The Web-Head Vs The Dark Knight; A Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

Up until 2009, Spider-Man was my all-time favourite super hero and Spider-Man 2 was my favourite super hero video game. It was open-world, and if you found yourself tiring of the story or the side-missions, you could simply veer off in any direction you pleased and web-sling to your heart’s content. You could actually see the webs sticking to the buildings and, unlike Spider-Man games since, if there was no building there to swing from then you couldn’t swing – which made it all the more challenging and immersive. My friends and I would spend hours just swinging amongst the high-rises of virtual New York city, taking turns to execute humanly impossible manoeuvres between narrowly-spaced buildings, passing the controller only when we ended up stuck to the side of a skyscraper like a bug on a windscreen.

One question comes up from time to time - “If you could be any super hero, who would you be?” - and I would always answer with Spider-Man. Spider-Man was my guy, my hero, and no other even came close across any medium, be it T.V., movies, comics, or video games. I had been exposed to most of the high-profile super heroes, including Batman, and I had played most of the games out there to do with such characters, but no other games could touch Spider-Man 2. Not until 2009, at least, when Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum (AA) was released for PC and consoles. This was the game that would cause me to question my super hero allegiance.

Set in the DC Comics universe,  AA puts you in the Dark Knight’s leathery boots inside Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane which has housed many of Gotham’s most colourful characters. The asylum has been unexpectedly taken over by Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker, whilst Batman was escorting him inside. The game plays out in a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective as you guide Batman through the asylum, tracking down the Joker in order to stop him fulfilling his unsavoury intentions for Gotham City. Along the way you encounter many of Batman’s infamous foes, including Poison Ivy and Bane, all of whom are hell-bent on being the one to destroy the Dark Knight themselves.

The look and feel of the game is dark and foreboding, yet invites you in with the impressive graphical detail and character design; it’s realistic, yet has a touch of comic book style. The narrative and voice-acting really bring the game alive, with Mark Hamill in particular doing a stellar job as the Joker.

Batman is known for his gadgets, unmatched hand to hand fighting abilities and detective skills. AA doesn’t disappoint, as all of the aforementioned are at your disposal throughout the game, including the Batarang and Batman’s grappling hook. As you make your way through the asylum you will unlock different sections, until eventually it becomes an “open-world” for you to explore. You can re-visit areas that you have previously visited to use new gadgets you have unlocked, which will help you both in combat and when traversing the area to pick up various collectibles scattered about the world. For example, that fragile-looking wall you spotted earlier can now be done away with using your Explosive Gel, gaining you access to a “Riddler Trophy” you noticed whilst switching your view to Detective Mode.

Detective Mode alters the view of the game to a blue X-ray style and allows you to see things you wouldn’t normally pick up on by highlighting usable objects or enemies with a bright orange hue. Alternate routes around a group of enemies can be scoped out or, as mentioned previously, will enable hidden collectibles to be more easily visible. Some sections of the story allow for you to use Detective Mode to investigate certain locations to determine the events of a crime.

But the clear winner of AA’s three main game mechanics is definitely combat; using a “free-flow” combat system, you utilise very simplistic controls to perform visually awe-inspiring moves against your foes. Whilst learning the controls is very easy, mastering them can take some time. As you delve deeper into the asylum you will be expected to face an increasing number of foes and the combat system delivers an almost flawless spectacle of Batman’s hand to hand abilities - but only if you can execute your attacks, counters and evade moves with good timing.

Dealing with your enemies in AA is empowering, making you feel like you are Batman – disposing of two foes as they flank you from both sides, leaving you to swiftly vault over a third enemy’s head to vanquish him as he is disorientated. Executing such moves is simple, yet very rewarding, and you get to do this a lot - but don't think you're invulnerable. You are just a multi-billionaire masquerading as a giant bat, after all. Time your button presses wrong and you will take a lead pipe to the back of the head, along with a hail of flying fists from the many enemies surrounding you, but this vulnerability makes you feel all the more like Batman when you do time those moves right - and it looks spectacular.

The game also offers up a wealth of depth in character bios, which help to flesh out the characters and the world you find yourself in by giving details such as their real name, attributes and their back-story - dragging you further in to the universe. Patient Interview tapes also provide a deeper insight in to the history of Arkham Asylum and the unhinged individuals that have inhabited it – this gives the collectibles meaning, and aren’t just there as a vague afterthought.

Aside from the main story mode, there is also a challenge mode, which includes combat and predator challenges. The combat challenges pit you against waves of enemies which you must dispatch whilst aiming for a high score, determined by combos and how diverse you are with your moves. Predator challenges, on the other hand, require you to stealthily do away with enemies, using certain techniques or gadgets. Many an hour has been spent in-between playing the story and long after finishing the game to compete with friends and the rest of the world on the challenge mode leaderboards.

In summary, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a ground-breaking game. Its story is compelling and its gameplay mechanics are enthralling. Its secrets, collectibles and challenge modes will have you playing long after finishing the story. And now, if I get asked that question, “If you could be any super hero, who would you be?”, I would simply answer… “I’m Batman!”.