Foreword:

In this latest game adaptation of the dark knight, you play Bruce Wayne, enforcing his brand of justice across Gotham City. The game begins with dark knight dragging the joker back to Arkham Asylum, which is where the most insane criminals in Gotham city are being kept in lockdown. It would appear that the clown broke out a couple of weeks ago but Batman is unable to recapture him soon enough. It would seem that Batman’s job for the night is almost done but certainly you know on your end that it is just the beginning.

Suddenly the dark knight is surrounded by hundreds of Joker’s henchmen, the confrontation ultimately ends with the Joker escaping through the help of Harley Quinn and seizing control of the Asylum by releasing all the prisoners. That is basically the backbone of the game’s plot. From there on, you are catapulted to a gloomy world that is structured around multiple buildings located in one giant rock. The joker is in charge of the asylum now and you’re going to deal with rooms filled with explosives and toxic gas, save the lives of a couple of doctors and swing over buildings to stop him.

Sounds like a plot for your average batman episodes. Indeed it is, with one clear exception. This game is rated in Adult category; so expect to see a lot of characters with colorful vocabularies such as “shit” and “bitch” and people killing each other wherever you go. The Asylum after all is depicted as a place that houses the sickest imaginable psychopaths.

The game’s combat system is quite easy to learn but it takes considerable skill to tally a high number of combos and make those hits connect. You can probably survive most confrontations by mashing those buttons. However, enemies carrying projectile and melee weapons require more quiet approach. You have the freedom to engage your enemy at your discretion. You can access tools and weapons stored in your utility belt. You can also stalk the bad guys and take them out from the shadow, which is probably batman’s greatest signature aspect. All in all a deep and immersive story line and a freestyle fluid combat system makes this the greatest batman experience to date.

+Ves:

• Gloomy and well depicted environment that truly suits the game
• Deep immersive storyline with a lot of engaging twists
• Fast paced combat system that emphasizes freedom and discretion
• A lot of riddles and puzzles that will unleash the detective in you.
• Top of the line voice talent and orchestration

-Ves:

• Poorly conceived cut scenes
• Unresponsive AI

Final Word:

To draw this review to a close, it needs to be said that Batman: Arkham Asylum is the best game adaptation of the Dark Knight to date. The game caters to the adult category that is well told and reinforced by very engaging elements. Voice talent is top notch and helps setup the mood that you are indeed within the dark knight’s grim and violent realm. If I must mention any gripes about it, I would say that the AI could have been a bit more attentive and that the cut scenes could have been made better. However, these are just minor aspects and are easily undermined by the game’s excellent presentation.