4/5 ★ – peacebrendanp's review of Batman: Arkham Asylum - Game of the Year Edition.

Probably my last game of 2024, and what a banger to go out on. This game is way shorter and simplistic than what I remember. I beat the main game at around 9 or 10 hours, and that is including doing some of the DLC challenge missions. This game transported me back to 2009, in all the best ways. Negatives first. There is a lot of gadgets, and really no reason to use them all. Even then, the game is short enough to not really give you an opportunity to use them all. Even then, there are really only two gadgets (batarang and grapple) that can be effectively used in combat, while the others are more for puzzle solving and stealth. Only other negative I can think to mention regarding combat is how there aren't that many enemy types. There's is definitely enough to keep the combat interesting, but you will definitely notice fighting the same inmate types throughout the runtime of the game. The stealth is pretty good, and definitely gives you that "Batman" feel, but there is a severe lack of paths to take when trying to determine how to take a room out. You have enough tools at your disposal to keep it interesting, but just something to note. The controls itself feels good. And, it does make you feel like you are controlling Batman, but I wanted to note that the controls outside of combat feel tank-like. Despite that, moving around the world feels good. The Riddler. Both a pro and a con; there is a lot of side-content to collect relating to the Riddler. It can definitely be somewhat fun to search for some collectibles and solve his puzzles, but with over 150 or 200 collectibles, I was left not wanting to do that at all. It's a nice way to gain some extra experience to level-up, however. Only other minor gripe is the pre-rendered cutscenes. They look compressed as all hell, and while I understand that this was due to technical limitations of the time, it is definitely noticeable. It also causes inconsistencies, albeit minor, in some scenes. For instance, there was one moment where Batman had cuts on his arm in-game, but in a cutscene later down the road, he did not have those cuts. I imagine this is due to the fact that the devs didn't want to render that scene again, whether it be due to time or budget, I'm unsure. With all that out of the way, the game is a marvel. I love the details added to Batman and Arkham throughout the story. By the end of the game, Batman has a 5-o-clock shadow from his long night. He has cuts in his suit, and his cape is torn up. The combat feels so satisfying and brutal to execute. And, while there is definitely a lack of moves and moments to execute use of your gadgets, there is still enough to keep every encounter feeling fun and fresh. Boss battles are awesome here. They are not the best boss battles I have ever experienced, but they offer variety. There is a nice array of different villains on display here that Batman has to overcome. And, while some of the encounters might have left a little bit to be desired, they are all still fun and unique in their own right. The story and setting share the spotlight with the combat here. The idea that Batman is locked in the asylum with the goal to stop Joker's plans is such a cool concept, and Rocksteady execute the vision perfectly. This is a fun Joker story, and the ending feels satisfying, especially that final boss-fight (despite it feeling a little simple in it's execution. The world is littered with tapes and easter eggs of other Batman villains. It's a really cool thing to see, and there are some unique environmental stories that are just cool to be in. While you are restricted to Arkham Island, it's awesome to see Gotham across the sea throughout the game. It's a low-resolution Gotham, but one that sells the setting. The voice acting is phenomenal. The writing is really good. Not a downside, but hoping to see how this improves in the next entry. Also, some NPC's are very low-resolution, and are just re-used assets... boo (I get it, this game came out in 2009). However, audio mixing was kind of a nightmare. Cutscenes are lower volume than the rest of the game, and explosion-volume-levels were tremendously too loud in comparison to other audio tracks. Also, there were many moments where no music was playing, sometimes this added to the eerie atmosphere, but other times it felt odd, like during a boss fight. It felt like the audio was either bugging out, or they just didn't put music in a particular sequence. Not a big gripe, just something that I noticed. Also, while there are some technical issues with the PC version, being able to play this game at max settings makes the game look pretty good. Impressive cape physics. I don't know what else there is to say. What a fun time. Sure, the combat is it's most basic and rudimentary of all the titles, but it shines because of that (even though it, at the same time, leaves a bit to be desired). I wish we saw a bit more of Scarecrow outside of the nightmare scenes, but other than that the boss battles were always engaging. Also, I love the unique fail-scenes for different bosses when you die. Nice after-credit scene as well. Oh my god, I totally forgot to mention the art-direction here as well. It's gothic and moody as fuck. With the game having this almost-green-like hue over certain environments, specifically when you are outside. In-line with the art-direction, is the concept art, menus, and HUD. They are nothing crazy, but I liked the aesthetic that they went for here. Also, weird FPS-cap of 62? Also, some pretty bad frame dips here-and-there. Playing through this game made me sad that Rocksteady has gone in the direction that they have. What a shame, and I really hope that they can course-correct before it's too late (whether it be them getting shutdown, or losing too much of the original talent). I know that Warner-Brothers is probably mostly to blame here, but I will hold onto hope. Yeah, it was great to be transported to the simpler time that was 2009 for a handful of hours. I am so excited to move onto Arkham City, and be reminded of the story and improvements made in the series. Console Played On: PC (Steam) Game Played: 12/2024 - 12/2024 Review Written and Published: 12/31/2024