Atomic Buster!

For Bat-fans who play video games, our Caped Crusader has a poor track record. The best Batman game was the movie tie-in on the NES where Batman inscrutably bursts into flames on death. That ignominious record changes with Arkham Asylum.

Animating The Asylum

Bearing strong resemblance to the 1989 comic Arkham Asylum: Serious House on Serious Earth, writer Paul Dini explains that the game lives in its own continuity. Our hero is embroiled in Joker’s machinations to assume control of the mental hospital, re-imagined as an island penitentiary which Dini describes as “Alcatraz-like”.

On hand to reprise their roles from the 90s animated series are Kevin Conroy (Batman), Mark Hamill (The Joker), and Arleen Sorken (Harley Quinn). As a long-time fan of the Bruce Timm version of the DC Animated Universe, their return guaranteed my purchase sight unseen. Unrestrained by FOX executives, Hamill’s Joker is as grim and ghoulish as Ledger’s, despite his unsettling levity. I was a little disappointed at the lack of additional gruffness in Conroy’s Batman against to the darker re-imaginings of his villains, but a comparatively more vulnerable Bruce Wayne is appropriate for this scenario, in which all odds are stacked against him.

Cracking Skulls

So, we Bat-geeks have writers, voice actors and even a scenario already ripped from our favorite series, but we’ve often bitten on similar offers only to find more hook than bait. This one actually delivers the gameplay. Even as a fan of “extreme” action games like Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and God Hand, I have never played a brawler that was more satisfying to watch than Arkham Asylum. Though it’s markedly less complicated than its competitors, B:AA accomplishes tremendous feats of choreography with a simple button layout of Attack, Counter, Stun and Dodge. With some upgrades, you can also add throws, takedowns and combo batarangs into the mix, for a truly empowering set of superhero options.

Combat starts off simply enough, with our hero surrounded by 3 to 5 thugs in the first room of the game. When a thug winds up an attack, a Spidey-Sense-alike icon appears above their heads with plenty of time for Batman to prepare. As long as you are not mid-attack, you can mash the counter button to deliver a context-and-attack specific retaliation. No matter the angle of attack, nor the limb used, a single button will deliver one of a dizzying array of counter animations. This may seem overpowered, but as the game progresses, you encounter a number of enemy types that cannot be countered, or you may simply be surrounded by 20 different BlackGate prisoners and have trouble dealing with them all. If even that sounds too easy for you, hard mode goes the extra mile by removing the attack indicators in addition to its other changes.

While there are no air juggles, ninja swords or fireballs, Batman’s attacks and animations are stomach-churningly brutal, and it provides a sense of super-heroism unrivaled by its contemporaries.

Barking At Shadows

Additionally, as Batman is not only a consummate ass-kicker but also vengeance and the night, there are the obligatory stealth segments. Though calling it “stealth mode” sells it miles short; fortunately, Rocksteady has coined it Predator Mode. Using Batman’s legendary stealth, agility and gadgets, you don’t cower behind cover as others might; you stalk, trap and terrorize your prey. The distinction between “predator” and “stealth” is never in sharper relief than the first time you remotely detonate explosive gel to collapse a wall onto an unsuspecting guard.

For comparison, I don’t care for stealth levels even in stealth-oriented games, but I will wear a malevolent grin on my face while Batman eats these poor bastards alive. The game even highlights the superiority of renaissance man Bruce Wayne through the increasingly distraught dialog of hapless guards. In their heightened paranoia, they fire at shadows in the rafters, begging “Just leave me alone!” You can even monitor their elevated heart rates with your cowl’s “detective” vision mode.

World’s Greatest Detective

That segues perfectly into the tracking portion of the game. It’s no CSI: Miami, but you find clues to your next destination as the story dictates. Activating “detective mode” highlights a forensic trail in the environment; blood spatters, for instance, appear a bright blue if they match the DNA of your target. While not as exciting as brawling or predating, this unobtrusive gameplay element gives ample opportunity for exposition on being the World’s Greatest Detective. This alternate vision mode also is key to discovering side content, which is typically trophies or landmarks arranged as challenges from The Riddler. You are incented to participate by receiving additional content like character bios, high-definition “trophy” renders of game characters, and most importantly by additional “challenge” levels available from the main menu.

Subjectively, my least favorite segments are the Scarecrow stealth levels. Without spoiling too much, they are the antipode of the celebrated Predator game-play and exemplify the “cower behind cover” style that I decried in other games. It’s hard to fault Rocksteady when they use these vulnerable scenarios to illustrate Bruce’s character, but playing these segments does not stack up to the rest of the experience.

Swear To Me

In summary, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the game Bat-fans have awaited since the idea was possible.

Tags: gaming, review