Batman Arkham Asylum Review

                I’ll be honest.  I was worried about this game.   Okay, very worried.  I mean, I’d heard good things during the development, and the art had looked extremely well done throughout the production of the game.  The problem was it was still a Batman video game, and in my 20 or so years of gaming experience, the words “Batman” and “video game” have mixed like oil and water.  I remember trying to force myself though bad Batman games when the first Batman movies came out, and I shudder at the thought of even placing those games back into my NES for another go round.  I’ve always wanted to play a good Batman game, as growing up Batman was easily one of my favorite superheroes.  I’ve especially wanted to play a good Batman game recently, as the new series of Batman movies have revived the ‘Caped Crusader’ in both superhero stature as well as pop culture.  Luckily for me, and thanks to the efforts of Rocksteady Studios and EIDOS, calling Batman: Arkham Asylum a good video game is a severe understatement.  It is a great video game.

                Batman: AA is a 3^rd-person action game where you control the Dark Knight himself as he attempts to thwart the evil plan of his arch-nemesis, The Joker, from taking over Gotham City.   Sounds basic enough, but the number of twists, turns, and battles that get Batman there are great, with the story taking a classic “villain always one step ahead” approach.  The canvas for the cat-and-mouse game is Arkham Asylum, a psychiatric hospital located on the outskirts of Gotham City, and best known in the Batman series as the jail of super villains.  Our story begins with Batman capturing Joker and returning him to Arkham, seemingly to place him back behind bars.  Once inside Arkham though, Joker’s plot begins to unfold, and suddenly the inmates are literally running the asylum.  Batman has no choice but to go after Joker, stepping into a world where everyone wants him dead.  As “Bats”, as Joker affectionately calls him, attempts to unravel the madman’s plot, he will have to do battle with some of the best known enemies from the Batman series, including Poison Ivy,  The Scarecrow, and many others.  

                One thing to note right off the bat (no pun) is that this game is not for everyone, and by everyone I mean children.  Similar to the more recent Batman movies, there is a very adult theme that flows throughout the story of Batman: AA.  Death, torture, and dismemberment are commonplace in Arkham Asylum, and this combined with the colorful language and female outfits that leave little to the imagination are things that parents should be aware of.  With that said these adult features of the game combine with the dark atmosphere to beautifully draw the player into the world.  While one will find gore, death, and evil wherever they turn in the asylum, it always maintains a connectedness with the story, never being over the top or distracting.  This is certainly an adult themed game, and it is due to this fact that the game offers up such a wonderfully dark but enjoyable experience.

                The graphics in the game are mostly impressive, with beautiful dark backdrops and buildings for the game to take place in.  The campus of Arkham Asylum itself is particularly impressive, and largely responsible for keeping the player immersed in the world.  It is an excellent complement to the storyline, matching its intensity with awesome detail and textures on Batman’s surroundings.  It is worth climbing to the top of buildings just to fly through the grounds and appreciate how well put together Arkham Asylum is.  The character builds, while nice, are too bulky for my taste, making Batman look more like Marcus Fenix from Gears of War as opposed to Bruce Wayne.  The same can be said even more comically for Batman’s confidant and closest thing he has to a partner in the game, Commissioner Gordon.  This is really the only problem with the graphics, and it does not penetrate the entire cast of characters.  Both Poison Ivey and Harley Quinn have been able to keep their, ahem, female charm, and Joker’s cronies in the game are well designed.  It should also be mentioned that while Joker looks a tad bulky as well, his voicing, done by Luke Skywalker himself (and Joker from the Batman animated series) Mark Hamil, is wonderful.  Throughout the entire game The Joker is always quipping and poking fun at everyone, whether it is Batman, his cronies, or even his main squeeze Harley Quinn.  It does a great job of keeping the pace of the game moving forward, and will have you laughing a few times during a stressful stealth battle.

                While Batman might be bulky, he makes up for it with an intuitive array of fighting moves, gadgets, and sneaking around.  The fighting system is very well balanced.   It is easy to learn and difficult to master, focusing on building a combo meter with kicks and punches designed to reward you for planning your attacks and not just mashing buttons on the controller.  As the player begins to understand the fighting system better, battles move from brawling to artsy, with Batman flipping, somersaulting and flying across the screen to deliver kicks and punches to Joker’s henchmen.  Also crucial to the combat is your ability to counter henchmen attacks, which will send you into mini-cuts of Batman kicking tail close up, as well as keeping your combo meter going.  At your arsenal as well are a number of Batman’s best-known gadgets, including the Batarang, and Grappling Gun, all of which are necessary to help guide you through the maze of the asylum, eventually leading you to Joker. 

There are a number of boss battles in the game, which are particularly enjoyable due to the fact that while there is some repetition with bosses who have multiple battles, each boss battles the Caped Crusader so differently that each villain has their own identity and strengths utilized in battle.  This creates a wonderful uniqueness to each enemy, as well as keeping the story loyal to the Batman world.  The fights Scarecrow has with Batman are nothing like Poison Ivy’s, and seeing the strengths and weaknesses of each individual villain keeps the story fresh by constantly changing the pace of the game along with what Batman must do to succeed.  These battles also help you develop Batman’s entire arsenal of abilities, many of which will come in handy when it is time for your final battle.

I’d be remiss not to mention the wonderful detective and riddle system, an excellent addition to the game, particularly for completionists like myself.  A wonderful side quest of the game is solving the 240 riddles that have been placed throughout Arkham Asylum by Edward Nigma, better known as The Riddler.  These range in difficulty from basic to maddening, and would be impossible if not for one of the best parts of the game: Batman’s detective mode.  With the push of a button Batman is able to analyze the entire room for enemies, riddle clues, and things that move the story such as fingerprints, alcohol traces in the air, and other items.  This innovation is one I loved, and found myself keeping on during the majority of the storyline, always looking for that next riddle to solve.   Solving the riddles is far from meaningless, as they net you a great deal of experience which lets you upgrade everything from Batman’s armor to the strength of his gadgets.  In addition, there are many unlockables that are received upon solving the riddles, of which I particularly enjoyed the dark patient interviews with some of Arkham’s best known inmates. 

The replay value in the game is solid, with multiple difficulty levels to tackle, as well as a large number of fight and stealth challenge modes that are unlocked as you complete the story.  This is where the majority of the replay value of the game is found, as you try to achieve medals for high scores and fast completion times.  You can also compare your scores against your friends as well as the gaming world to see where you stack up.  These are a good change of pace, and increase in difficulty as they are unlocked, providing a good challenge beginner and veteran alike.  It is also worth nothing that once you complete the story, you can go back and solve all of the riddles you might have missed, so you don’t have to feel like you have to finish everything before the final boss.  There is no multiplayer in this game, but I really didn’t see the need for it, as there is plenty of value here for a single-player only title.   The story will take around eight hours, with additional time needed for riddles and challenges.  Personally I have no problem with a game not including the multiplayer if it brings the goods the way Batman: Arkham Asylum did throughout the experience.

I went into Batman: Arkham Asylum unsure of what to expect, and left not only knowing I had played a very good game, but definitely a title that will be a game of the year contender.  This is a game that is a must play for any Batman fan, and really any fan of action games.  This game certainly was one of the best games I have played in 2009, and could very well be the best to date.  While there is no multiplayer, the single player experience is top notch.  Extra credit goes to Rocksteady and EIDOS for releasing this game earlier in the calendar year, which allowed the public to get their hands on it before the saturation of the market come the holiday season.  They should be proud to know that regardless of when you get your hands on this game, it is one that is a must add to your XBOX 360 or PlayStation 3 collection, and I couldn’t be happier to finally say that there is a great Batman game out there for fans and gamers alike to enjoy.

Rating: 9.5/10