Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

Video games based on superheroes have long been slammed, and for good reason: they seem to always be terrible. The awfulness of these games has never stopped them from being released as it seems as though every major superhero has a game come out at least every few years or so. Every time a new one comes out from a new studio it promises to be the ‘game changer’ and that it will surpass the poor expectations. They never do and so I had a very hard time getting excited, or even interested for that matter, in the yet the latest iteration: Batman: Arkham Asylum developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive.

I finally caved in after the incessant support the game seemed to receive and I ended up being pleasantly surprised. This is by no means a Mona Lisa but it is fun to play. This is normally the area where action-adventure games struggle. How many third person action-adventure games exist where you run around and punch people. The list is endless and it grows longer every year. Games really need to push the innovation envelope in order to stand out. Arkham Asylum largely succeeds in this endeavor.

A good example of this is the detective mode. Similar mechanics have existed in previous games but have been much more limited in scope. Normally modes like this are used in games as a rare opportunity to pick up some obvious clue. While the mode is used like this in Arkham Asylum, it is also used for much more. In addition to finding clues and evidence you can also use it whenever you want to get a limited type of x-ray vision to check out enemies and also to see who’s carrying what type of weapons.

There are lots of different gadgets and gadget upgrades that become available to Batman and most of them work well and are useful. Yes, there still are some worthless upgrades but for the most part it’s pretty easy to find a use and have fun with the gadgets. It just felt so much more like a good representation of Batman because you had all these useful tools at your disposal.

Combat is pretty fun as well. Between charging in swinging, employing the use of one of your various gadgets, or pursuing a more stealthy approach you always have options when faced with enemies. The great thing is that you are never pigeon-holed into always having to use specific mechanics for specific situations. Most of the time you are open to using anything you want and it’s fun to play around with figuring out what works well in each situation without coming up to constant barriers.

Graphical and audio quality are pretty good throughout. Nothing groundbreaking in either category but a good enough job is done that the game comes off as very polished. The audio sound effects do a good job of giving you that ‘comic book feel’ without seeming over the top.

The story presentation is definitely the area where the game falls flat. The overall story feels more like what you would see in a 20 minute Saturday morning cartoon. That works for a 20 minute cartoon but for a game which takes many hours to play through it just seemed so dry. You quickly learn that the game follows the following format: go to a new part of the asylum where a traditional Batman villian is waiting for you, take them out, then go to another new area and do it over and over again. It’s the kind of boring routine that eventually makes you want to just get through it because you know you won’t get much out of it.

There aren’t any characters who hang out enough to give you any sense of character development. Everyone you interact with seems like a bland caricature of what they could be. Think of the recent Batman movies that have come out and of how deep characters can be made. It’s a shame that Rocksteady Studios decided to keep everyone so flat and one dimensional. It would have been nice for the game to maybe focus on less characters but cover them better. Lets see some complex interaction and scheming. The flatness and brevity of most characters serves to give the impression that even though you remain on the asylum for the game, that the game really is segmented into different levels. Everything is sectioned off into static departments within the asylum.

So if you’ve looked up the game at all you’ve undoubtedly seen the “Most highly critically acclaimed superhero game ever” buzz. To be completely honest I agree with that assessment. However, that is partially due to how good the game is and partially due to how poor other superhero games have been. It is definitely a fun game to play, but it is a shame that the story design is so flat.

Overall: 2.5

Release: August 25, 2009