Despite Some Flaws, ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’ Is The Game We Deserve
Time to once again don that famous cowl and cape to become Vengeance, to become the Night, to become Batman! In Rocksteady Studios’ final game in the Arkham series we once again become the Caped Crusader in his final game, Batman: Arkham Knight. With this being the last game in the Arkham series of games, how does it hold up against the rest of the series? It is just as good as Batman: Arkham City.
The story for Arkham Knight is a much stronger and compelling story than the previous Batman: Arkham Origins. Starting off with a chemical attack at a diner, the Scarecrow threatens Gotham with his newest fear toxin, leading the citizens to evacuate the city. That leaves Batman and the Gotham City Police Department to fight against the Scarecrow as he promises that tonight will be the night that the Batman dies. However joining in with Scarecrow are many familiar faces of Batman’s Rogues such as Penguin, The Riddler, Two Face, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and the new threat to Batman, the Arkham Knight. This story has a much more darker tone, can be a bit of a mind trip, and has some incredible twists. One thing I must point out — despite the fact this stays very close to the Arkham series formula it has its moments of terror in some of the scenes of this game. This adds a new dimension to the game — by adding in these horror elements, the game feels fresh and a brand new experience from the other games.
Beautiful World
Gotham City is by far the most beautiful interpretation yet. Gliding all over the three connecting islands you can really see a lot of detail put into designing the city. The graphic power comes into full force in this game as everything has a level of great detail to it. Each character model looks unique. I especially love when Batman dawns his new bodysuit earlier on in the game. The level of detail that suit has is astonishing and I look forward to seeing a cosplay of that suit. Also possibly one of the best character models has to go to the Scarecrow, who has in an incredible upgrade from his previous look in the Arkham games. They made him look terrifying, possibly scarier now due to it having more of a realistic look. However — personal preference — some of the main characters look off to me. For example some characters have incredible looks with their models having amazing detail, however characters like Nightwing, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman just look way off. Weird considering how their original looks in Arkham City were perfect for each character. I will say no matter how many times I see him, Robin looks like Eminem. Might just be me but that is what I see
The gameplay for Arkham Knight has definitely improved from the original formula with new additions. For example, combat has been refreshed by adding in new gadgets to Batman’s arsenal. My personal favorite is the Disruptor which can be used to disable enemy weapons. It’s really enjoyable watching the enemy fight with their weapon as you stand right in front of them. Also the remote hacking tool is going to quickly become your best friend, as it is able to hijack enemy drones, computers, and turrets. Another great addition is the fear take down. Being able to take down three targets at once is incredible.
Enemies are much smarter in this game. They will tackle you to the ground when fighting a horde of enemies, string together moves for combos, even counter your attacks. Some enemies even make other enemies stronger, and certain special enemies have abilities to take away an advantage from you. This even goes into Predator mode where they will actually use thermobaric charges to flush you out from under grates, use tracking systems to find you while you use detective mode, and even plant charges on perches. A vast AI improvement over previous titles, and it gets more challenging as you progress.
As you complete missions and progress the story you’ll be able to upgrade your skills through the very in depth skill tree. Finally possibly my favorite inclusion to this game is the dual play. In this feature at certain points in the game you will be able to interchange characters during a sequence. Mainly seen in fights with hordes you can switch from Batman to other allies such as Nightwing, Robin, or Catwoman, Also Dual Takedowns are some of the coolest moves you can pull off. Seeing Batman team up with one of the before-mentioned characters is awesome, with each pairing having their own unique combo take-downs with the Dark Knight.
Ridin’ Dirty
One feature of gameplay that has to be mentioned is that for the first time the Batmobile is playable. I cannot tell you how much fun it is riding around in Gotham City in the Batmobile. The controls are weird at first but you will quickly get the hang of it. Also the battle tank mode is a neat feature, transforming the already badass Batmobile into a futuristic tank. In tank mode you have access to firearms to take on enemy tanks, weapons, and even thugs. While I was worried this be only used once or twice during the game, it turns out the Batmobile plays a huge role in this game. You will need the Batmobile for certain parts of a mission in order to progress. You even use the Batmobile in a few instances to take out heavily armored enemies, use its power winch, or to get from Point A to Point B quicker. Being able to eject from the Batmobile to increase glide speed is a great way to get over buildings, and obstacles in your way.
While the Batmobile is a more than welcome addition to the game it feels like it is used too much. After the first few times you use the Batmobile it just feels like it’s overused. And while constant upgrades from Lucius Fox are always welcome, it just feels like it is thrown into a sequence just because. And at times it is needed to progress the story, but I feel it gets a little too gimmicky, and makes me question how is this thing still running after getting halfway through the story.
Voices in Your Head
The atmosphere of the game is matched by its sound. The music has a dark tone, with it increasing in action scenes, or picking up pace in stealth moments while you are taking people out. Hearing the banter between Batman and several other characters is very interesting. Kevin Conroy definitely pulls out some A material. I can not imagine Batman sounding any more flawless. While I do think Roger Craig Smith did well in Arkham Origins nothing beats the original voice. Tara Strong does an amazing job as Harley Quinn, and even another voice actor does a phenomenal job (I won’t mention who due to spoiler reasons) Even the guards having witty dialogue with one another, often talking about their training, the mission, Batman, or dropping some Easter eggs every now and then.
Overall, Arkham Knight has a lot to offer. It took me and a friend around 10-plus hours to complete the game’s main story, not to mention the side quest which add so much more content to the already full course of the main story. But by playing through the side quest you can see a bunch of familiar characters, and take some on in a boss battle. There are even challenge missions with characters like Harley Quinn, and Red Hood as DLC to keep the game going a little longer. My only real gripe with the game is with the character of Arkham Knight. While the concept was amazing for his background I just felt his identity could have been better, or at least hidden better. And as stated before, the Batmobile sections are a little too much, but besides that the game overall is an amazing experience, one of the best games I’ve played thus far this year next to Bloodbourne. It is a 4 out of 5.
If you own a PS4 or an Xbox One I highly suggest getting the game. My only hope now is that since this is Rocksteady’s last Batman Arkham game they take on the challenge of trying to make a good Justice League game, or maybe doing other DC characters next. Whatever they’ve got planned next, I am looking forward to it greatly.
