Game Walkthrough Analyses: II

In his walkthrough for Batman: Arkham Asylum published by Rock Study, Chris outlined how the design excellently blended the compelling story with the various game mechanics. The underlying plotline of the Joker releasing all of Batman's enemies from Arkham Asylum for him to capture and defeat once more drives the action, and the story seems faithfully reproduced from the cartoon series, making it a joy for old and new fans alike to play.

The graphics are impressive, placing slightly stylized, yet realistic looking character models into a slew of dark, gritty, nonlinear environments. The combat system seamlessly incorporates time-sensitive button mashing with stunning, slow-motioned visuals of Batman's powerful kicks, punches, and chokeholds, and the Unreal and Chaos engines used in the design lend satisfying ragdoll effects to the enemies.

In addition to Batman's successively growing arsenal of deadly weapons, picked up as rewards throughout the game, the player is given access to a bunch of useful gear to help navigate dynamic levels; players can scale walls with a grappling hook or swoop down on unsuspecting baddies using Batman's cape-turned-glider, allowing the player to develop their own fighting tactics using their environment. The platforming is just as engaging as the fight sequences, often blending hand to hand combat, exploration, and the masked hero's stealthy side in detective mode, or when the player chooses to have Batman perform silent takedowns of his enemies instead of merely barging in, guns blazing so to speak (or in this case, fists?). Collectively, the wide range of options offered to interact with the game environments keep the action from ever being redundant, and maintain replay value even after the game has been beaten once.

The player character isn't static either, as Batman sports more visible cuts and bruises and picks up upgrades and different weapons as the game progresses. The game world is as successfully atmospheric as those in the Bioshock or Prince of Persia titles, and enriching sidequests such as the trail of clues left by the Riddler encourage the player to venture from the more linear, main plot sequence to explore the limits of their environment.

Conducive with the immersive setup, the actual gameplay experience is interrupted only by a loading screen, the occasional map, and verbal cues said by Batman himself to offer valuable hints as to what the next goal is to keep the player from getting lost or confused too often.