With the massive success of the Dark Knight movie last year, gamers started to expect cheap Batman related games to take advantage of the hype. I am happy to report that similar to the Dark Knight movie last year, not only is Arkham Asylum an outstanding comic based game, it is in fact one of the best games of the year.

Getting the Right Resources:

As the name suggests, the game takes place at Arkham Asylum. This is an island transformed into a mass prison for the psychotic killers of Gotham City. The game starts off with Batman taking Joker to Arkham Asylum. It turns out that Joker had planned his own arrest in order to take control of the island and releases many of its dangerous inhabitants.

Although Joker is the mastermind of the chaos, players will also face off against Harley Quinn, Bane, Victor Zsasz, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and Killer Croc. The developers were accurate when they advertised the game as being Batman’s worst nightmare. The boss battles against Scarecrow and Killer Croc are great mainly due to the atmosphere they create for the fights. Unfortunately the other boss battles feel mundane and mechanical.

The story and dialogue are brilliant. This is in a large part due to the fact that the story was co-written by Paul Dini from Batman the Animated Series. The dialogue is backed by a strong voice cast that is also from the Animated Series. This results in an authentic experience and feels that it is straight from the comic books.

A Living Breathing Island:

The two best things about the game are that (1) they make the player feel like they are Batman and (2) the atmosphere and environment created. The three major gameplay elements are face to face fights, stealth and platforming.

From beating down multiple goons with ease to hanging inverted from a gargoyle for silent takedowns or performing gliding takedowns and using high tech gadgets to trek through the island, the game really makes you feel as if you are Batman. So much so that I couldn’t help myself singing a repeated chorus of “I am the Batman. Na na na na”

The island is large and well designed. The prisons and various areas of the island all feel different and unique. What make the island intriguing are the various mysteries and secrets it beholds. Exploration is encouraged through the optional quest of completing Riddler challenges. These persuade the player to search for hidden compartments and routes and also to keep a keen eye on the surroundings. This is rewarding as players will come across items related to other characters such as Penguin’s umbrella or the holding cell of Mr. Freeze. One of the more entertaining items are the interrogation tapes of Arkham’s prisinors. All this added content creates the feeling that the game is more than just about Batman. It is a living breathing world in its own. At one point in time, when another super villain started competing with Joker for control over the island, the two villains started threatening each other with complete disregard for Batman.

An atmosphere of tension is also created due to the constant interaction with Joker. Joker constantly makes announcements through the PA system and the TV screens. The communication gets particularly interesting when the Joker acts as a commentator when Batman goes up against the various goons. From taunting Batman to complete disregard for his own allies, the Joker in this game is as crazy as the one in the movie.

I was also very impressed by the overall polish of the game. The graphics, sound effects and music are superb. Particular praise must be given to the physics engine. The various gadgets in the game that are normally used to traverse the terrain can also be used against the enemy. None more fun than using a line launcher at a far end of a room and knocking down the goons like bowling pins.

All is not perfect:

The game is an example of the end product being greater than the sum of its part. When you look at the various elements in the game individually they are slightly disappointing. Except for the end of the game, the hand to hand combat requires little strategy and only requires button mashing. The stealth department feels lacking due to the lack of options it provides when compared to games like Splinter Cell. Last but not least, although the island is large the game is highly linear.

In other words the game can feel a bit too simple at times. This is good for the wider general audience that want to experience the game but it may slightly disappoint the hardcore audience. Fortunately when you consider the great atmosphere, depth of the content and take into consideration that there are multiple gameplay elements, the downfalls become easy to overlook.

The Final Word: With a lot of Batman content for the diehard fans and overall polish of the game you can feel that the developers have poured their hearts into this project. With the atmosphere and great amount of depth, Batman Arkham Asylums transcends the boundaries of being just a video game; it is an experience that is not to be missed.

Genre: Stealth / Action 

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3

Developer: Rocksteady

Publisher: Eidos, WB

Players: 1