We’re going to keep this one short and sweet. Arkham Asylum is a terrifyingly addictive bat-bash through a psychotic world of DC villains and gothic architecture, separating itself quite superbly from the rest of the movie licence backwash with a pleasantly surprising comic book flavour that certainly leaves a fantastic taste in one’s mouth. In short, this game is incredible, with a fast paced, superlative storyline that picks you up and never let’s go. To say that we were not worried about this game when it was first announced would be lying to you, we were, and we can only digress now how very very wrong we were. In fact, Batman Arkham Asylum gets so much right that it’s hard to get everything down on paper quick enough to do it justice. The caped crusader may come straight out of comic book lore for this superb adventure, but he is most definitely more reminiscent of that of the famous Hollywood adaptation The Dark Knight, released late last year, rather than his page-turning counterpart. Arkham Asylum is a dark, grippingly sinister title that hooks you in with it’s scarily ice cold heart, firmly planted in the games spectacular setting, and very rarely lets your eyes wander anywhere else for a rest. Thought Bioshock was twisted, you haven’t seen anything yet. The midnight corridors and expansive hallways, jail cells, underground caverns, secret chambers and pitfalls, disused libraries, toxic tunnels and infested waterways are brilliantly realised through the games super stylised visuals. In full HD glory, Batman Arkham Asylum looks incredible, and it’s a credit to Rocksteady Studios for making such a super realised environment. The Asylum is certainly a very twisted and confusing location for the mighty visceral super hero, and after venturing into the very heart of its maniacal walls, it becomes apparent that this is going to be an extremely intense and heart pounding thrill ride. We won’t reveal too much of the games intricate and delicately balanced storyline, not to mention the shocking ending, but after an impressive opener with The Joker making his stand against the armed guards of the Asylum, and the interwoven tapestry of events that lead from his escape into the darkest depths of the psychotic sanctuary, all of your worst fears become a reality. Some of Batman’s most historic and criminally insane enemies are unleashed into your world, each adding a complex, and varied mix of action and puzzle enhanced gameplay, where cunning and skill combine to offer memorable and distinctive showdowns with some of Gotham’s most dangerous adversaries. From Poison Ivy with her fungal fumes of passion and intoxication, to Bane with his super silly strength, The Riddler and his crazy mind, Killercroc, Harley Quinn, and Scarecrow, the amount of bat fan nostalgia will form a tear to the eye. Each one of them will have you scratching your head over the best way to dispatch them quickly, utilising some of Batman’s button mapped moves to instigate that final drop kick where it’s needed. At its heart, Arkham Asylum relies heavily on its combat, and what a fine and crafted tool it is too. Punch, feint, counter, and dodge are all excellently combined with some of Batman’s useful inventory, including the Batarang and explosive gel to really cause some pain, and what a pleasure it is too to watch as you string together a fantastic repertoire of combos and super moves to outwit and out manoeuvre your opponents in real-time, with no signs of lag or screen distal. The immense size of Arkham will no doubt daunt a lot of players into thinking that it’s a metroid-esque romp through locked doors and passageways, where in actual fact, it’s more akin to Bioshock than anything else with its relatively simple and structured level tiered system, guiding the player with the use of some excellent and interesting narration from the key antagonist, Joker. With his sharp tongue, cocky wit, and dicey humour, Joker plays a pivotal role in executing a moody, dark, and dank atmosphere in what can only be described as one of the best videogame locations ever conceived. It truly is that spectacular. Along with the fabled batmobile and extensive armoury of gadgets and gizmos, Batman also has access to the TEC vision, his version of an on-screen monitor/visor, which highlights key areas to search and enemies to attack, stealthily and from atop the tallest and darkest corners of Arkhams mad tapestries, to form a calculated and physically adrenaline inducing attack on some unsuspecting armed forces. Along with this, Batman also has access to the Bat Claw, for grapple like obstacles, the handy Line Launcher for travelling across large gaps and an electronic pulse detector, for disabling locks with a twiddle of both analogue sticks. He is also able to access challenge rooms from the main game, where you can venture back and forth to gain new abilities and improve on your combat and predator skills. You can even post your best scores on the live leader boards, and upgrade all of your weaponry and physical prowess by earning experience points. Rocksteady really have thought of everything, and one thing we are sure about at this stage, those final few months of extra development time from its announced delay have most certainly paid off. If we had to find some negatives, it’s through the fact that the final boss battle feels such a letdown after an incredible adventure such as this one, the camera work can sometimes become stuck on scenery and very rarely the viewpoint becomes affected, but to be brutally honest, the only real disappointment is that it had to end. As not only one of the best videogames of 2009 so far, this could quite easily be one of the best videogame titles full stop, it’s that darn good. With its breathtaking world of gothic glamour and spine tingling encounters, the world of Batman has never looked or felt as good as this. A classic.
