Remember a few months ago when I said that if I beat a Batman game, a friend had to play Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors? Well I lied. Kind of. Though it is true that he said he would play 999 if I beat a Batman game, he didn't mean Batman on the NES. Rather, he meant Batman Arkham Asylum, a game which I have owned for two years and just couldn't find the inspiration to play. Of course, this also leads back to the backlog that I've mentioned before. Every summer I try to clear it up, and this year the list was as follows: Get all the characters and stages in Melee again, finish Xenosaga Episode 1, and finally finish Arkham Asylum. Well I can tell you that one of those isn't happening anymore, but I finished Asylum, so I guess that's what really matters. Now I'm a little hesitant to return to Batman, but since the only other thing that I would feel comfortable writing about is Corpse Party, there really isn't much of an option here. It's been five years since Arkham Asylums release, so let's see if this game still holds up.
The plot begins with the Joker already caught by Batman. After an assault on Gotham City Hall, Joker is caught and taken to Arkham Asylum, where he will no doubt escape in two weeks time. Feeling that something isn't quiet right, Batman accompanies him to the Asylum. That something turns out to be true, as Harley Quinn hijacks the buildings security and allows Joker to run amok and kidnap Commissioner Gordon, as well as gain control of the entire asylum. Joker threatens to detonate bombs hidden in Gotham City should anyone approach the island, leaving Batman alone in his fight to capture his gallery of rogues, and stop Jokers plans for a drug called Titan, which he plans to use to gain an army of superhuman henchmen.
Batman Arkham Asylum is a 3D Action Adventure game, where you explore the island and fight all the mooks that stand in your way. When exploring, Batman can run, jump, climb, glide, and use his grapple gun to explore and get to higher areas. He also has access to his gadgets when you unlock them, but more on that later. Arkham Island is a pretty big place, but most areas are locked off until a certain point in the story, and other areas require certain gadgets to get into. We'll talk about exploring again later. Batman also has access to Detective Vision, which is pretty much used for...everything really. It can detect doors, grates, objects of interest, enemies, show which enemies are armed, show the condition of the enemies, show where they are even through walls, show how many enemies there are in an area, and more. It's even used for the plot like searching areas, following footprints, tracking someones fingerprints, and even tracking someones breath. Yes, seriously. Someones breath. So yeah, it's pretty helpful. Only problem is that it makes the whole screen blue when you use it. And since your using it for most of the game, you'd better get used to the color.
It wouldn't be Batman though if he didn't have his trusty utility belt however, and he really went all out on this one. He has the Batarangs which can press buttons and stun enemies, the Batclaw which can be use to pull enemies in and pull other things, the Cryptographic Sequencer which is used to hack into securirity panels and explore the island, Explosive Gel which can break down weak walls and stun enemies (don't worry, it's a nonlethal explosive) and tons of other gadgets. And as you can tell from the description, just about all of these gadgets have a combat purpose, which lets me segway into the next topic.
Arkham Island is swarming with criminals, and they all have a bone to pick with Batman. Therefore, you'll have to face a number of mooks in order to proceed. The combat system is surprisingly simple and deep at the same time. Batman can attack and counter attacks with their respective buttons, and you can use both to string together combos with the Freeflow combat, which allows Batman to jump accross the room to the next baddie to continue the combo. Well timed button presses will trigger critical strikes, which not only deal more damage, but also counts as two hits on the combo streak. You can also use the aforementioned gadgets to stun enemies and give you the upper hand in battle. Your performance in battle will influence the amount of Experience Points you gain, which grants you an upgrade upon a level up.
Sometimes, Batman will have to be a bit sneakier in order to survive Arkham, which is where the stealth segments come into play. You'll have to use the room to your advantage in order to take down armed mooks. Batman can silently take down an enemy from behind, jump out of a grate to take a mook down, throw a Batarang to knock a mook down and perform a ground takedown before making a quick getaway, hang a mook off of a gargoyle, the list of options just go on. Stealth segments are one of my favorite parts of the game, just because there's nothing more satisfying than clearing out an entire room of mooks without being detected. Like combat sections, your performance influences the experience amount.
Now Arkham Island is big, but what's your incentive for exploring it? The answer? The Riddler. This son of a question mark has left challenges all over the asylum, and the only way to apprehend him is to solve all of his challenges. Riddler challenges can be a simple as picking up a trophy or destroying Joker teeth, to as complex as scanning something in a room with a hint being granted when entering. There are 240 challenges in all, and it'll take the whole game to complete the sidequest. There are maps you can find to narrow down the locations of the challenges, but being completely honest, this is just too much of a time sink for me. I'll finish the challenge one day, but not now. Finishing challenges aren't a waste of time however, as it gives experience points and well as unlockables such as character trophies and challenge maps, so there's that.
Now I usually don't talk much about boss fights, but I have to mention them here because...they're actually the weakest part of the game. Most of the bosses are just Titan enhanced mooks, with other mooks attacking you. This sadly holds true for every boss in the game, with the exception of Scarecrow. Even the final boss is just this, which you'll be disappointed in once you find out who the boss is. The boss fights are all disappointing, but the boss issue is fixed in the sequels, so that's good.
Presentation wise, this game looks amazing. Models look very good, save for up close conversation, and the environments are varied and look great as well, even if they look a little dark at times, which is justified given the location. The music also does a good job of setting the mood, though I will start humming the '60s Batman theme during battles sometimes. Special mention also goes to the voicework of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, who voice Batman and the Joker respectively. Conroys performance as Batman is great, and Hamill absolutely nails it as the Joker. It adds to the atmosphere that the game aims for, and it's done really well. Though the ragdoll physics on the enemies can break said atmosphere at times, but it is pretty funny when it happens.
Now I said above that it took me two years to beat Arkham Asylum. The reason for that wasn't because the game is stupidly long, but rather just a sheer lack of interest. That is partly because I was spoiled by the sequel, Arkham City, which is just a better game all around. That said, Asylum is a fantastic game when standing on its own. The only real weak part are the bosses, but that's it. I feel like I can safely say that this is a game that can be enjoyed even by people who aren't a fan of the Dark Knight. You don't need extensive knowledge of the source material to understand the story, and the gameplay is something I think everyone can get down with. I guess where I'm going with this is that I would absolutely recommend Arkham Asylum. The game is really cheap nowadays, and if you play your cards right, you can even get the sequel in a bundle for under $20. What version you get doesn't matter in the long run however, as you'll be getting the great Arkham Asylum experience either way.
All images are the properties of their original owners. I wish I was talented enough to make this stuff.
The Silent Protagonist is totally the night.
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