From the Vault — originally published October 12, 2009. Some links, videos or prices may be out of date.
Batman Arkham Asylum is a third person action adventure, and stealth game published by Eidos Interactive and developed by Rocksteady. The game puts you inside Arkham Asylum as you use various gadgets, stealth tactics, violence, and your wits to solve riddles.
The combat in Arkham Asylum is extremely well executed. Combat is based around a free flow system that requires precise timing and only a few button presses. There is plenty of variety in Batman’s fighting and the combat flows through the ability to link moves together as you take out a room full of thugs. There is something elegant about the combat system because of the few different buttons you actually need to press to accomplish the varied moves and resulting combos chains. The camera during combat is always showing you what you need to see and is great. The combat is badass and you really do feel like you are Batman in combat situations. They pretty much nailed the combat and its always very fun.
In Arkham Asylum you are Batman and certainly not Rambo. You have no guns and stealth tactics are a must to get through the game. Batman is outnumbered and outgunned throughout most of the game. Silent take downs and using gadgets such as explosive gel and other traps are a must to even the odds against the heavily armed goons in the game. The stealth is very well done and the varied ways that you can take out the enemy keeps the game interesting. If you die there is always another approach you can take to try to beat a section. You can sneak up behind enemies, set up explosive traps, hang upside down from rafters and do inverted take downs, and many more tools at your disposal.
When your not kicking ass, or sneaking around planning your next take down there are secret Riddler trophies to hunt for and riddles to solve by finding and scanning the solution. The riddles help to brand your character as “the worlds greatest detective” and it is also very fun to test you wit hunting for the hidden items and solutions. Many of the hidden items and riddles are wrapped around Batman lore so its great fan service.
The graphics are detailed and dark themed yet the game never feels boring because of it. There is enough color in the set pieces and varied environments to keep you drawn in. You can fully explore Arkham which is made up of buildings and landscape scattered across the island. You will travel over, under and through various types of buildings, caves and environment types. As you progress in the game you unlock and acquire additional gadgets that will open up new areas and parts of areas you already visited. This keeps things interesting and sets a pace that kept my interest all the way though to the end.
Of all the components of the game the element that sticks out as the weakest would certainly be the boss battles which could have been better executed. The first boss encounter is great but if there is anything I would like to see improved most in the sequel, I would have to point at the boss battles. The last boss battle is particularly disappointing.
Regardless though Batman Arkham Asylum is Batman at his best. The ninja like stealth, gadgets, and beat downs all come together in a great way. The game is packed with content with the main storyline to complete, riddles to solve, and challenge rooms. There is no doubt that even at full price you are getting your moneys worth. Batman Arkham Asylum is a great game and recommended even at full price. Buy it, play it, and have fun!
