by Paul Robert Scott
Rocksteady’s Arkham Asylum achieved something that no one thought was possible in 2009. Up until then superhero games tended to be average, at best and downright awful rest of the time. Rocksteady completely blew this trend out of the water with Asylum, which allowed gamers to play through a Batman story that was as good as any comic book page, together with gameplay that fulfilled all aspects of the Dark Knight’s character. This was implemented once again in Arkham City on a larger scale, and left us with an ending that truly made us want to know what happened next… Now, with Arkham Knight, we finally have an answer.
Rocksteady’s Arkham Asylum achieved something that no one thought was possible in 2009. Up until then superhero games tended to be average, at best and downright awful rest of the time. Rocksteady completely blew this trend out of the water with Asylum, which allowed gamers to play through a Batman story that was as good as any comic book page, together with gameplay that fulfilled all aspects of the Dark Knight’s character. This was implemented once again in Arkham City on a larger scale, and left us with an ending that truly made us want to know what happened next… Now, with Arkham Knight, we finally have an answer.
The Arkham Knight poses a new and mysterious threat to the Caped Crusader.
Fret not, dear reader, I have no intention of spoiling the experience for you, but just to summarise, the game takes place nine months after the events of Arkham City when a well funded militia force takes over Gotham City, taking orders from an even scarier Scarecrow and the mysterious Arkham Knight. With the city under siege and the legacy of the Joker haunting Batman in about every way possible, the caped crusader faces his darkest hour as he struggles to save his city.
In the same tradition as its predecessors, Arkham Knight has a rich storyline that is filled with twists and turns. Certainly the game has benefited from its higher maturity rating as there are certainly some more violent themes, and even a few shock moments that will make you jump out of your skin. There are a few moments that may be somewhat predictable, which is sadly something that didn't tend to happen in Asylum and City, but simultaneously there is still plenty to keep you guessing. My only major gripe, without giving too much away, is that a significant revelation in regards to Batman's continued obsession with the, now deceased, Joker is given away a little too soon, which does get rid of some of the mystery within the rest of the story. That being said, the main story is still an intense thrill ride, while the entire game is filled with elements that Batman fans will recognise and love (and possibly just a few they'll hate).
In the same tradition as its predecessors, Arkham Knight has a rich storyline that is filled with twists and turns. Certainly the game has benefited from its higher maturity rating as there are certainly some more violent themes, and even a few shock moments that will make you jump out of your skin. There are a few moments that may be somewhat predictable, which is sadly something that didn't tend to happen in Asylum and City, but simultaneously there is still plenty to keep you guessing. My only major gripe, without giving too much away, is that a significant revelation in regards to Batman's continued obsession with the, now deceased, Joker is given away a little too soon, which does get rid of some of the mystery within the rest of the story. That being said, the main story is still an intense thrill ride, while the entire game is filled with elements that Batman fans will recognise and love (and possibly just a few they'll hate).
The Batmobile can be called to your side with just the touch of a button.
To match the higher stakes in the game, the scale of the whole map has been increased. Gotham is divided up into three islands, each about as large as the whole of Arkham City, together with the added bonus of huge high rise sky scrappers, and other buildings to ensure that you have plenty of height to explore. Though while the size of the map is so big, it never entirely feels like it is too big. There is still the outlying areas of the city across the rivers of the Gotham islands, but unlike in Arkham Origins, there is never a sense that you wish to go there. Arkham Knight offers more than enough city to explore, while simultaneously keeping it at a size that is still traversable before you get bored. That being said, you will find yourself cruising along in the Batmobile to get around more often than not.
The Batmobile, of course, is new to Arkham Knight, and while it would be easy to initially call its inclusion a gimmick, it does prove essential to your progression. The vehicle is loaded with about as many gadgets as Batman itself, and is almost always at your disposal when you are out on the city streets. With a tap of a button the car while race to your location, or even be remote controlled at a distance. There are portions of the game where its use is intentionally limited to make sure you don't abuse it, but because of these it just makes using the Batmobile all the sweeter after these levels are done. The only real issue is that its transformation from jet powered sports car, to strafing tank, can on occasion feel like a game of Transformers, but there is such joy in its implementation that all you want to do in the end is race around town, blowing up tanks and chasing bad guys.
The Batmobile, of course, is new to Arkham Knight, and while it would be easy to initially call its inclusion a gimmick, it does prove essential to your progression. The vehicle is loaded with about as many gadgets as Batman itself, and is almost always at your disposal when you are out on the city streets. With a tap of a button the car while race to your location, or even be remote controlled at a distance. There are portions of the game where its use is intentionally limited to make sure you don't abuse it, but because of these it just makes using the Batmobile all the sweeter after these levels are done. The only real issue is that its transformation from jet powered sports car, to strafing tank, can on occasion feel like a game of Transformers, but there is such joy in its implementation that all you want to do in the end is race around town, blowing up tanks and chasing bad guys.
Same combat, but with a few added bonuses.
Of course when you catch the bad guys you still have all of Batman's combat and predator skills to draw on. The game pretty much starts with almost all of the same moves available to you as you finished with in previous games, but adds to them to allow you even more ways to take down enemies. Fundamentally, combat remains the same, so the instant familiarity for those who have played Arkham before gives you the feeling of slipping on a familiar pair of shoes. The additional bells and whistles, such as the the multi-fear takedown can be useful to dispatch enemies quickly, and the much talked about dual takedown mode is equally as handy when you're in the thick of it with an ally like Catwoman or Nightwing. There are a few new gadgets too, but at the end of the day there is nothing outstandingly different in regards to how you'll defeat your foes. The AI has been improved with a leaning towards adapting to your tactics more readily and frequently, but ultimately if all else fails you can more often than not wait in the rafters until they relax themselves a bit more to pick them off one by one. Although, having said that certain missions are now also time restricted meaning you do need to act fast on occasion. These minor tweaks to the gameplay are welcome additions to a system that has proved to be so well received in the past, and after Arkham Origins failed to deliver on Rocksteady's standard, it is nice to see a return to form.
Graphically the game is, of course, still as beautiful as ever. The city has a distinctive blend of styles that make it look somewhere in between a Tim Burton movie and the more recent, Christopher Nolan trilogy of batman films. The level of detail is definitely needed too, since the fiendishly difficult Riddler trophies and conundrums are back and even harder to spot than ever. In some ways, it's actually a shame that the entirety of the game takes place at night since so much of the hard work and effort put into the designs are hid in shadows. Even the Batmobile very rarely gets to be seen in its full glory, except for the rare occasions you enter a well lit area.
Graphically the game is, of course, still as beautiful as ever. The city has a distinctive blend of styles that make it look somewhere in between a Tim Burton movie and the more recent, Christopher Nolan trilogy of batman films. The level of detail is definitely needed too, since the fiendishly difficult Riddler trophies and conundrums are back and even harder to spot than ever. In some ways, it's actually a shame that the entirety of the game takes place at night since so much of the hard work and effort put into the designs are hid in shadows. Even the Batmobile very rarely gets to be seen in its full glory, except for the rare occasions you enter a well lit area.
Saving Gotham would be much easier if it wasn't so big.
Without question, Rocksteady have created another hit. The game rolls all the new elements into itself without detracting from the familiar style in any way, and is as enjoyable as ever. It can often feel like the game does throw you into the deep end of the pool a little bit as it will assume that previous players will be familiar with the older games. In may ways this does make the game somewhat more difficult to get into if they were unfamiliar with the franchise, but the same can be said of the story which very much uses the events of Arkham City as a staging point for the rest of the game. All in all though if you are already a fan of Arkham then this will be near perfect, with a very bittersweet end to the franchise.
That being said, I think it's fair to say that Rocksteady have not quite outdone themselves. While the entire games works well, it can often feel a little overwhelming in portions where you'd rather take your time and soak up the scenery, while at the same time there are frequently parts of the game that feel like you're playing just a repeat of a fight you may have had twenty minutes ago. These are, of course, just minor gripes, and they in no way affected my enjoyment of the game as a whole. Arkham Knight is still a game with plenty to enjoy and treasure. It is, in fact, just saddening that this is going to be the final time Rocksteady make and Arkham title, but they have definitely left the series on a high note which will make you want to play all three games all over again once you're done. But for now, for one last time, let's just say the line we all want to say. You all ready? One... Two... Three...
"I'm Batman!"
That being said, I think it's fair to say that Rocksteady have not quite outdone themselves. While the entire games works well, it can often feel a little overwhelming in portions where you'd rather take your time and soak up the scenery, while at the same time there are frequently parts of the game that feel like you're playing just a repeat of a fight you may have had twenty minutes ago. These are, of course, just minor gripes, and they in no way affected my enjoyment of the game as a whole. Arkham Knight is still a game with plenty to enjoy and treasure. It is, in fact, just saddening that this is going to be the final time Rocksteady make and Arkham title, but they have definitely left the series on a high note which will make you want to play all three games all over again once you're done. But for now, for one last time, let's just say the line we all want to say. You all ready? One... Two... Three...
"I'm Batman!"
To the Batmobile!
If anyone needs us we'll be just playing this for the next several months while Rocksteady brings out all of the game's DLC content, but even without it we get the feeling we'll be playing for some time to come.
How have you been enjoying Arkham Knight? Are you loving it as much as we are? Let us know in the comments below!
How have you been enjoying Arkham Knight? Are you loving it as much as we are? Let us know in the comments below!
RSS Feed
