C&C Videogame Review 'Batman: Arkham Knight'
The Arkham Series Reaches it's Thrilling and Emotional Finale
By Alex Burns
Caution - This review is literally bursting with spoilers, go play the game first!
"This is how it happened. This is how the Batman died." Commissioner Gordon's morbid voiceover has been ever present in the lead-up to Arkham Knight's release begging the question, will they do it, will Rocksteady finally off the Batman as the definitive ending to the Arkham series? Well after finally finishing the game and tracking down every bad guy, locating every riddle and rescuing those in need of saving I'm ready to settle down and share my views on the game with you all. Does Batman die? Well, we'll get to that.
When Rocksteady began taking on the reigns of the videogame Batman no one expected them to reach the level of success they've had both critically and commercially. I mean we'd had good superhero games before but this was another level. 2009's 'Arkham Asylum' is a videogame classic, right up there with the very best adventure games of all time, the sequel 'Arkham City' improved on the original formula and raised the stakes, giving gamers the first open world Batman game ever. There have been stumbles along the way with WB Montreal's 'Arkham Origins' not quite reaching the standard set by the previous titles but now Rocksteady is back in the driving seat and to put it simply 'Arkham Knight' is phenomenal.
I'm gonna get right to it, Rocksteady have taken their Arkham formula and distilled it into the sweetest kind of playing experience seen yet in the series. This game is made purely for those who have enjoyed the previous game, there's no pandering to newcomers, the opening act throws you into fist fights with barely a helpful hint. Rocksteady knows you know how to play this, the studio have not messed with your expectations for the sake of being different, that is save for one detail.
The Batmobile roars, screeches and thunders throughout the entirety of this game and for me is a resounding success. Much has been made of just how often the game forces you to use the Batmobile, there is indeed a learning curve as you switch between a standard drive mode and a tank-like battle mode in which you literally become a one bat-army. The Batmobile doesn't behave like a regular car from any other game and why should it? It's the freaking Batmobile! During combat it feels as though it's a natural extention of Batman's own fighting style, you strafe and burst out the way of incoming missiles and launch devastating counter attacks to crush your enemies. Using the Batmobile is immensely satisfying and it's these type of moments that make up the bulk of the time you'll spend behind the wheel. I'll concede that there are a few platforming moments that are tricky to pull off with the Batmobile but these are few and far between and once completed do end up being kinda cool anyway but just not as cool as blowing stuff up!
The game provides a more rounded challenge for those familiar to the series as Batman's own abilities increase so do does the level of difficulty in terms of the opposition he faces. The Arkham Knight's Militia is made up of several varied enemy set-ups that require a certain takedown move or bat-gadget to neutralise. The provides a more intense combat experience and forces you to think with your fists, there is no button-mash route to success here. Batman is also no longer alone against these new threats and some of the games more standout moments are when you are joined by Robin, Nightwing or Catwoman to dish out some justice. This 'dual play' mechanic allows for total control between both characters and the game often requires you to co-ordinate your attacks to take down more difficult opponents.
The predator sections of that game are still present but are not as thoughtful as some of the previous game maps. I've completed all modes and this was the only area of the game I felt a little dissatisfied, save for one or two areas there's little story related predator rooms and maybe it's that lack of connection to the area that explains why they seem a tad under developed. There are plenty of improvements made to the actual predator gameplay mechanics though, it's never been more efficient at chaining together takedowns and the new fear takedown is a hard earned treat that knocks up to five bad guys flat on their backs in one go. The amount of enemies you'll come up against has also increased but with new gadgets like the voice synthesiser, you'll have plenty of ways to take them down. The game allows you to be creative in your methods and you'll want to show off for sure.
The open world of Gotham City is incredibly realised, the attention to detail is staggering and there are seemingly hundreds of easter eggs for fans to uncover, references to Superman, Green Arrow and more await as you glide between buildings and dive into your Batmobile. The Riddler challenges make a welcome return and prove to be some of the most head-scratchingly difficult in the series. Graphically the game excels, this could well be the most beautiful game I've played on the new generation, not just in terms of technical prowess but in terms of design and atmosphere. Gotham City is an incredible spectacle and once you step out the Batmobile to really stop and smell the roses you'll want to explore every secluded alleyway and gritty rooftop in this sprawling game world. I tackled the adventure through my PS4 and it ran like a dream, I had zero pop in, next to no frame rate dips and literally two or three texture lags that I noticed. The game never froze and I only got stuck in the game world once. Rocksteady delayed the game for a reason and I'm glad they did, as for the PC launch, I hear that didn't go too smoothly... but moving on!
Let's get down to the story. The game is so open this time around that it's fairly easy to lose sight of the main quest and spend a couple of hours taking down Penguin's hideout with Nightwing or rescuing Catwoman from the Riddler. What ever you do in the game, whoever you come up against, friend of foe it's constantly hammered home to you that this is Batman's final night. it creates an awesome sense of foreboding and Kevin Conroy excels in giving a multi-layered performance of Bruce Wayne. One moment he is bursting with rage and desperation and the next displaying a vulnerability to the hero that we haven't seen before in the series. The Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight have between them created an challenge like no other Batman has faced before. The caped crusader cannot do it alone and 'Arkham Knight' succeeds in realising Batman's extended cast in more detail than ever before. The supporting cast are seasoned versions of classic characters, they've been around the block with Batman and the releationships are strong but complicated. We learn of Robin's romantic relationship with Barbara Gordon, how Nightwing and Batman's tense partnership is after all these years and get plenty of insight into how The Joker's death plays on Bruce's mind and that's not even scratching the surface. Everything is given a sense of finality.
When the Arkham Knight is finally revealed it's a moment of absolute sadness, any Batman fan worth his salt will have predicted that ex-Robin Jason Todd is the man under the pseudo bat mask, the reveal may have left some fans wanting more but it's not about who the Arkham Knight is but rather how he came to be that's more gut-wrenching. We discover Jason Todd was captured by the Joker and tortured brutally inside a long forgotten part of Arkham Asylum, the Joker sent Batman a video of Todd's apparent demise but ultimately Jason was left to rot in a dark room until his mind descended into madness and rage, the Arkham Knight was literally born in the Asylum. Rocksteady have reinterpreted so many classic aspects of the Batman mythos and they've established a world all their own which I'm sure will stand the test of time for years to come. This new version of Jason Todd's story is so appropriate for the franchise and got me excited about a character who I've seen come back so many times in the comics I'd almost lost interest.
The overriding theme throughout the game is sacrifice and ultimately that is what Bruce Wayne has to do to finally defeat Scarecrow. He sacrifices the Batman persona and mystery to save the ones he loves, revealing his identity to the world to gain access to Scarecrow's hideout before confronting his worst nightmare head on, eventulally he wins out in the end. Gotham is safe but at a serious cost, the Batman is no more, broken down as flesh and blood in front of the entire world. No longer do criminals fear what may be lurking in the shadows, legacy is not enough to protect Gotham. The final twist in the story is revealed as we see a Gotham City moving on from the Scarecrow's night of terror and an alleyway robbery is interrupted as we see a seriously trippy supernatural Batman like figure appear in the final shot of the game. The ending is left open to interpretation and sure to cause endless debate. We're sure to learn more about the ending in some of the Arkham Episode DLC that is yet to be released.
'Batman: Arkham Knight' is a unflinching success and fleshes out the Arkham world in a way only Rocksteady know how, the game is full of surprises and features some of the most intuitive and satisfying game mechanics out there. The story is polished and perfectly acted and the return of Mark Hamill as the Joker is the best kept secret in recent gaming memory. More so than any of the previous games, 'Arkham Knight' makes you feel Batman's struggles, his ache to want more than the cape and cowl but his discipline and dedication to see things through right to the end. Ultimately, it's Bruce Wayne who dies so that Batman can endure. If this is truly the end of the Arkham series then being left wanting more is absolutely the way to go out. Kudos Rocksteady, massive freaking kudos!
No comments:
Post a Comment