Disclaimer: Originally published on the St. Cloud State University campus paper, the University Chronicle on the Sept. 28 2009 issue. Written by Jun-Kai Teoh, Managing Online Editor.
This article may not be reproduced in any form, including online or print media, without first and foremost contacting the University Chronicle.
The latest game in the Batman superhero franchise, Batman: Arkham Asylum, was released on the Xbox360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC on the Aug. 25 and Sept. 15 respectively.
Developed by London based game studio RockSteady, Batman: Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure game with a hint of stealth mixed into it.
The game takes place from a third-person over the shoulder perspective and is based on a completely original storyline written by Paul Dini.
Arkham Asylum features Batman investigating Joker’s sinister plot at the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, a fictional psychiatric hospital.
The story, while original, offers nothing exceptionally interesting and it isn’t the main attraction of the game either.
Joker, once again up to mischief, gets himself arrested and sent to the Arkham Asylum before he breaks out and take control of the Asylum.
As Batman was the one escorting Joker to the Asylum, he takes it upon himself to capture Joker and to foil Joker’s sinister plans.
What makes Arkham Asylum a winner for Batman fans would be how true the game is to the Batman lore.
Various villains make appearances in the game, ranging from Bane to Harvey Dent (more commonly known as Two-Face), RockSteady pulled out all the stops when it came to Arkham Asylum.
Arkham Asylum is a mini-sandbox game, granting players free roam throughout the psychiatric hospital and its various grounds and gardens.
A secret batcave is also offered on the island.
Scattered throughout the game are riddles by The Riddler as well as hidden bonuses that reveal more of the history of the hospital.
Recorded psychiatric sessions between different psychiatrists and villains such as iller Croc, Zsazz and Joker can be found as well.
Fans of button-mashing action games will be disappointed with this game howeve as it focuses on careful timing and smart usage of the large inventory of gadgets that Batman possesses.
The faithful batarang and batcable (grapple gun) makes an important appearance in the game. Additional gadgets and upgrades can be unlocked as the game progresses.
The game mixes elements of action adventure with elements of investigative games as players will often find themselves in positions where they have to use the many detective skills and equipments that Batman possesses to progress the story.
The “detective mode” is an alternate vision mode offered in-game that allows players to scan for nearby enemies, detect traces of fingerprints and even scan the heart-rate of nearby enemies to see if they’re aware of Batman’s presence.
The combat system of the game is a fairly simple system consisting of three main attacks and a counter-attack move. Successful and effective combos grant players more experience which can then be used to unlock more moves or gadgets from Batman’s arsenals.
As an added bonus to boost replay value, a challenge mode is offered where playes can attempt different tasks, most of it revolving around beating up the bad guys. It gets progressively harder as some challenges require the enemies to be eliminated with stealth or other additional conditions.
The villains of the game stay true to the comics. The in-game Joker is as creepy as, if not creepier, the Joker from the 2008 blockbuster film The Dark Knight. Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow and the other many foes of Batman all appear as sinister as they should be.
Batman, while a formidable hero in the game, is far from the undefeatable superhero that he often appears as in other games. Players are forced to consider tactics carefully and make good use of the environments in the game.
Arkham Asylum is without a doubt one of the best DC Comics superhero game to be released for a long time now.
Batman: Arkham Asylum retails for $49.99 for the PC version and $59.99 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox360 versions.
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