Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum is the the said to be the best superhero computer game so far. And I can see why.  In the game, Batman must fight Joker and his henchmen who have taken over the Arkham Asylum. This is not an easy task since Batman is one of the few  superheroes who don’t have superpowers. Instead, he relies on wits, stealth, his excellent martial art skills. And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the utility belt and its plethora of gadgets. There’s the ever-present Batarang, grappling-hook gun, explosive gel gun, Bat-Claw, Ultra Bat-Claw (3 Bat-Claws), and Zip-line Thrower. Using all these in combination is required for your to succeed in the game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a stealth game. And in almost all cases, you really have to be stealthy. Rushing into a room with guns blazing punching and kicking might work for unarmed henchmen. But just wait till you encounter those with guns, and you’ll be stopped cold in seconds, literally. Or till you encounter some of the big drug-infused brutes who can quickly crush you. And this is actually leads to one of the funnest aspects of the game as your lurk in the shadows, stalking the enemy taking them from behind, plucking them or swooping down on them from above. And if a fight really cannot be avoided, you have to use your wits,  your gadgets, and the environment to win it. This applies even to bosses such as Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, The Scarecrow, and the Joker.

Experience, which is gained by defeating enemies and solving puzzles, give Batman upgrades for his fighting skills and gadgets. Things that definitely make things just a bit easier. To supposedly add to the fun factor and experience, dispersed throughout the game are puzzles left by the Riddler and Amadeus Arkham that you can solve if you choose to. They probably can help getting more experience, and therefore upgrades, at the higher difficulty levels. Or maybe for gathering trophies, if you’re into that. But to me, they seemed to be too much of a bother and I didn’t really make an effort to solve them.

Although the game does not follow the alternate Batman universe of Batman Begins and Dark Knight, it is sufficiently dark and moody as a Batman product should rightfully be. And most importantly, it is fun!

Rating: 4/5