Batman: Arkham Asylum Impressions/Review

I. Love. This. Game.

So, I'm only about halfway through the game right now, but I could have told you at the 20% mark why I love this game.

Also, I realize I'm a bit late to this party, but three things justify my thoughts on this game:

1. It's Halloween, and who's scarier than Batman?
2. Arkham City just came out on the consoles, and it comes out on PC in a couple weeks, so I thought it'd be good to reflect a bit on this game.
3. I freaking love this game!

Ahem.

So, why is this such a great game?

Wow. Where do I begin?



Okay, there's been a lot said and written about the elegance of the fighting system and the brooding aesthetic and the embodiment of what it feels like to be Batman, and all those things are fantastic. However, there's one element of this game that elevates it above so many others:

The integration of the villain in the story.

There are a lot of really great villains out there from a variety of media but I think it's difficult to think of many that rank above the Joker. Darth Vader springs to mind for me, and I'm sure you have your own, but the Joker definitely ranks in the top five "most iconic villains." So it makes sense that he would be the "big bad" for a Batman game.

However, the problem I most often see with video games, when it comes to villains, is that they fail to make a personal connection between the player character and the villain. Oftentimes it's just a big, nebulous idea or far-off despot of some kind that the players seldom get to interact with until we reach the final dungeon, level, quest, etc.

Even great games with great villains will fall into this trap. Knights of the Old Republic has Darth Malak as its final boss and the only time you ever see him throughout the majority of the game is during cutscenes. And he's not even looking for you! He's after your companions more than anything else, so there really isn't any kind of connection going on there. (Yes, of course you learn of a significant connection that the game has been hinting at throughout your playtime, but that's more of a retcon integration copout than an actually meaningful relationship.)

(Also, interestingly enough, KotOR II shines in this department where KotOR was kind of drab, but I can't tell you why because it's a pretty major spoiler. Go look it up or, better yet, play the game if you're interested.)

Now, to contrast, most character-driven stories from other media will introduce the antagonist/villain very early on in the story and begin forging a relationship between them and the hero/protagonist. (Or, at the very least, the audience, but that's less meaningful.) I am a firm believer that the best video games are character-driven, because that means they're player-driven as well. Sure, plot can interrupt and take over from time to time, but the characters (and, by extension, the players) should be the primary motivators of the plot.

An excellent example of this is, I feel, Baldur's Gate II. The opening moments of that game introduce you to the antagonist and establishes why you hate his guts (he imprisoned, tortured, and experimented on you). As soon as you escape, it further establishes why you would want to pursue him (if revenge isn't a powerful enough motivator). Then, from that point on, you're making your way toward that goal through a series of player-motivated decisions, periodically visited by the antagonist in a series of dream sequences where he challenges your morality and ideals.

It's a masterfully crafted game and if you haven't played it before I encourage you to give it a try.

Now, back to Arkham Asylum.

This game has the best antagonist-integration I have ever seen in my entire life. Let's break it down piece by piece, shall we?

1. You escort the Joker into the asylum during the opening credits. You're in control here, so it's more-or-less player-motivated, even though it's on something of a track. During this time, the Joker is taunting you and otherwise establishing himself as a character. Even if you've never heard of Batman, you have a pretty good idea of who this clown is by the end of this sequence.

2. The Joker escapes and takes over Arkham, giving you a clear goal: catch him.

3. For the rest of the game, you hear the Joker over the loudspeakers as he taunts/encourages his men with a variety of ridiculous and hilarious PA announcements. This allows him to be present as a character throughout the experience without being a direct threat. Thus, you continue to get to know him as a character and distinctly feel him there, despite the fact that he's hiding in an office somewhere.

4. More importantly, the Joker's announcements respond to what you're doing. As you hunt down and take out his guards, he begins berating them and threatening them and otherwise pays attention to your actions. It's a brilliant way to make you feel like you're interacting with the villain, however indirectly, and further serves to validate your actions by making you feel more like Batman.

(I mean, seriously, how cool is it to hear everyone talking about your character as though you really are having an effect on the world? Even if the world is only one island large.)

5. Finally, there's the Visitor Center encounters. After each major arc in the story (each boss fight, basically) you have the opportunity to visit the Arkham Asylum Visitor Center, which is the creepiest building on the island because its this rundown, empty building with nothing but a Joker suit and a TV head sitting in one of the interview boxes.

Like I said, after each boss fight you can come in here and the Joker appears on the TV and basically does a psychological interview with you. Well, it's on Batman, who's basically you at this point. And it's more of a Hannibal Lecture than an interview, but the point is it's freaky and it's always relevant to either a) What just happened in the plot, or b) Legitimate psychological questions about Batman himself. It's a little thing, compared with all the other ways that the Joker makes himself known the game, but it's a very personal, almost intimate encounter each time.

Now, I could go on and on about how many other things the game simply does right. From the numerous, open-ended stealth sections. To the free-flowing and simple, yet still tactically relevant, fight system. To the use of Hans Zimmer's The Dark Knight soundtrack as inspiration for its own. To the integration and nods of other characters from the Batman lore (like Oracle, Mr. Freeze, Ventriloquist, etc.) into the game, despite the lack of any physical appearance from them. To the introductory sequences to the numerous Scarecrow boss battles that are so beautifully mind-trippy.

There are so many things that this game does right. But the one that pushes it up into my list of "Best Ever" is hands-down the villain integration that I've outlined above. More games (and stories in general) should strive for this kind of connection between the protagonist and the antagonist, the hero and the villain, the player character and the final boss, throughout.

It makes us care, it tells us about their relationship, and it makes us feel like we're actually making a difference by interacting with the villain in significant (albeit indirect) ways during the entire game.

Simply amazing.

Well, until next time, I'm Joshua Kehe.

I have another blog where I'm talking about NaNoWriMo this month. If you're interested or curious, please come over and take a look. I promise I'll be friendly. :)