I’ve been wanting to revisit this game for a while now. I bought the trilogy pack on steam during a sale a few years ago and never jumped on it. I originally played Arkham Asylum back in around 2011 or 2012. I remember it was New Year's Eve when I finished it for the first time. I was amazed and absolutely loved it. And by no means is this a surprise or a hot take. The game is widely renowned as one of, if not the best, superhero games ever made. But it’s been awhile since its release and I had never played any of its sequels. So I wanted to revisit it so I could play those and man what an incredible game this is.Still some of the most fun stealth I’ve played to this day and the game has so many memorable and iconic moments. Rocksteady really have made a timeless masterpiece of a game that’s just as fun to play today as it was when it came out.
TLDR at the end
Premise
I doubt I need to introduce anyone to Batman, nor really this game. This game has a legendary reputation to it. But just for those who may not know, Batman Arkham Asylum is a short but sweet game that combines stealth, exploration, puzzle solving, and brawler style gameplay. Joker is taken into custody by Batman and escorted to Arkham Asylum but that’s just what Joker wanted. Joker had a plan and you go through all of Arkham trying to stop the chaos Joker has sewed. You meet a variety of classic Batman villains along the way when trying to stop Joker. Pretty classic Batman stuff but it has vibes of an ultimate showdown. Most Batman movies only ever focus on one or 2 villains at once. While the comics and shows can tackle the villain of the week vibe they also don’t always have the feel that Arkham Asylum has with so many showing up. And while Joker is the primary villain since you’re in Arkham Asylum itself you meet all sorts of them during the game and it just has such a crazy and hectic vibe to it.
Gameplay
Lightly touched on above, Batman is largely broken into 3 different styles of gameplay. First is a brawler style kind of game where you’ll be in hand to hand fist fights. Batman is equipped with an assortment of fun gadgets to help in this. Baterangs, the BatClaw, explosive gel and more. Some of Batman’s gadgets are more oriented to things like stealth or exploration so I’ll touch on those in a bit. But the combat is so fluid and fun. I admittedly don’t play a whole lot of games like this. My closest game combat wise I can maybe compare this to is Yakuza 0 and even then I think that’s not much of a proper comparison. But with that being said I love the fights in this. Especially once you start getting more of your equipment and they start throwing in harder enemies to fight. Batman has the standard punches, you can counter an enemy attack by grabbing them and essentially blocking that attack, he has a cape attack that briefly stuns enemies. That core toolset mixed with the gadgets is so simple on paper but so compelling while playing.
Second is stealth. And the stealth aspect of the game is so much fun. I actually find it more fun than the parts with the brawling. Some of the enemies you face in the game have guns. And they’re incredibly lethal. So instead of beating the shit out of a crowd you need to sneak around and pick off enemies one by one. These are usually done in pretty large open rooms with a fair amount of multiple paths. Either through vents, destructible walls or gargoyle statues that you can hook shot to so that you can lurk above all the baddies. A lot of times stealth sections of games you’re often made weaker, have to avoid stronger enemies. While the 2nd part of that is true, you aren’t weakened. The game makes you feel like a predator in the night. Stalking prey as they look around for you. And the way the AI interacts to you picking people off one by one plays into that. People will freak out and start acting more panicked. Or there will be groups of enemies that try to work together more effectively. Towards the end of the game I remember after I picked off a few one of the inmates called for help and the other ones said “No way man, you’re on your own” and didn’t follow him but in that same section (I had to restart because I fucked it up) that time he had called for help and there was a 3 man unit walking around watching each others backs. That’s such incredible attention to detail and it really helps sell the inmates paranoia and anxiety while they’re being picked off one by one.
Lastly, the final part of Batman is exploration and puzzle solving. The puzzle solving is generally pretty light and is interwoven with the exploration. You’ll need to look around for areas to grapple to or you’ll need to come back with a gadget you get later in the game. Which is really fun. I initially found it kind of frustrating though since I was seeing Riddler trophies (some of the collectibles that give you experience) through walls with the bat detective vision but I couldn’t figure out how to get to it. I was spending a lil extra time looking around when it was a situation of I just didn’t have the right tool yet. But that’s mostly a nitpick and I got over it once I realized what was happening. But the exploration is really fun. You have the classic grapple shot, you have what’s essentially a pocket zipline as well later in the game, and what can kind of be described as an electronic lock pick. It’s called something else but that’s basically what it is. You can also glide around with the cape. Finding secrets and sneaking around to new areas is really fun. There’s also detective aspects but I find that to mostly be flavoring and less gameplay. Because its largely just scan an object and follow the trace of that object with the special bat vision. It’s a fun set dressing but it’s not much of a gameplay mechanic in the same way as exploring, stealth or combat is.
Iconic Moments (Spoilers)
The game is also filled with so many memorable and iconic moments for me. Just the site and design of Arkham Asylum and the views of the Gotham Cityscape alone are great but there’s 2 specific moments in the game that stuck out to me. Those being the parts with Scarecrow and the parts with Killer Croc. Despite it being over a decade of me not playing the game I remembered those parts almost as clear as day. I obviously didn’t remember them exactly but I remember them being crazy ass moments of the game that were absolute highlights. And revisiting the game they absolutely hold up and were still as incredible as I remember.
First Scarecrow. The scarecrow parts are so fucking cool. I love when games get fucky with the 4th wall that way. Metal Gear Solid 2 and Inscryption are others that come to mind. Where they fuck with the rules of the game in very specific way. Scarecrow being able to basically distort the world you’re in, turning the action combat game into almost a horror game sometimes. There’s some tense and scary moments. I also love how towards the end it acts like the game crashes. You fail and get a game over screen only to be taken to a different part. This is such an underrated way to create games. I love things like this and I think more games should embrace the ability to interact with you on that level.
Second is Killer Croc. Holy shit the Killer Croc sequence at the end is intense and scary. Basically being hunted by killer croc having to walk over wood pallets in the sewer and be quiet about it. The sequence is actually kind of easy but man the way they set it up is so stressful and wonderful. It’s such a cool sequence to the game. And the final run away where croc is chasing you down for the sewer and you need to trap him. It’s just such a good sequence.
The Performances
I haven’t really commented on performances before but I feel like i’d be doing a disservice to not mention the performance of the legendary voice actors on display. Mark Hamhill as the Joker does such a good job. I’ve always loved him as the Joker. I think he does the absolute best take on the joker. And he’s adapted it so well from the kid friendly version of the Batman TV shows to the violent and darker version present in this. Kevin Conroy also does phenomenal as Batman. May he rest in peace. He too was the TV show version of Batman for the longest time. And his last performance will be in the new Suicide Squad game. Just the entire cast is so good and it’s so many recognizable childhood voice actors from the Batman TV shows. I also saw that Steve Blum played Killer Croc in this and damn man just being voiced by Steve Blum makes the character guaranteed to be fucking cool.
The Issues
Despite me saying the game is a masterpiece I do have a few issues to call out. A game can be a masterpiece but also have flaws. Most of this game's flaws just come from it being older. Nothing performance wise. But cutscenes seem a lil fuzzy. They look distinctly worse for me while playing than the gameplay did. I think it may be some kind of rendering that maybe didn’t get properly scaled up or updated. But it also doesn’t look bad. The cutscenes still look great. Just noticeably different and worse than the game. This next one is a minor issue but I feel like it’s worth calling out. But I feel like the design for Harley Quinn in this game is just oddly horny. Same can be said with Poison Ivy but Poison Ivy’s character fits a lil better with that. Since she’s also kind of like a siren and hypnotizes men. I just found it a lil weird with how many panty shots we got of Harley Quinn. Which to many this won’t matter and ultimately it doesn’t dock the game any points for me in the long run but just worth noting. Again a very of the era for video games issue. The last issue is that the final boss fight with Joker is a lil on the uninspired side. Considering all the other villains had great unique fights and then Joker kind of just becomes an extra large titan grunt. I think this again is a very of the era vibe where people were like “we need to have a big bad boss fight at the end” It’s not like it’s not fun or anything like that and again doesn’t really hamper how wonderful and awesome this game is but it does feel a tad out of place compared to some of the other fights.
TLDR
Batman Arkham Asylum is still an amazing game. I think it truly earns its spot as a true classic and also the epitome of what a superhero game can be. And this game I think is simply a must play for everyone but certainly for any Batman fan out there. I can not wait to check out the sequels as I’ve heard they only improve upon what Arkham Asylum was. Rocksteady were truly ahead of their time with this game. I’m glad I revisited this game as it’s truly a masterpiece.
TLDR at the end
Premise
I doubt I need to introduce anyone to Batman, nor really this game. This game has a legendary reputation to it. But just for those who may not know, Batman Arkham Asylum is a short but sweet game that combines stealth, exploration, puzzle solving, and brawler style gameplay. Joker is taken into custody by Batman and escorted to Arkham Asylum but that’s just what Joker wanted. Joker had a plan and you go through all of Arkham trying to stop the chaos Joker has sewed. You meet a variety of classic Batman villains along the way when trying to stop Joker. Pretty classic Batman stuff but it has vibes of an ultimate showdown. Most Batman movies only ever focus on one or 2 villains at once. While the comics and shows can tackle the villain of the week vibe they also don’t always have the feel that Arkham Asylum has with so many showing up. And while Joker is the primary villain since you’re in Arkham Asylum itself you meet all sorts of them during the game and it just has such a crazy and hectic vibe to it.
Gameplay
Lightly touched on above, Batman is largely broken into 3 different styles of gameplay. First is a brawler style kind of game where you’ll be in hand to hand fist fights. Batman is equipped with an assortment of fun gadgets to help in this. Baterangs, the BatClaw, explosive gel and more. Some of Batman’s gadgets are more oriented to things like stealth or exploration so I’ll touch on those in a bit. But the combat is so fluid and fun. I admittedly don’t play a whole lot of games like this. My closest game combat wise I can maybe compare this to is Yakuza 0 and even then I think that’s not much of a proper comparison. But with that being said I love the fights in this. Especially once you start getting more of your equipment and they start throwing in harder enemies to fight. Batman has the standard punches, you can counter an enemy attack by grabbing them and essentially blocking that attack, he has a cape attack that briefly stuns enemies. That core toolset mixed with the gadgets is so simple on paper but so compelling while playing.
Second is stealth. And the stealth aspect of the game is so much fun. I actually find it more fun than the parts with the brawling. Some of the enemies you face in the game have guns. And they’re incredibly lethal. So instead of beating the shit out of a crowd you need to sneak around and pick off enemies one by one. These are usually done in pretty large open rooms with a fair amount of multiple paths. Either through vents, destructible walls or gargoyle statues that you can hook shot to so that you can lurk above all the baddies. A lot of times stealth sections of games you’re often made weaker, have to avoid stronger enemies. While the 2nd part of that is true, you aren’t weakened. The game makes you feel like a predator in the night. Stalking prey as they look around for you. And the way the AI interacts to you picking people off one by one plays into that. People will freak out and start acting more panicked. Or there will be groups of enemies that try to work together more effectively. Towards the end of the game I remember after I picked off a few one of the inmates called for help and the other ones said “No way man, you’re on your own” and didn’t follow him but in that same section (I had to restart because I fucked it up) that time he had called for help and there was a 3 man unit walking around watching each others backs. That’s such incredible attention to detail and it really helps sell the inmates paranoia and anxiety while they’re being picked off one by one.
Lastly, the final part of Batman is exploration and puzzle solving. The puzzle solving is generally pretty light and is interwoven with the exploration. You’ll need to look around for areas to grapple to or you’ll need to come back with a gadget you get later in the game. Which is really fun. I initially found it kind of frustrating though since I was seeing Riddler trophies (some of the collectibles that give you experience) through walls with the bat detective vision but I couldn’t figure out how to get to it. I was spending a lil extra time looking around when it was a situation of I just didn’t have the right tool yet. But that’s mostly a nitpick and I got over it once I realized what was happening. But the exploration is really fun. You have the classic grapple shot, you have what’s essentially a pocket zipline as well later in the game, and what can kind of be described as an electronic lock pick. It’s called something else but that’s basically what it is. You can also glide around with the cape. Finding secrets and sneaking around to new areas is really fun. There’s also detective aspects but I find that to mostly be flavoring and less gameplay. Because its largely just scan an object and follow the trace of that object with the special bat vision. It’s a fun set dressing but it’s not much of a gameplay mechanic in the same way as exploring, stealth or combat is.
Iconic Moments (Spoilers)
The game is also filled with so many memorable and iconic moments for me. Just the site and design of Arkham Asylum and the views of the Gotham Cityscape alone are great but there’s 2 specific moments in the game that stuck out to me. Those being the parts with Scarecrow and the parts with Killer Croc. Despite it being over a decade of me not playing the game I remembered those parts almost as clear as day. I obviously didn’t remember them exactly but I remember them being crazy ass moments of the game that were absolute highlights. And revisiting the game they absolutely hold up and were still as incredible as I remember.
First Scarecrow. The scarecrow parts are so fucking cool. I love when games get fucky with the 4th wall that way. Metal Gear Solid 2 and Inscryption are others that come to mind. Where they fuck with the rules of the game in very specific way. Scarecrow being able to basically distort the world you’re in, turning the action combat game into almost a horror game sometimes. There’s some tense and scary moments. I also love how towards the end it acts like the game crashes. You fail and get a game over screen only to be taken to a different part. This is such an underrated way to create games. I love things like this and I think more games should embrace the ability to interact with you on that level.
Second is Killer Croc. Holy shit the Killer Croc sequence at the end is intense and scary. Basically being hunted by killer croc having to walk over wood pallets in the sewer and be quiet about it. The sequence is actually kind of easy but man the way they set it up is so stressful and wonderful. It’s such a cool sequence to the game. And the final run away where croc is chasing you down for the sewer and you need to trap him. It’s just such a good sequence.
The Performances
I haven’t really commented on performances before but I feel like i’d be doing a disservice to not mention the performance of the legendary voice actors on display. Mark Hamhill as the Joker does such a good job. I’ve always loved him as the Joker. I think he does the absolute best take on the joker. And he’s adapted it so well from the kid friendly version of the Batman TV shows to the violent and darker version present in this. Kevin Conroy also does phenomenal as Batman. May he rest in peace. He too was the TV show version of Batman for the longest time. And his last performance will be in the new Suicide Squad game. Just the entire cast is so good and it’s so many recognizable childhood voice actors from the Batman TV shows. I also saw that Steve Blum played Killer Croc in this and damn man just being voiced by Steve Blum makes the character guaranteed to be fucking cool.
The Issues
Despite me saying the game is a masterpiece I do have a few issues to call out. A game can be a masterpiece but also have flaws. Most of this game's flaws just come from it being older. Nothing performance wise. But cutscenes seem a lil fuzzy. They look distinctly worse for me while playing than the gameplay did. I think it may be some kind of rendering that maybe didn’t get properly scaled up or updated. But it also doesn’t look bad. The cutscenes still look great. Just noticeably different and worse than the game. This next one is a minor issue but I feel like it’s worth calling out. But I feel like the design for Harley Quinn in this game is just oddly horny. Same can be said with Poison Ivy but Poison Ivy’s character fits a lil better with that. Since she’s also kind of like a siren and hypnotizes men. I just found it a lil weird with how many panty shots we got of Harley Quinn. Which to many this won’t matter and ultimately it doesn’t dock the game any points for me in the long run but just worth noting. Again a very of the era for video games issue. The last issue is that the final boss fight with Joker is a lil on the uninspired side. Considering all the other villains had great unique fights and then Joker kind of just becomes an extra large titan grunt. I think this again is a very of the era vibe where people were like “we need to have a big bad boss fight at the end” It’s not like it’s not fun or anything like that and again doesn’t really hamper how wonderful and awesome this game is but it does feel a tad out of place compared to some of the other fights.
TLDR
Batman Arkham Asylum is still an amazing game. I think it truly earns its spot as a true classic and also the epitome of what a superhero game can be. And this game I think is simply a must play for everyone but certainly for any Batman fan out there. I can not wait to check out the sequels as I’ve heard they only improve upon what Arkham Asylum was. Rocksteady were truly ahead of their time with this game. I’m glad I revisited this game as it’s truly a masterpiece.