Bag of Games

“Let’s put a smile on that face!” said Joker, but I believe that the developers of Batman: Arkham Asylum also had similar plans when they started to develop the game. Ok, we already know that Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 is under development and approaching our consoles as we speak, so I think we should take a look why Joker’s quotation is a stone cold truth in this case.

Well first of all, Batman is the only guy who can wear leather and beat villains and in the same time, look absolutely cool. Who wouldn’t love a guy who dresses up like a bat. In Batman Arkham Asylym, the game begins when Batman enters the madhouse and soon things starts go awry. The journey through the Asylum is everything else, but boring. Starting from the beginning, the game is not messing around and the product itself is not just some throwaway licensed product. Batman: Arkham Asylum is really an experience devoted to the multiple aspects of being Batman; including the cool gadgets, fear, lurking in shadows, overcoming challenges and of course a swath of Batman villains! All this combines together in high quality adventure, which will impress you until the final moments of the game.

The gameplay feels sort of exploration-style adventure, since Batman has various aid that help him see through walls etc. So instantly you will see areas what you cannot reach or get through. These areas are actually the ones you’ll be returning later as you advance in the game. Still, not once I felt bored to visit “the same places” again. The story is linear, but you still have enough freedom to collect amass of collectible objects and solve some riddles. The difficulty engages the player to the right level and as a player I found myself really pondering some of them. If you enjoy lore, the items you collect open bios and other bonuses which are quite interesting.

One of the best thing is, that you won’t be doing anything too long, since transitions through the areas go on smoothly. Sometimes you’ll be spending some time skulking in shadows and soon found yourself in close-up fights kicking some villain-butts. The fighting has a nice feel and it enables transitions from one enemy to the next as the game system has been developed in a way, that combat against multiple enemies feels natural. So you’ll be watching your back, executing cool moves and using brute force with Bat-style. Still, you have to remember that Batman is not super-powered and invincible so a direct approach to a group of hostiles with machine guns is really a bad idea. One major fun factor about “regular enemies” is that they don’t actually follow any pattern which could be seen as a typical solution. Instead, as Batman takes out few of the guys, the others start to freak out and you’ll be enjoying the terror you cause by simple staying in the boots of.. Batman.. dä nä nää!

The graphics of Batman: Arkham Asylum completes the package. The game comes along with some great graphics making the characters look really good. All the models and impacts really make some of the fights look really painful (and enjoyable!). The Asylum itself is also great with all the variety it offers. Cell blocks, mansions, greenhouse, exteriors etc. One thing worth mentioning is, that a big part of the game atmosphere comes from the sounds and voice acting of the game. Smacks, chops and villains too, are worth listening.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a strong package, tied together to deliver a satisfying gaming experience. Although the game won’t take too much time to complete, it still is enough the satisfy even the player’s who aren’t hardcore Batman fans. I don’t know about you, but I’m buying the sequel when it comes.