It's a TRAP!, but one that you don't want to escape from or be rescued from. Everything about this game is awesome.
Review
Opening scene: Joker is on his way back to his home away from home tucked nice and neat in the back of Batman's car. No struggle, no fit of practical jokes. Just nothing. Sounds too easy, right? It's a TRAP! But when has Batman ever truly been trapped. This is how Arkham Asylum grabs and keeps your attention straight through the ending credits.
Batman enters Arkham Asylum with Joker in tow yapping and spewing his insane accusations and threats. As he makes his way through the heavily guarded Intensive Treatment Facility, surprise, surprise, Joker manages to escape, allowing his henchmen to kill and take their first hostages. Batman soon realizes that this has been a plan from the very start. Something that Joker has been planning for months. Now he has to stop Joker and his cohorts before Gotham suffers and Arkham Island is destroyed.
Arkham Island is the location for the famed Arkham Asylum; home for the criminally insane. This is where you will spend your time tracking Joker and the ones helping him carry out his nefarious plans, rescuing helpless hostages, and collecting useful items The Asylum consists of The Intensive Care Facility, The Penitentiary, The Arkham Mansion, The Botanical Gardens, The Medical Facility, and The Visitors Center. As Batman gains experience from rescuing hostages, solving Riddler's puzzles, and collecting interview tapes, unlockables are revealed such as character bios, information on the interview tapes is readily accessible, new locations are revealed on the map, and upgrades from Wayne Tech are made available. At certain points of the game Batman will be able to upgrade his combat skills, his armor, and gadgets that will help him as he progresses through the Asylum.
Joker and Harley Quinn are the two guiding Batman's movements through the Asylum. They both enjoy the voyeuristic nature of their psyche and Batman knows this so he is fully prepared for all the practical jokes from Joker such as gift boxes sitting in the middle of the hall and chattering teeth marking Batman's path. Batman starts his journey equipped with his handy Batarang and Grappling Hook. These come in very handy when trying to defeat the initial waves of henchmen and to move around the Asylum. There are numerous ways to enter and exit certain areas of the Asylum. Vents, doors, weakened walls, and ledges are all areas to be explored for points of entry.
Arkham Asylum is a place for the criminally insane. At every turn the horrors of being a patient and employee there are revealed. Whole areas of the Intensive Care Facility and The Medical Facility are covered in dirt and filth. Beds to strap down uncontrollable patients are found scattered all around the facilities. Some of the patients are locked inside windowless cells, while others have a view through bars to see the electrified floor.
Gameplay is smooth and satisfying. Combat does not hinder the detective work. Enemies are easily dispatched. But not too easy, some tactics and strategy is needed to reduce the damage that Batman will take. He uses detective mode to locate areas that he cannot normally see. He is also able to gain information about the status of hostages and enemies regarding their level of comfort, their state of consciousness, and whether enemies are armed or not. Joker's henchmen show up at exactly the right times. There's always a reason for them being where they are. Between battles with Joker's henchmen, Batman stumbles across some more prevalent residents of the Asylum. Poison Ivy, Killer Crock, Scarecrow, Bane, and Riddler have their own agenda and Batman deals with them all in a different way.
Batman Arkham Asylum is a very dynamic game. It responds well to change and the NPCs react to the environment and Batman accordingly. They help each other try to defeat Batman by using what is available as a weapon. The voice over is impeccable. Everyone sounds exactly how they are supposed to sound. Animation is spot on. Attire, setting, and acting evokes true feelings as you progress through the game. Even though Batman is a comic character, gamers do not have to follow his character to enjoy the game. Good explanations of the game characters and the setting are given throughout the game. Pacing is good; the game is pushed forward at nice even intervals. There are a few surprises that keep an already fresh game even fresher. There aren't a lot of repetitive aspects of this game.
Batman fan or not, this is a must have for your games collection. Buy and play not only the story mode but also the challenge mode and enjoy the extras.