Review: Batman Arkham City

The elusive Dark Knight is back once again to crack some skulls, solve some clues and of course, save the day as he now must shake off the horrors of Arkham Asylum and face off against a new army of psychotic villains who are all just itching for a taste of the bat.

A large and run down part of Gotham City has been walled off from the rest of society which has become home to a wide array of criminals from the lowliest thief to the deadliest assassin. On top of that, the man running this so called asylum; Dr Hugo Strange, is nothing short of a criminal himself, making suspicious deals the wrong people and throwing all sorts of big names within the walls of Arkham City namely… Bruce Wayne.

Once inside this daunting city, you will soon discover that there is pandemonium on the streets. A number of the biggest and best known convicts have risen up and have built their empire out of the fear and hatred that fills the air, settling on areas of the city and claiming it for themselves while constantly warring with each other to see who will push the hardest. Three of the larger influences within the asylum who you will soon come to recognise are Two-Face, Penguin and of course the Joker, who as of late isn’t doing so well on the mortality side of things. It seems the once invincible clown has fallen to his own creation; the Titan serum which has poisoned his now frail body and has left him on the edge of oblivion, plotting his final trick.

Much like it’s predecessor, Arkham City is packed full of things to do and places to go. While you can always glide straight through the narrative and see where that takes you, RockSteady Studios have really put in some effort to implement a huge percentage of side-quests to keep you busy. The bonus here though is that each side-quest holds it’s own mini narrative that you must follow which in turn introduces you to a huge selection of criminals found throughout the Batman franchise. One of the more noticeable side-quests to immerse yourself in is the masterful work left by the Riddler who has kindly left you over 400 riddles to find and solve which will have you flying about for hours finding Riddler trophy’s, solving deathly puzzles that test your will to live and even solving riddles that involve your image capture device. However the only problem I find when playing both the main story and completing side-quests is that with so many things to do, it can be easy to become a little lost in the game and with such a large selection of criminals such as Poison Ivy and the League of Assassins making their own appearances throughout, it feels as if their brilliant and unique stories are drowned out by the sheer amount of content found within the game.

That said, each scenario you find yourself in always comes with a few surprises that usually prove to be quite rewarding. One of the more interesting scenarios I am talking about is the narrative revolving around Catwoman and how well her story has been intertwined within the game and with Batman. Even before you start playing as the man himself you are greeted with a little taste of the mischief you will be getting into as the master thief  later in the game which seems to hint that her side of the story may be just as important as the Dark Knights’.

With a new story comes a new sequence of events and with that comes new equipment of course! the amount of gear RockSteady have given Batman in his latest crusade is nothing short of insane. Not only do you have all of your equipment from your lovely time spent in Arkham Asylum but throughout the game you will be able to pick a bunch of helpful and interesting gadgets such as the electrical charge gun that can open new paths in certain areas or the subzero mines that can freeze multiple enemies in place if your in a tight spot. As you may have guessed, each of these gadgets both old and new also come in handy when battling against the hordes of thugs who are all waiting to take you down… for them its probably personal. Being able to utilize your gadgets in different ways completely opens up the playingfield giving you the freedom to play how you want, tailoring the game to your preferences which does a great job of immersing you further into the game.

Even after you manage to complete the main story, side-quests and beat the Riddler at his own game, you will still have a ways to go before even thinking about bragging to your friends about how you beat the game. Arkham City has a number ways to keep you busy, that is if you haven’t already started a new playthrough. From the menu screen you can choose from over 100 unique challenges hosted by Mr E. Nimga himself that will test your true skill and determination as you fight with both Batman and Catwoman to earn points and make it onto the leader boards. Mr Nigma also has a number of campaign scenarios that demand certain objectives to be carried out in order to achieve those medals.

The beauty that can be found within Arkham City is something of a constant reminder. Every inch of the city simply oozes detail and with such a massive area of Gotham to play around in, sometimes it just takes a while to take everything in, be it from the grimy snow covered streets below to the tallest spire of a church glistening in the moonlight. Not only does Arkham City look stunning but the exact same can be said for each of the many characters found in the game who all seem to have adapted to this unyielding environment and in turn have adorned various features in their appearance that perfectly merge them into the game and the narrative. You will also notice that throughout the story parts of your body armour for both Batman and Catwoman start to degrade over time leaving behind a history of superficial battle scars that keep reminding you of your long journey through the game.

Another significant factor found throughout Arkham City, something I’m sure you will pick up on as soon as the opening sequence rolls in is the brilliant selection of music that plays throughout which silently acts to immerse you and pull you further into the action and mystery found throughout the game. One moment you may find yourself battling against a flurry of the Joker’s thugs when out comes the Joker himself to have a go at you that instantly brings with it an intense battle song that pushes you to keep fighting and persevere to the very end until the madness has subsided and you are once again gliding peacefully through the city, simply look down at the chaos below as the music flows through the air while seamlessly showing you the true essence of the cold and bitter world around you.

The setting of Batman Arkham City is a dark and gritty place, but amongst all the crime and violence is pure brilliance. The ingenious minds at RockSteady have truly struck gold with this one and it definitely shows as everything that made Arkham Asylum what is it has  been tweaked and refined and finally merged with a vast array of  dynamic ideas to breathe new life into the iconic franchise. That said, Arkham City still has a few small issues that can be overlooked but the only significant problem would be that some of the roles given to certain villains seem a little insignificant which could have been avoided to create more impact within the story. However, theses small issues are completely lost in the sheer magnificence of the game and so are completely forgivable. RockSteady have delivered an astounding incite into the life of Bruce Wayne and have given both fans and new comers alike a true chance to know and feel what it is like to be Batman which I think is safe to say that its all we have ever wanted.