Batman: Arkham Asylum Review [360]



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If you're looking for a game which is steeped in action and variety, then Batman: Arkham Asylum (BAA) is not for you.  Well it is, but not in the conventional way.  BAA needs no gimmicks  such as variety of gameplay to keep you hooked.  You see, what BAA does well is keep a the solid formula but changes the variables every now and again, making what could have been an extremely repetitive game compelling and interesting.

BAA is a detective story, with lashings of action, primarily in the shape of melee combat.  The opening scene sees the Joker riding passenger-side to our hero in his Batmobile, on his way back to Arkham Asylum, an island-based prison populated exclusively by thugs and nut-jobs, as well as a host of familiar faces from the Batman comics.  It's here, as you're taking the Joker back to the island and through various security checkpoints, you notice how much attention to detail has been given to not only the characters, but to the environment in which you're playing.  It also sets the scene for the rest of the game, with an immediate immersion into the story.  Not only do you find yourself watching the introduction, but the production values and cinematics are stunning and even when you cut into the game it doesn't feel that there is any kind of loss in visual quality, but rather a seamless transition from story to action.  The narrative in-game too is by no means offensive and you find yourself listening intently to the unraveling story.

The game world is dark and eerie but is livened up the crazy and colourful characters you'd expect to see, and all the characters from the DC comics are there, and lovingly recreated.  Each oozes character and each oozes personality, with the protagonists, Batman and the Joker, playing their parts as well as could ever be played.  Batman is voiced by Kevin Conroy, and the Joker especially is extremely well done, and voiced by Mark Hamill who has done an exceptional job of portraying the manic, yet endearing personality of one of comic book's most loved villains.  But it's not just the voice acting, it's the mannerisms and the movements which bring the on-screen characters to life.  Never before have I taken so much pleasure in just looking at a game, and because Batman is Batman, and the villains are the villains, it makes it all the more compelling.

But just because the game is dark and eerie, it doesn't mean the game's colour palette suffers.  Quite the contrary, the art style is realistic and accurate, and the game environment affords players the opportunity to really explore the island.  Although you're confined to the island, there is never a sense of repetition, and the island is big enough for you not to want to leave.  In fact, on several occasions I dreaded making my way back to far-flung corners of the map only to be pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to spend too much time traveling; and if I did spend ridiculous amounts of time in transit, then I had no idea that I had.  There is more than enough to do on the island to keep you busy, which we'll come to later, but the beauty of this game is that you don't have to play the story religiously, you can veer off the main narrative and explore this fascinating island which is under the mercy of the Joker and his troupe.

But I could talk about the game and how visually impressive it is forever, taking you from location to location and describing the different ways in which to get around, but I'm going to leave that for you to explore and instead move on to the actual game mechanic, how it works and what you're expected to do with the tools you have at your disposal.