E3 ‘09: Batman Arkham Asylum impressions

I got to play through the opening level of Batman: Arkham Asylum at E3 2009, and I can report that it really does play out every bit as much fun as it looks!

What I was most struck by was the developers’ attention to getting the game right. Since, unlike so many past Batman games, Arkham Asylum is not a movie tie-in, it’s not beholden to any set narrative or production design, so the developers were free to create their own version of Batman, and their own story. One aspect of the Batman character that’s often overlooked is his status as the “world’s greatest detective,” but even this is not overlooked in the game, giving you plenty of opportunities to put Batman’s deductive reasoning skills to the test.

The version they chose is a Batman influenced by the comics, cartoon, and yes the Christian Bale movies. The voice actors will be familiar to fans — all of the actors from the TV cartoon series are here in their familiar parts — but the look and feel of the game is decidedly more grown-up and realistic. It’s also absolutely gorgeous, with amazing textures on every surface, and it’s just plain fun to see all of these familiar characters rendered in such fantastic detail, yet with new twists for added realism. One nice twist is that since the game’s story unfolds during a single night, Batman and his foes will gradually take on damage to their costumes — damage that will then last throughout the remainder of the game. So you’ll go from a pristine Batman at the beginning to a banged-up Batman at the end with slashes, tears, and holes all over his Batsuit.

The story goes that when the Joker is being transfered to Arkham Asylum, he turns the tables and unleashes a master plan that finds Batman trapped inside the maximum security facility — complete with a rogue’s gallery of Batman’s greatest foes waiting inside. Batman works through much of the game to find and fight his way out of the prison, and once he does, he has all of Arkham Island to contend with, too, as the Joker has taken control of the island, and Batman has to put him back behind bars.

The gameplay is fun and cinematic, since Batman has tons of capabilities, including kung-fu moves, gadgetry, and stealth movements — and the game really shines when those various capabilities are combined. Slow-mo occasionally takes over when you manage a particularly impressive take-down, and the animations and rag-doll physics are all top notch. Not enough can be said about the graphics which are really spectacular.

Most importantly, the story seems to be one that’s worth telling. It’s big enough in scale and drawn in such striking detail that it could easily be the next Batman movie. At the very least, it will satiate fans’ appetites until the next movie does arrive. But more than that, I was impressed enough to say that it’s going to be the first time fans will really get to experience what it’s like to be the Dark Knight.

Images: Copyright 2009 ©Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.