We review Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PC this time. Published by Eidos Interactive and Developed by Rocksteady Studios, this is a gem of a game that will not only please the fans but will also be appreciated by a newbie. Excellent gameplay mechanisms and stellar graphics power the exploits of the caped crusader in a night gone awfully wrong in the mental-horror hell of Gotham – The Arkham Asylum. Watch the review!
Hello and Welcome to the ‘What I Say Video Reviews’. I am Kinshuk Sunil and today we will have a look at one of the hottest titles available for the PC today – Batman Arkham Asylum.
0m 10s:
Written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, the game is part of the Batman Universe as much as any comic. The game puts you in the role of the caped crusader, as you spend a night gone awfully wrong on the Arkham Island. Joker, brought in by Batman has escaped and has an evil master plan against Batman and the city of Gotham.
0m 42s:
The game boasts of exceptional visual effects powered by the Ureal 3 Engine. The overall dispay, the tectures, are very rich. The ambience lighting and the particle effects are very well implemented to recreate a horrifying Arkham Asylum. Of course, you need decent hardware for that. The overall experience as Batman, for you, becomes very authentic and very distinctly appealing. Character Models are very detailed, animations are free flow and the post processing is to the spot.
1m 12s:
As Batman you never fall! You always glide down to safety.
1m 20s:
The gameplay is very linear. The game tries to promote an open ended approach around the island but it is not related to the storyline. The puzzles do bring a little bit of independence, as a player, where I can decide the approach to take to solve it, but these puzzles are presented in a very linear fashion. I can roam around a lot, but finally, I, end up solving the puzzle in limited ways.
1m 57s:
Right now what we are watching is a graft of the action in the middle of the story. Batman has just emerged on the surface of the island for the first time. All previous action was inside the buildings. He is trying to track Commissioner Gordon, who has been taken away by Harley Quinn.
2m 21s:
Those are the Dark Knights goodies! As Batman, you get to unlock gadgets as you progress in the story line. After you reach a specific situation, the gadget is given to you. So right now, Harley Quinn and her henchmen are damaging the bat mobile.
2m 55s:
Thats Oracle – Barbara Gordon, daughter of Jim Gordon and ex-bat girl. The game includes a lot of characters from the Batman universe, which not only adds to the games realism but also the depth. Something this game does right is that it does not try to retell a story, unlike other adaptations. This game has its own original story richly set within the Batman Universe. You are right now shaping the Batman franchise.
3m 35s:
As Batman, No place is too far in the Island. Everything is a gadget away.
3m 40s:
However the richness of detail, the story telling is a bit bland technically. The biggest problem is the linear game play.
3m 52s:
Okay! Now this is the ‘Detective Mode’. Apart from being trained to the best physically and mentally, Batman is also the world’s greatest detective. he also has a lot of technology that powers his detective skills. In his cowl, he has a special display unit that provides a lot of tactical information. Gameplay elements, objects and foes are highlighted. This is something that you have to take advantage of fo rthe open-ended elements of the game.
4m 30s:
Now, I silently went behind the thugs and am now doing a Silent Takedown action. The game controls are the best feature of the game. The controls are very fluid and easy. It is very easy to pull off combos and other actions, complex looking actions very easily.
4m 52s:
These are the thugs damaging the bat mobile. And now we see the combat system in action. There are only three keys fo rthe combat – left click to attack, right click to defend and counter attack, middle key to cape stun the opponent. Thats it! Everything else, the game takes care of. So, I can fulfill all my superhero fantasies without any complexities.
5m 13s:
As I fight thugs, I score experience points. The combos act as multipliers. Also some actions can only be done after achieving a certain combo. These points are used to unlock various upgrades for my gadgets and the suit.
5m 30s:
So I just gained access to the explosive gel gadget. This is how story progression unlocks new stuff. Similarly, other gadgets will be unlocked as I progress further in the story. Now we will go back to detective mode as we have to track Jim Gordon. Look for clues to Gordon’s locations and follow trail.
6m 02s:
Gordon has left is pipe as a clue. We will now detect his tobacco and follow the trail. On ivestigating the pipe we find that Gordon smokes the Wild Country tobbaco. We will now follow the scent in detective mode and stay after Gordon.
6m 31s:
Detective mode also showed me this weak structural element – object that I can take advantage of since the path is blocked. I will now use the explosive gel on this wall.
6m 45s:
The game has a nice gameplay and all.. and I just completed a level up, so I can now unlock an upgrade. With an excellent gameplay, graphic system and control mechanics, the upgrade system is also very nicely implemented. I can use this upgrades in various combinations tohave different experince altogether. So, the fist icons are the offensive upgrades, the predator upgrades, the corss is defensive upgrade, batarang upgrades and the sensor upgrades. They are nicely categorised.. lets see.. okay – multiple frequency detonation! With this I can use the explosive gel, apply it multiple times (max 3) and control detonation selectively.
There is also a richly detailed map of the Arkham Island. All of these things add a lot to the game experience. And everything is authentic, as mentioned in the canon.
7m 38s:
The Riddler is also present in the game, though not directly. You dont fight him as a foe, but he has left a lot of riddles for you to solve.
7m 50s:
These riddles add to the unlockable content. As you play, you also unlock character bios, which have more detail about characters. This is joker’s bio. Story, Facts and Attributes. Also, taped interviews in the asylum.
8m 48s:
The voice acting in-game is also something that shines extra-ordinaire. The real voice actors are used here to voice their game counterparts. Kevin Conroy, Mark Hammil, Arleen Sorkin reprise their roles as Batman, Joker and Harley Queen. This adds to the experience of the game and binds it with the Batman Universe.
9m 03s:
Another unlockables are the character trophies. These are basically the character models of some of the in-game characters and objects as trophies. That was Bane, then Batman himself. What trophy collection is complete without the Bat Mobile. Unfortunately, we only get to watch the bat mobile in the game. It would have been fun to drive it, maybe we will in the sequel. And here is the arch enemy of this episode – The Joker. Fans: what is scarface doing with the joker?
9m 41s:
Other than the unlockables and the story mode, the game also offers a challenge mode of play. Various challenges are set for you as Batman and you have to achieve these difficult, complex challenges and earn rewards. These are the different facets of the game play, and you also earn reward points plus compete on the online leaderboard. So, let us look at the Silent Knight Challenge play. You are the predator, stealth and fear are your weapons. You have to remain unseen and discreet as you take down the opponents one by one.
10m 17s:
This is an actual level in the game as well, with the same game play minus the challenge rewards. So, detective mode shows me all the foes and the various objects I can manipulate. Right now I am not in anyones point of view so time to hop on one of these handy gargoyles.
Some glitches are there in the game world. You cant fly distorted like that in real life.
So the thugs cant see you on the gargoyle. You are in the shadows, you are not visible.
You can make a lot of nice batman moves in the predator mode – silent and lethal. This wall is a structural weakness, so I aplly the explosive gel here. I will detonate it to take down as many foes as possible.
Now, I am looking for a spot. If this guys comes directly below me, I can do an inverted takedown. No he wont. He is going towards the other structural weakness.
Okay, there are two of them. The Joker keeps chiding them all along.
11m 38s:
This aspect of joker teasing the thugs and batman really adds to the experience, especially because of the wonderful voice acting. The backgorund score of the game is also wodnerful and fits in to the mood. A real pace setter. Every detail adds up to the experience and the ambience.
Okay. These thugs arent coming beneath me. One explosive gel is already set over there. I will set some here as well. Yup, there is the structural weakness.
12m 16s:
All of this is silent killing. I am not making any noise, I have not been detected.
12m 31s:
Well, Joker and his Jokes!
12m 44s:
I need to lure the guys closer to the wall, in range of the detonation.
12m 51s:
Ah! He was just in reach of an inverted takedown. Not by much though. Nevermind. There will be more opportunities.
13m 00s:
Lets give him a glide kick.
So the others heard the scuffle, but before they come I am gone over a gargoyle. Oh! They saw me. The Bat is being shot at.
13m 12s:
When the Batman is spotted once, they can briefly follow him onto the gargoyle. But if i change gargoyles quickly, they’ll loose the trace.
Okay one is here, I need one more.
13m 28s:
The AI is okay. These thugs are right now searching for me while covering each other. Making things difficult for me. So I am forced to lure them near.
13m 45s:
Come closer to the wall..
13m 59s:
Just one, I need one more closer to the wall.
14m 14s:
The detective mdoe shows a lot of tactical stats as well. It will also tell me of the mental state of characters around me. These guys are nervous right now. Their mental state is useful in my strategy.
They’ll assemble near him now. Ah! I am a bad predator. I have been spotted twice and shot at.
14m 45s:
Boom!
I did not use the Multiple Frequency Detonation, so I wasted my gel on the other weakness.
The tension is building now.
15m 05s:
Three left now.
15m 16s:
Now this is the sort of non-linear gameplay that is offered to the player. The story brought me here in a linear fashion, but now there are multiple approaches to how I solve problems. Multiple approaches and objects for manipulation. I can kill these 6 thugs in many ways, but the story telling is a linear progression. Yet, this makes for a fun gaming experience.
15m 44s:
Now he is in my range. This is the collest way of taking down enemies. Tie and let them hang them from the gargoyle.
15m 58s:
In conclusion, the graphics, gameplay, sound, details are very rich.
Okay, that was another diversion. He is cautious. And they are not watching each other’s back anymore.
16m 16s:
Bye Bye!
After I stun him, I take him down.
16m 28s:
The game play is very tight and balanced. The story is a bit linear but well written. Good Background score. Good game content.
A complete authentic Batman experience.
So, all the six thugs are taken care of.
16m 51s:
That will be all for Batman Arkham Asylum. Play this game, its worth playing and already out there for three months now.
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Author: Kinshuk Sunil (72 Articles)
Kinshuk Sunil is the founder of the WiSy Blog. An active evangelist for Open Source and a enthusiast Game Designer, Kinshuk focuses on reviewing Softwares, Services and Games here. However, a jack of all trades, Kinshuk can be found talking about almost everything. Catch up with him on twitter @kinshuksunil.
