Batman: Arkham City is an action-adventure game released in 2011. Taking control of the Batman, you advance through a carefully knitted plot unfolding throughout the newly founded Arkham City. Inhabited by the near entirety of Batman's rogue gallery, you can expect The Dark Knight encounters what could be considered a fair amount of hassle as he attempts to uncover the mischievous intentions of Hugo Strange: long-term Batman villain and the man in control of Arkham City.
Arkham City begins differently, depending on whether or not you have redeemed the code for the Catwoman content. If you have, the game commences with the player taking control of Catwoman in a creepy room beating down henchman working for Two-Face and attempting to steal from his safe — only for Two-Face to stumble across the scene and put a gun to Catwoman's head. The next scene is where you'd begin if you didn't install Catwoman as a playable character. Bruce Wayne is arrested and taken to Arkham City in a glorious interactive cinematic that introduces you efficaciously to the controls. You walk past many of the inmates completely cuffed as they all let you in on how they're going to make you their bitch. In true Batman form, you eventually beat on many of the thugs (while cuffed) and conclude with a small confrontation with the Penguin.
The game plays like the skin of an apple: smooth. Different aspects appear to merge seamlessly into each other. The use of a glide kick makes it so simple to go immediately from exploration into combat. Gadgets used in the game's problem solving areas can be used in combat. It's a sign of a successful game, or indeed the sign of any great medium when one device can be utilised for a variety of purposes. Dialogue is always relevant, even if it does at times hint at how to progress with pain-staking transparency. It wouldn't have surprised me if at any point the player's Batman had bust out with "The Joker? I should probably stop him from enacting evil deeds" — it certainly was the route they were heading.
Combat was deeply satisfying. The actions Batman took to knock out endless supplies of henchman were diverse enough to keep a long session of mook-bashing appealing. Even if it did radiate a sense of "Thank you kindly, guys, for only taking me on a maximum of two at a time — despite twenty of you surrounding me. It's like you realise I only have two hands to fight with! You may be criminals, but that doesn't stop you being swell gentlemen."
Article comments