The Arkham Trilogy is often considered some of the best games of all time, so I was really looking forward to experiencing these games, despite not being a huge superhero fan. But after playing Arkham Asylum, I might just become one.
Before I start my review, I should say that I haven't really consumed any Batman media before, aside from the dialogue-less Lego game. Not the comics, series, or even movies. So this will be my proper introduction to the world of Gotham, and what an introduction it was.
At first, I did find it quite difficult to understand the story, not because of its complexity but rather because of how it introduces its characters. Some, if not all of them, are presented as though you already know them even before the story starts.
There is a strong sense of atmosphere throughout the entire island, making it very easy to get immersed in the shoes of our caped crusader. It was also incredible to witness the progression, or in this case, the slow destruction of the island and Batman's suit, as you progressed through the game. However, it also does have a few deliberate design decisions that work against what its trying to establish and feel outdated by today's standards.
Way too much time was spent in detective mode, obscuring the incredible locations and atmosphere of the game.
I also found controlling Batman to be quite stiff and awkward, due to the jump and dodge being mapped to the same button. This often leads to so many moments where Batman would perform a roll instead of a jump, making the Scarecrow segments frustating due to its trial and error platforming
Also, this is probably just me but, while some may have stellar voice acting, I can't help but feel off whenever I hear Batman speak. Every single line of his are delivered in such monotone fashion, not helped by the fact that his character interactions has no proper animations, making him look like a stiff robot trying to imitate emotion.
However, after quite some time, I did manage to overlook some of its odd quirks and just enjoyed the game for what it was—a solid action game with a few problems.
Before I start my review, I should say that I haven't really consumed any Batman media before, aside from the dialogue-less Lego game. Not the comics, series, or even movies. So this will be my proper introduction to the world of Gotham, and what an introduction it was.
At first, I did find it quite difficult to understand the story, not because of its complexity but rather because of how it introduces its characters. Some, if not all of them, are presented as though you already know them even before the story starts.
There is a strong sense of atmosphere throughout the entire island, making it very easy to get immersed in the shoes of our caped crusader. It was also incredible to witness the progression, or in this case, the slow destruction of the island and Batman's suit, as you progressed through the game. However, it also does have a few deliberate design decisions that work against what its trying to establish and feel outdated by today's standards.
Way too much time was spent in detective mode, obscuring the incredible locations and atmosphere of the game.
I also found controlling Batman to be quite stiff and awkward, due to the jump and dodge being mapped to the same button. This often leads to so many moments where Batman would perform a roll instead of a jump, making the Scarecrow segments frustating due to its trial and error platforming
Also, this is probably just me but, while some may have stellar voice acting, I can't help but feel off whenever I hear Batman speak. Every single line of his are delivered in such monotone fashion, not helped by the fact that his character interactions has no proper animations, making him look like a stiff robot trying to imitate emotion.
However, after quite some time, I did manage to overlook some of its odd quirks and just enjoyed the game for what it was—a solid action game with a few problems.