September 28, 2009 - It seems in the past year, the big superhero on everybody’s mine has been Batman. The Batman R.I.P. arc began in May and by the end of it, we were promised Batman wouldn’t be Batman anymore. Then The Dark Knight premiered last July and the entire world went nuts over him breaking all sorts of box-office records. By this point Batman is at the top of the world. Now something has come along that could destroy it all: a video game. Video games based on comic book characters come with a stigma attached to it. It could almost ruin a comic book character (Superman 64 can vouch for that). But I am here to tell you that is not the case. Batman: Arkham Asylum is not only a good game; it firmly plants a flag on top of its hill to tell other comic book-based video games: This is how you do it and do it well.

When you first sit down and see this game, you can tell that a lot of time and care went into making this property and that is definitely thanks to not having this game tied to a movie release. This is a completely original storyline and it is compelling every step of the way. Batman has just thwarted another one of Joker’s schemes and is on route to taking him back to Arkham Asylum. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the Joker wanted. The Joker then traps The Dark Knight on the island and unleashes some of his greatest foes upon him. It’s up to Batman to, as he so elegantly puts it, “Restore fear to the darkness.”

The progression of Arkham Asylum plays out a bit like a Metroid game. Some areas can’t be explored until a certain gadget is unlocked. The asylum is a huge facility laid out over an entire island. There are many crooks and crannies to explore. But this really isn’t a free-roaming sandbox game that you may think it is. The storytelling is quite linear and it only adds to the experience as Batman. He is a man on a mission and not known to go out unless he has a clear plan in mind of how to execute it.

The problem with other Batman games before it was that they never really encompassed all that Batman could do. The game boiled down to a side scrolling brawler and he could throw Batarangs at opponents from time to time. This is the first game that showcases everything that Batman could do. He is a master of hand-to-hand combat and it is showcased wonderfully in the Free-Flow Combat system. He has a wide array of gadgets that he can use for problem-solving areas. And finally, and perhaps the most important aspect of Batman, he strikes from the darkness preying on opponent’s fears thanks to the Invisible Predator mechanics. Rocksteady Studios has used all these facets of the Batman character to let players have the quintessential Batman experience.

The gameplay is the core of the Batman game. The problem solving aspect is mainly seen through Batman’s Detective Mode (Which he calls “the cowl’s vision mode”). When this is turned on, the environment is seen through a different colored filter and point out hints to help Batman deduce mysteries. This feature surprised me the most. Not really how it works, but what you actually use it for in the story. There’s one where Batman is using Detective Mode to look for clues in a crime scene and he remembers that a guard he is tracking likes to drink whiskey on the job, so he switches his cowl’s vision mode to detect the molecules of whiskey in the air. When I heard those words come out of his mouth, my eyes widened and I literally dropped my jaw. That in itself is just amazing and is a testament to the developer’s attention to detail. Batman will use the smallest bit of information to solve a mystery and this is about as small as it gets. It is astounding that this kind of detail was put in the game. The mystery facet is basically only used to follow a trail in the story, but the Detective Mode can also be used in other parts of the game that makes it quite the versatile tool. The Detective Mode also serves as an x-ray camera and can showcase certain walls that can be destroyed and analyzes technology around the island and how it can be overcome.

Batman has trained his body to the peak of physical fitness and the Free-Flow Combat system showcases it. Batman takes on numerous opponents at a time and the combat makes it quite easy to chain together combos and take on all enemies. However, don’t assume that this system is easy to master overnight. Combat is regulated to four main actions: strike, counter, jump and stun. While run-of-the mill players might be satisfied only repeatedly striking opponents, using all actions at all times will separate the mediocre from the hardcore players. The higher the combo chain, the more experience points are yielded for leveling up Batman. With each level, Batman can buy upgrades to his combat, weapons and his suit. Also the experience gained allocates how much health Batman gains back (There are no health packs in this game). Once you get a high enough combo chain going, Batman can jump across half a room to reach opponents. The system never gets old. I am always finding new ways to attack a room and how to keep a combo chain going. You can also incorporate Batman’s many gadgets into combat to keep his chain going such as his grapple gun which can pull people closer to you and the standard Batarang that can knock down opponents. The Free-Flow Combat is perhaps the most fluid combat system I have ever seen. Batman can seamlessly go from striking and countering with ease. While Batman is punching someone in the face, he can easily transition into a counter and grab a pipe from an oncoming assailant and use it against him. Perhaps the only downside to the combat is the directional input of moves. There is several times where I wanted to attack a person behind me, but Batman decides to attack the person to his right. It gets a bit frustrating when certain opponents can block attacks and ruin your combo chain.