to cram so many crazy villains from the Batman universe into Arkham City that it seems almost batty to ask for more. Even the Mad Hatter has time to pop his head out of the rabbit hole and torment the Dark Knight. What seeps through marvelously is an ever-present sense of urgency and an underlying conspiracy that Batman must unravel.
The game is set a little after the questionable events of Arkham Asylum come to light. Hugo Strange has all the prisoners moved from the Blackgate prison and Arkham Asylum into ‘North Gotham,’ an area that has been cordoned off for the scum of Gotham. The entire city prison feels like it is one giant psychological experiment, with inmates banding together joining up with the powerful villains of Gotham. To top it off, Hugo Strange has a surprise for everyone; his hushed-up project named ‘Protocol 10,’ which he plans to put into effect when he is good and ready. What unfolds during the following hours is pure brilliance. And somehow Batman takes it upon himself to clean up the streets and uncover the truth about what’s really going on and who’s actually in charge.
Various side-missions and other eventful things are in place to make sure the needle doesn’t swing away from an excellent experience. Along the way many villains turn up trying to muscle their way to control. What’s strange is that all somehow seem to know that they will find Batman in Arkham City, and take pleasure in tormenting him. You can be assured there isn’t a dull moment in the game. And even after the main story has been completed, there is still quite a bit to do in order to keep all the baddies in check. Just like Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City features challenge levels outside the main story to take the combat experience further. High scores can be displayed on leaderboards for the world and friends to appreciate.
What Batman: Arkham Asylum did with the hands-on combat experience, versatile gadgets and free roaming capabilities, Arkham City takes to a completely new level. Batman now has at his disposal more gadgets than ever to play around with, but somehow it still feels like you have too few when the enemies attack in packs. Inmates of this new-world prison throw themselves at the Batman; everyone wants a piece of him it seems. But he’s gotten better with more moves in his arsenal, taking out with finesse, thugs brandishing knives, stun rods, shields and other make-shift weapons.
Batman’s movement is more fluid, and flight gets more fun. In addition to simply gliding along, players can now throw themselves into a plunge, gathering momentum to cover great distances or unleash shockwaves upon hapless enemies. Just like in Arkham Asylum the game environment has been created to perfection, down to every last detail. Hidden Riddler rooms and informants scattered around make it more interesting.
Anyone who loved Arkham Asylum will just eat up Arkham City. The game is like a dream come true and you could spend hours in Batman’s world, taking in the clever and imaginative design. Keeping up with the Riddler is a real challenge; a challenge laid out in the form of several hundred trophies and riddles strewn across the cityscape. Even if you’ve completed the main story missions, attaining all the trophies and cracking all the riddles should take you several more hours of game time. Batman: Arkham City is probably the best thing we’ve played since Dead Space 2.
Final Word: Batman: Arkham City is an incredible game that will blow you away right from the very first instant. With an utterly fascinating plot fit for the big screen and action to fall in love with, Rocksteady’s meticulous work comes to fruition in Batman: Arkham City, a game which offers players a rare glimpse into the mind of the protagonist. The attention to detail should satisfy even the most fastidious fan, while the game’s musical score is no less enchanting. Arkham City is a truly magnificent sequel and we’d be really surprised if it doesn’t make Game of the Year with ease. Think twice before giving Batman: Arkham City the cold shoulder.
Graphics: 9/10
Environments: 9.5/10
Game Sounds: 9/10
Entertainment Value: 10/10
Overall (not an average): 9.5/10