Released: 23rd June 2015
Developer: Rocksteady
Publisher: Warner Bros
Certificate: 18
Formats: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Version Played: PS4
Batman Arkham Asylum stood out as a masterful achievement in 2009; much like Christopher Nolan’s film trilogy, it succeeded at revitalising the titular hero with great gusto, only this time for the video game scene. After three games of massive fanfare, developer Rocksteady announced the fourth and final entry. Tipped as the grand conclusion to their acclaimed series, Batman Arkham Knight had some lofty expectations to meet in 2015; in the end, it only met them partially.
The game takes place a year after Arkham City; following the death of the Joker, crime in Gotham City has been drastically cut down. This peace is shattered with the return of The Scarecrow (voiced by John Noble) who plans to send the city into complete chaos with his new fear toxin. With a full evacuation having taken place, Batman once again teams up with Commissioner Gordon and his other allies for one final showdown to reclaim their city. Things grow more complicated with Scarecrow’s sidekick, the Arkham Knight, who brings an army of militia and unmanned drones to control the streets. While at first, the story appears to be all-out war between the world’s greatest detective and his foes, the narrative pivots towards something more psychological that ends up costing the story a fair bit.
With the shocking ending of its predecessor, Arkham Knight’s narrative had a lot of potential to involve the many villains now ruling over Gotham, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite come to that. Scarecrow and the titular Knight don’t have much presence throughout the game as they often stick to taunting the caped crusader over loudspeaker. Events that transpire across the city do emphasise just how high the stakes have gotten, but this is left to the gameplay. The internalised conflict painted by a returning series icon does make sense with the franchise’s story build-up, but it also pushes other threads off to the side. For the rest of the villains, it’s a case of quantity over quality; the likes of Two-Face, Penguin and Man-Bat manifest themselves in the game’s side quests instead. For what it is, Knight does offer a worthwhile conclusion, but its attempts to craft a multi-layered story fall short. Was the focus in the wrong place? That depends on your attachment to previous games and the greater lore behind the franchise.
Continuing on from both City and Origins, Arkham Knight once again features a massive open-world Gotham City that is said to be five times larger than the former. Like those games, there’s side-content aplenty and you can always check your progress with a helpful pop-up menu. As you proceed through the game, this radial system both fills and cycles through active and inactive side missions. You’ll start off by driving around in the newly introduced Batmobile, destroying the titular villain’s forces and clearing the way for other objectives which include disarming road bombs and knocking out militia roadblocks. From here, you can focus on other side activities while engaging random packs of regular thugs any time you see fit. Thanks to both the returning super-glide and grapnel boost, traversal is no issue and in terms of content, Knight is just as packed as its predecessors.
This side content, much like the narrative, varies in quality; some are well thought out such as Two-Face’s bank robberies which put a different spin on the stealth action. However, other lesser-known adversaries like Professor Pyg and Deacon Blackfire are boiled down to woefully basic combat encounters that don’t leverage their mannerisms. That’s something that can be said for much of Knight’s set=pieces; whether they’re boss fights or regular encounters, they stand as the weakest of the franchise. It’s baffling because Rocksteady did bosses so well in Arkham City. One area that’s more inventive is the returning Riddler trophies; the sheer number of collectables is still rather excessive, but the way the on-foot and batmobile based challenges are handled makes them more unique. Rounding off the feature set is the returning challenge modes which again feeds into online leaderboards; this method of play continues to test one’s skills and fuels much of the game’s replay ability. The game’s downloadable content is also very extensive for those after additional missions and rogues to hunt down.
The gameplay style of the Arkham series has slowly expanded over the years and what places Knight above Origins from WB Games Montreal is how it is able to properly innovate in the gameplay department. As opposed to a new enemy here and there, Batman is given countless new moves, beginning with the fear-multi takedown. If you take a group of foes by surprise, you can rapidly knock out three and eventually five of them in rapid succession; it’s an excellent move that goes hand-in-hand with the caped crusader’s use of fear. This alongside gadgets such as the remote hacking device keeps Batman’s options wide open throughout the game. His repertoire only expands further once you upgrade your tech with the ability to disable enemy tools, or in the case of the batmobile, unleash a barrage of attacks that can target multiple drones at once.
The combat and stealth components are still as enjoyable as ever, though this time their scale and complexity are increased right from the get-go. Immediately you’re pitted against enemies of many stripes in close combat, so be ready for a challenge. Most notably, common thugs can now grapple Batman or charge him from a distance. These new threats are topped off by enemies who can cycle their weapons, revive fallen comrades or be immune to attack for a limited time. At several points, Batman will team up with Robin, Catwoman and Nightwing and these are some of the most awesome moments in the game. Swapping between characters mid-combo and executing dynamic finishers makes the hand-to-hand fights even more thrilling. On the other side of the coin, invisible predator mode features armed thugs that can track Batman in detective mode or be invisible to it entirely alongside bulkier thugs that can’t be taken out with stealth. It can get very difficult at times, especially when you’re confined to a smaller section of rooftop. Much like previous titles, it’s up to the player to make full use of Batman’s abilities to come out on top with these added considerations.
Rounding off the gameplay is Arkham Knight’s most extensive feature. Driving Batman’s car has never been accomplished in a fully realised 3D environment before; for a first attempt, Rocksteady’s attempt is admirable but ultimately mixed. The sense of speed is strong and knocking out enemies with its electrical charge or riot gun is always satisfying. When things get more specific though, you’ll either love the batmobile or you’ll hate it, as Rocksteady saw fit to squeeze out every last bit of use. I take the opposite view myself; the tank battles are fine if rather repetitive. Once you unlock the vehicle’s missile launcher and other weapons, these sections go by much more easily. It’s the moments where you’re chasing down enemies at top speed where things get incredibly clumsy. There’s just too much on-screen clutter and you’ll find yourself crashing into building and bouncing off surfaces in the process. Once you do wrap your head around the controls and the way they factor into the action, it does become more enjoyable as well as the fastest means of getting around Gotham City.
Arkham Knight is absolutely stunning on a technical level; the game really does utilise the power of the eighth-generation consoles to create the finest looking Gotham City to date. It’s a collation of superb details that go hand-in-hand with the game’s massive scale. Across the three islands, the varied skyscrapers and more grotty, run-down streets are beautifully presented and a keen eye will spot both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City looming in the distance abandoned. It’s matched by superb character models, animations and outstanding attention to detail. Batman’s new armoured suit in particular looks awesome throughout the game as do the various side characters and villains you’ll trade blows with. On PlayStation 4 at least, the game is always firing on all cylinders with only the occasional pause when transferring to a new area.
The action is backed up by another phenomenal soundtrack that succeeds at getting across the hero’s mythos and power. Despite its weaker story, the cast is still on excellent form all around. Kevin Conroy as the Batman is again superb, as are the likes of Matthew Mercer as Robin, Jonathon Banks as Gordon and John Noble as Scarecrow. They all deliver great work in spite of the less-impressive script. The only weak point is the endless thug chatter that ends up repeating itself far too many times as the game goes on. On the whole, Arkham Knight once again does a fantastic job of creating its gloomy and foreboding atmosphere, pulling you into the world of the dark knight like no other series can.
Batman: Arkham Knight is ultimately a finale that’s competent as opposed to thoroughly climatic. Its technical presentation is stunning and there’s a lot to do in its open world, but despite its best efforts, it ends up muddling some of the elements that made Rocksteady’s previous efforts so outstanding. It’s still worth playing to round off the saga, but you’ll get far more enjoyment from Asylum and City.
Rating: 7/10 (Good)
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