The Dark Knight is back, and stronger than ever as he fights to rid Arkham of the Joker!
The story of Batman Arkham Asylum is one without depth. The games story can be completed in about six to ten hours, or less if you commit yourself to the game. The main plot consists of Taking Arkham Asylum back from Joker's control. The game is straight forward, and does not emotionally impact you in any way. But if you are a fan of the dark knight or simply looking for an enjoyable third-person action adventure, then the games short campaign will not stop you from enjoying it from beginning to end.
The graphics in the game are superb. The facial expressions and the physical realism of the characters are one of the games strong points. The characters and structures are exceptionally detailed, to the individual bricks on the walls, and to the clothing and physical features of the characters. Although the graphics are good, your view becomes blurred when you zoom in during game play. I found this to be distracting as I wished to get a better view of the surroundings. Certain structures such as Gotham city from afar looked more like hallow polygonal shapes than an actual living and breathing city. Apart from those minor details, the games graphics are definitely one of the best seen thus far.
Another aspect that could have been improved is the enemy animations. If knocked out by a kick to the head, they all fall and hold their heads to express pain in the same fashion. Adding a variety of animations when dealing with the enemies could improve game play which then adds a more realistic approach, as it is seen with the graphics.
The game play in Batman Arkham Asylum is entertaining and does not get old. The two major aspects of game play are hand-to-hand combat, and the stealth sequences in the game. Facing a multitude of psychotic inmates and halting their attempts to subdue you with your bare hands accompanied by an arsenal of gadgets, is rewarding and engaging. Although the hand-to-hand combat is engaging, it can become repetitious. You will constantly use the same buttons to finish off your enemies and there are a limited amount of different combinations and actions you can produce while in combat. The sneaking sequences change the pacing of the game and add another layer to the game play. Surreptitiously grappling on to gargoyles, hiding in air vents, and distracting opponents to reach your objective is one of the best aspects of the game.
The game is filled with many extra unlockables thanks to Batman's old friend, the Riddler. Trying to find and uncover all of the riddles and extras scattered throughout Arkham gives players another reason to explore and play through the game for a second time. As you discover new locations and uncover new riddles and extras, you also find more challenges you can complete once the game is done. These challenges are meant to extend the games value, and to test your gaming skills as you are confronted with more enemies through a variety of maps. If you are someone who loves a challenge and wants to gain the highest score, then these extra challenges will satisfy your hunger for hanging inmates upside down from gargoyles as they cower before you.
Batman Arkham Asylum plays similar to a sand box open world game. You can travel to any location you want and continue with the story as you please. The game could have benefited from having side quests given by other NPC's (Non Playable Characters). But it is understandable if developers decided not to, due to the minute map, so traversing through the same areas would probably bore players. Regardless, expanding the map or adding side quests would have been a nice touch to the game.
Fans of the Batman series will love this game as well as people who are new comers to the Batman universe. The dark ambience of the game works in symbiosis with Batman and his character. The environment is rough and gritty, which enhances the concept of being stuck on an island run by insane criminals. Overall the game is good, but not great. The vague combat system, unemotional story, and short campaign give players but a taste of what developers can create within the storyline of Batman's Universe. This is a great start to what can potentially become one of the best super heroes re-imagined in a video game to date.