With Batman’s fighting, stealth, gadgets and analytical skills covered, the game does a pretty decent job of putting you into the shoes of the caped crusader. However, any Bat-fan knows that Batman himself is only half of what makes the franchise so cool. Fans of Bat-villains need not worry, as pretty much the entire rogue’s gallery is featured here in one way or another. Apart from the Joker, you’ll have to deal with the likes of Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Bane, Killer Croc and of course Scarecrow, who provides some of the more memorable moments of the game. Without spoiling much, I’d just like to say that he will mess with your head in more ways than one!
[singlepic id=1384 w=450 float=center]
An interesting subplot featuring The Riddler forms much of the game’s side objectives and routine collection tasks. Each area in the game has an associated number of Riddler challenges which range from finding collectible trophies, audio tapes, smashing annoying ‘Joker teeth’ or solving riddles by finding key elements in the environment. The riddles themselves are fairly easy (especially if you are familiar with the franchise), but it still feels quite satisfying to solve one. The Riddler side mission manages to be fun and sufficiently challenging without being frustrating as item collection tasks in most games tend to be. It also offers a break from the main story every once in a while and you can continue to explore Arkham and solve the riddles even after you’re done with the story.
The main story can be completed in about 15 to 18 hours, but if you choose to solve all the Riddler challenges and explore every single nook and cranny of the asylum, you’ll easily end up spending around 24 hours with the main game itself. And this is not counting the Challenge Mode, which offers a number of increasingly difficult challenges based around combat and stealth. While the Challenge Mode can be a fun distraction, getting perfect scores in each of them can prove to be quite tricky. Mastering the freeflow combat system is almost essential in the combat-oriented challenges as even taking a few hits will make you lose your combos and prevent you from getting high scores. Regardless, the Challenge Mode is a nice little bonus and, along with the sufficiently lengthy campaign and the upcoming downloadable content, Arkham Asylum isn’t short on content.
[singlepic id=1381 w=450 float=center]
Batman: Arkham Asylum runs on the Unreal 3 Engine and is one of the best implementations of the engine so far. The framerate is quite impressive with very few instances of slowdown. There is also very little texture pop-in compared to other UE3 based games. The art direction and character design is fantastic and the combat animations look ultra-cool in motion. Batman’s cape looks very realistic while it’s flowing behind him or stretched like a bat’s wings while he’s gliding down from heights. His costume also shows some noticeable wear and tear as you keep going through the game, which is a nice touch. However, there is a fair amount of clipping as you’ll frequently see characters’ arms or heads going through walls during combat. This is but a minor nitpick in what is otherwise a spectacular looking game.
The game really shines in the audio department as well. Apart from the aforementioned ambient atmospheric sounds, the voice acting really deserves special mention. Almost every single character sounds very true to the original character and the dialog is no different from what you’d read in a comic book. Having provided their voice talents on Batman: The Animated Series, both Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy are no strangers to the franchise. Conroy’s Batman sounds just like he should (no raspy Christian Bale voice here folks), but the highlight is Mark Hamill’s Joker. He is clearly having fun here and the Joker’s lines themselves are quite amusing.
[singlepic id=1388 w=450 float=center]
Some may feel like Hamill’s constant chatter over Arkham’s PA system is irritating or repetitive, but then it’s very much like the character. He loves to taunt and distract Batman. You as Batman need to learn how to ignore him and stay focused. The background score is mostly atmospheric, but does kick into full orchestral mode during some of the bigger set pieces. It’s clearly influenced by Danny Elfman’s score for the first two Batman movies with some elements from James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer’s score for The Dark Knight.
As a reviewer, it’s quite difficult to find any particular flaws with Batman: Arkham Asylum. One may argue that the stealth elements feel a little forced at times, since there are designated areas, where you need to use stealth and others where you simply need to fight. However, it’s a design decision that doesn’t exactly ruin the experience as far as the overall package goes. The game still offers plenty of variety, fun boss battles and enough scripted set pieces to keep things fresh. It would be interesting to see what the folks at Eidos and Rocksteady do with the inevitable next game in franchise. An open-world Gotham City perhaps? Time will tell, but we surely can’t wait!
[singlepic id=1380 w=450 float=center]
Conclusion
Batman: Arkham Asylum may not exactly be an original or groundbreaking title, as most of the gameplay elements have been featured in other games before. However, it’s the culmination of these elements that makes the game feel like a breath of fresh air. No game has come close to portraying The Dark Knight as well as this game does. Even if you aren’t too big on comic books or the Batman franchise, the game is still a must-play for any self-respecting video gamer.
(+) Best representation of the Batman franchise in a game till date
(+) Great mix of action, stealth and exploration elements
(+) Lengthy and entertaining story mode
(+) Brilliant voice acting
(+) Looks and sounds incredible
(-) Like all good things, eventually it comes to an end
(-) Some minor visual glitches
Title: Batman: Arkham Asylum
Developer/Publisher: Rocksteady Studios/Eidos
Genre: Action
Rating: 16+
Platforms: PlayStation3 (Rs 2,499), Xbox 360 (Rs 2,499), PC (Rs 699)
Join the discussion at the IndianVideoGamer Community forums
