Riddle me this, Batman: Who put the sense back into
license?
The answer is: Batman did. In fact, before Batman: Arkham Asylum you
could take one thing for granted - if your game was a licensed title it would
suck (unless it was made under the Star Wars umbrella). It
would suck because its sole reason for being was to promote and sell some
other product. It would suck because the developers were given the tiniest
possible window to get the game ready in time. And it would suck because there
was nary any heart, nor soul, nor innovation poured into the game, only
cynical exploitation through knucklehead gameplay grinding.
Then along came Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009 and changed the scene. It caught
us off guard by being Game of the Year-material; a superb 3D-Metroidvania with
innovative, free-flowing combat. It's an instant classic set inside an
oppressive insane asylum overtaken by the inmates. In the role of the Dark
Knight, you cross paths with some of Gotham City's most notorious villains:
Victor Zsasz, Bane, Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and last
but not least The Joker (with splendid voice acting from Mark Hamill),
who directs the riot from a secure position.
The situation is dire, and controlling most other protagonists would have
turned it into a horror game. The sounds and architecture of the asylum
normally keep the inmates subdued. Now you have to fight the dread - with The
Joker constantly taunting you over the speakers - to quell the uprising. But
although this is one of the worst nights of his life, Batman never flinches,
not even when Scarecrow (Dino Andrade) makes him re-live his tragic
backstory in a few brilliant nightmare sequences.
Batman is as stoic as comic superheroes get, and listening to his reassuring
voice (through the acting of Kevin Conroy) helps you through the game's
perpetual night. He just knows that none of the villains stand a chance
against him one-on-one, and when they cooperate, he can dwindle their numbers
down to a manageable size. In their eyes Batman is the scary
one, so he can use the locales to his advantage. It's funny how sometimes even
The Joker turns on his own henchmen, mocking them for what's about to happen.
BATMAN BY DESIGN
Arkham Asylum was the first well-researched superhero game. With the aid of
veteran comic book author Paul Dini, the relatively unknown Rocksteady Studios perfectly captured the essence of how Batman operates. They designed
the gameplay and story around the character's skillset and existing lore,
rather than shoehorning it all into a pre-existing game genre. This new
formula has since become a mainstay in superhero games, and a few of the
mechanics has spread to other genres, particularly ones involving open worlds.
Viewed through a third-person stalking perspective, you're the lurking horror
of the asylum. Swinging from ledge to ledge, observing enemy movements from
higher ground, you prey on their fear. You single out the most vulnerable one
and glide down for a quick takedown, before disappearing into a ventilation
shaft or back on to the rafters. The rest of the villains are none the wiser,
until they discover someone is missing, start panicking and act erratically.
Your detective goggles register their heightened pulse.
In more cramped spaces, you must resort to fisticuffs. That involves a
wonderful, revolutionary free-form combat mechanic where you leap from
opponent to opponent, increasing attack power for as long as you land hits
uninterrupted. The camera moves slightly upwards to give you an overview.
Batman responds instantaneously to your input, with animations so quick and
fluid it seems his fighting style prepares him for anything in any moment. His
defenses are airtight.
It sounds complex, but hinges more on reaction and timing than impossible
button combinations. The seemingly endless amount of animations take care of
the rest. And through a few character upgrades you can cheese the fights
further, allowing for quicker takedowns, better gadgets and improved body
protection. The only way for the villains to score a hit is to equip firearms
or stun batons. That - or hoping the player sucks and doesn't react in time to
their punches.
STAY AWHILE, STAY FOREVER
One of Arkham Asylum's few incontestable flaws is that it never gives the
player a reason to leave the so-called "detective mode", which Batman uses to
track people, gain night vision and spot enemies through walls. At no cost, it
provides the player with such an advantage you'd be a fool to deactivate it.
But while you're in detective mode, most of the game's visual design goes to
waste. Most objects are reduced to their mere geometrical shapes, and a dull
blue/purple filter blots out the already sparse color palette.
These mechanics make up the bulk of Arkham Asylum, interjected by cutscenes,
bossfights and player-driven world exploration. You're the master of the
game's pacing. The asylum is reasonably sized, but the maps are big
enough to hide some hard-earned secrets. By looking through every location you
can find uniquely designed objects for you to capture in photo mode. Some of
them relate to a fun sidequest, involving challenges posed by the enigmatic
villain The Riddler.
Situated on an island, with Gotham City in clear view on the horizon, the
asylum itself consists of a few structures of old European architecture.
Released during the Batman-craze of the Christopher Nolan-directed The Dark Knight-trilogy, the visuals are inspired by
the gloomier depictions of Gotham City. The constant thematic shifts between
gothic, steampunk and art deco creates an environment that keeps a civilized
facade, but can barely keep the madness at bay.
This makes the game run the risk of becoming too dark and heavy. Thankfully,
writer Paul Dini sidesteps that by concocting a story halfway over the top,
celebrating the campiness of superhero traditions.
The Half-Life inspired, playable introduction gives us a nice
idea of what awaits. Batman brings a weirdly upbeat The Joker into custody,
trailing his entourage of security guards through numerous checkpoints, and
into the asylum's Intensive Treatment facility. Then, in a ridiculous moment
of lax transition, the madman breaks free. Whatever he's planning for the
island follows comic-book logic in that it realistically makes little sense.
To enjoy it you must suspend your disbelief.
Content-wise, this is awesome pop culture junk food. Anyone looking for great
storytelling art should look elsewhere. But although Arkham Asylum is
story-driven, it never lets the narration intrude upon the urgency of
progression. Instead, it acts as a great motivator, setting the stage for some
great set pieces that are up to you to solve. Dini's finest contribution is
his deep knowledge and understanding of the franchise. Some of the most
unforgettable moments of Arkham Asylum are probably informed by his ideas,
like the Scarecrow nightmares.
ALL-INCLUSIVE SUMMARY
If one phrase can summarize the experience, it would be "balanced to
perfection", or maybe "all-inclusive". The maps are perfectly sized to suit
everyone. You gain new upgrade points, new gadgets and new ways to explore
previous areas at a steady rhythm. You can tailor the pace to your own
preferred playstyle, and no one should have to feel punished, neither for
rushing nor being overly cautious. Feel the need to find every secret? Then
you're probably a lorehound, and I guarantee even that time investment is
worth it.
Heck, I am not personally a fan of superheroes - that boat has long since
sailed - and even I love Arkham Asylum. Comics have rarely given me
much to think back on, but Arkham Asylum excels in the present. The oppressive
atmosphere envelops me, and the gameplay allows me to take advantage of it.
Through mechanics tweaked, playtested and certified, Rocksteady makes the
advanced seem easy, which in turn makes me feel confident enough to fight the
good fight.
The forgettable story also serves a purpose - every revisit feels like my
first time playing, as if I'm reliving a recurring dream. I know I've seen it
before, but my mind somehow ignores that fact. I suppose that is the power of
great trash - it makes you an addict. Batman: Arkham Asylum currently has
three sequels, with a fourth one, Gotham Knights, ready to hit the
shelves in 2021. That should be enough to satiate the need for a long time.
[Screenshots from MobyGames: www.mobygames.com]
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