Batman: Arkham Asylum was something of an approval form, it would seem. Despite its surprising level of quality, the story stuck to the formulaic; round up Bat-baddies until you get to the biggest of the bad. It played that aspect safe, and it was to good effect.
But just imagine the meeting Rocksteady had with Warner Bros. when it came to sequel talk. Arkham was critically acclaimed, commercially successful and even had a few game of the year awards under its utility belt. The suits must have just thrown the money at them and said “Yeah, run with it”.
And so run, grappled, zip-lined with it Rocksteady have, producing a remarkable feat of fan service, top-tier game play and storytelling all under one roof. Put simply, Batman: Arkham City gets it all right, down to the very screws on a Batarang.
The staples of Arkham Asylum’s third-person gameplay are still in place, with combat that serves as an intense practise in timing and skill and stealth sections that perfectly capture the playfully powerful feeling of picking off prey one-by-one. Had this sequel been little more than a series of challenge rooms that pushed these aspects to their most challenging and demanding then City would still prove to be an addicting romp that would be difficult to put down.
But instead the developer’s latest reflects the kind of malicious attention to detail and commitment that Bruce Wayne applies to his life as the Dark Knight. It’s hard not to imagine the team working away at desks just like Bats does in a great Loeb mystery while you’re simply roaming around the now-open world environment and absorbing the city and its inhabitants, be it through main quest, side quest or of your own free will.
And that work pays off. Arkham Asylum’s scope has been vastly increased in the follow-up, incorporating RPG-like distractions and smooth traversal into a world that – while much larger - is every bit as in-depth as its predecessor. Side-quests, while not exhaustive in number, feel like standalone comic arcs all by themselves, picking up fan-favourite villains that couldn’t fit into the main story and getting Batman to interact with them in far more inventive ways than a series of boss fights. Even the Riddler’s brilliant challenges have been bolstered, with some 400 individual riddles to solve.
Taken individually, each side quest proves entertaining. As a whole, they paint an entirely convincing portrait of being Batman himself, thinking like he thinks, acting like he acts, overcoming any obstacle without the moment’s panic that today’s blockbuster titles try and deliver.
Creating that illusion is central to the game’s main story, which the side quests only serve to compliment in the long run. Batman runs the gauntlet of villains and thugs just like last time around, but the liberties Rocksteady has been allowed to take with said rogues gallery lets you believe this is anything but a standard Batman adventure. From the game’s shocking opening to its ending that plays a similar tune, the story spins player’s expectations right round, weaving a yarn that’s up there with tales like Hush and Dark Victory, if never quite achieving the success of The Long Halloween or even brushing the likes of Year One, not that one can fault it for that.
When tackling the central plot, the world shifts to a Zelda-like overlay, with the prison itself not far off the decaying mess that Hyrule-market turns itself into mid-Ocarina. Its landmarks are the dungeons, its thugs are the annoying little skeleton things that come out at night and its grapple hook is a cold, (much) thinner Epona.
Before all is said and done Batman will have upgraded his arsenal a number of times and had more than his fair share or punch-ups and stealth sections. New enemy types and environmental puzzles and platforming demand that players utilize the equipment on offer, sometimes even returning to areas to access previously hidden sections. In some respects this idea feels underutilized though. It’s one of the few sections of the game that actually plays second fiddle to its inspiration, not really earning the title of ‘Metroidvania’, rather ‘mild curiosity satisfier’.
Simply navigating Batman when left to his own devices can prove to be a riddle all in itself too. ‘Stiff’ is the most fitting term to describe his basic walking and running, though his character model and size admittedly compliment this. The Terminator comes to mind when Batman stomps down a corridor, only with a clumsier, less dominating feel, like if Arnie had left the sunglasses at home.
Fingers will also start to get twisted in knots as the game goes on. When the amount of gadgets available hits double digits, finding which one you want can be a mini game all in itself. Context-sensitive button presses could have saved a lot of the hassle that make some later sections feel like chores when continuously switching devices. Combat also becomes more complex, requiring greater focus to master. It can be quite stressful when enemies are laying into Batman and your relying on the hit button simply doesn’t cut it anymore, but this simply means you have to be better. Whether a game based on such a popular franchise should approach this level of skill-based combat is really a decision only the player can make. But not being able to just cruise through without truly applying oneself is refreshing in this day and age.
Joining to Batman’s own adventure is a playable guest spot by Catwoman, who steals roughly an hour of the 20 hour experience for herself. While Selina’s move set is definitely fleshed out, she ends up feeling like a missed opportunity more than anything else; falling back on puns so bad you’ll think you’re watching the 60’s show. Her short missions are also by far the easiest parts of the game, providing more of a breather from the main action more than another set of engaging side quests.
But when it’s back to Bats, the feel is tighter than a full proof prep-time plan and the same rings true for the look. The asylum’s gritty atmosphere is rediscovered and bettered within the city, which applies meticulous amounts of detail to every brick, manhole and street lamp. Character designs are the standout, with many of Rocksteady’s twisted reimagining’s going hand-in-hand with the dark tone. How to solve a problem like the Penguin? Cut that nose down to size, ditch the umbrella and replace that monocle with a broken glass bottle, and you’ve got a really chilling adaption of the potentially laughable baddie.
Mark Hamill’s Joker steals the show again though, while not quite getting as much stage time as Arkham Asylum. Rocksteady’s perfect mix of classic comic mythology and the tone of the recent Christopher Nolan flicks stands out the most in Batman’s most notorious villain. The detailed character model has an unmistakeable hint of menace in his face every time he graces the screen, leaving a lasting impact that’s worthy of Hamill’s supposedly final performance as the clown prince of crime.
Most of the voice acting stays true to this ethic, and even Bane is done right this time, appearing far more intelligent than the Hulkish iteration seen in the last game. Kevin Conroy churns out an ever-confident Batman, though some of the one-liners on his part are a little hard to stomach.
It’s rare to find a video game that does truly what only video games can do. For the most part we seek the same thrills in gaming that we’d get from the cinema, but Batman: Arkham City does what The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Year One, The Dark Knight Returns and all those other classic stories can’t do, it lets you become Batman. And not just for a limited time under a pressured environment like in the asylum, but to actually live as him, think like him.
Not many games can truly put you in the shoes of an entirely different person and give you a true sense of being. On that basis alone, Arkham City is one of the triumphs of 2011.
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