Arkham Knight is the grand conclusion to the Arkham tetralogy. Don’t you dare give me that stink eye, if Rocksteady considers Origins canon (even though they didn’t develop it), I consider it canon. The Dark Knight has to deal with Scarecrow and an apocalyptic plan to douse Gotham in fear gas. So is this the exciting, action packed finale everyone has been bracing for? Well…
Let’s kick this off with the compliments. Arkham looks better than ever with updated character models and faces that really breathe new much needed life into the previously bulky and plastic looking models of the last game. The scale of Gotham is immense, and Rocksteady captures that 1950s-esque gothic deco look that has come to define Gotham in the majority of its appearances through out the Batman franchise. Batman’s new power armor also gives him a sleeker, deadlier look than he’s carried in previous games, giving him the appearance of a force of nature.
What a force at that. Let’s face facts, a huge draw of Rocksteady’s games is giving you that “feeling” of being the great detective and putting criminals in their place. I bet you more folks than would openly admitted have uttered “I’m Batman” in a low growl at least once. It’s better than ever in this title as once Batman puts on his shiny new armor, roughly as you clear the game’s first few “tutorials”, you can feel the power and speed it brings with it. Batman gets all new “Fear Takedowns” where if he gets the drop on his foes, he can smash through up to three at once before taking to the rafters or grates to hide from his prey.
However the enemies scale to meet the challenge the Batman presents to them. In addition to the usual thugs you’ll have a militia to contend with. They are commanded by the game’s titular “Arkham Knight”, Batman’s secondary antagonist, and he will radio his men with a ton of ProTips on the Dark Knight’s tactics in order to give them the advantage. They’ll set detonation devices on all Batman’s perches, blow up ducts and grating, track the Bat’s gear, and revive their allies, meaning the player has to think and act faster than they do.
Being the Bat is absolutely awesome which is why it’s always so damn frustrating when you have to stop playing as him. This is the part of the review I gripe about the Batmobile and the massive drag it is on gameplay. There is no sense of weight to the Batmobile, it crushes cars and structures as easily as one could step on an ant while having the speed and handling of a hockey puck. The physics needed more time to cook to make the Batmobile feel “good” and the combat mode is awful. At times the Batmobile will provide the same utility as a tow truck, either using a power winch to pull down an object or to jump start an engine. Batman: Upstanding member of the American Automobile Association. It might be tolerable if Rocksteady didn’t force it into damn near every aspect of the gameplay. Need to race to the scene of a crime? Rocksteady will need you to use the Batmobile. Bosses, usually a big draw in the Arkham series (when they don’t resort to “Buff Guy” anyway), will require the Batmobile. Puzzles even while indoors will demand you use your wheels. Platforming? Most certainly a job for a car.
It’s also the traditional way of pressing suspects.
This is no exaggeration either. It feels like they had this feature, they had to integrate it, and did so to the point it completely screws with the rhythm of the game. Especially in the opening and closing acts, the most vital moments in nearly every piece of media. I encountered a section of the game where I had to walk on foot as Batman, switch to the Batmobile just for the sake of summoning an elevator, then switch back to the Bat. Only to drive to another elevator, get out on foot, push a button to call that elevator, then climb back in the Batmobile to keep driving. I mean it’s really damn tedious. It seems every other game designer in history, no matter how poor the driving physics they’ve implemented, at least understood that driving sections should be kept separate from other aspects of play so as not to break up the pace. So instead of having a fun car to zip around the streets of Gotham, I’ve been punished with the rock of Sisyphus forced to roll it up the hill that is Arkham.
Challenge maps are gone and are instead replaced by piddling “story” packs which can be amusing, but are over far too soon to be compelling or worth extra money from the consumer. You can team up with and control several of Batman’s allies in the game including Catwoman, Azrael, Nightwing and Robin, making for some pretty fun moments as the Cape Crusader and his sidekicks beat some ass. Sadly like most of the good in this game these moments are few and far between and only serve to make you thirsty for just another sweet little drop.
A lot of the detective work and gadgetry is automated this time around, not only making it easier to use but also kind of removing player agency. While I’m not sure detective mode was ever “perfect”, it feels like a simplified easter egg hunt of “hey kiddies, find the thing that glows.” It’s especially disappointing after playing the Witcher 3, which really involves the player in an investigative process whenever it’s time to do a bit of sleuthing. The closest thing Arkham has to a deeper level of involvement is reconstructing a crime scene and scrubbing through the timeline for points to scan. The side missions are pretty short and usually just require you use Detective Vision for a little bit or beat up a few thugs, but considering all the time spent in the Batmobile it’s a welcome change of pace to do anything Batman-like at all.
Rocksteady and WB got rid of veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, who has seen the caped crusader through tales in both comics and animated since the 1990s. I was ready to give Rocksteady the benefit of the doubt and I very much believe fresh writers can give a compelling, even needed take on long standing franchises. However Rocksteady’s writing amateurism shows right away not only in their character portrayals but also the overall plot. The rogues gallery doesn’t feel like Batman’s rogues gallery, with their out of character behavior and fulfilling silly plot roles. Hey everyone, it’s Batman’s most loved sidekick: Poison Ivy!
One of the core villains, Arkham Knight has a personality that ranges from “whiny” to “irritating”, while his ‘big secret’ will probably be obvious to even half dedicated Batman fans. The entire idea of a militarized enemy and a militarized Batman also tends to make it feel a bit like Metal Gear Bats. The story is dark, weird and depressing, even by Batman standards. Similar to the game’s Tankmobile the writing breaks the atmosphere Rocksteady so carefully crafted across Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.
I mean, I have a pretty solid idea, but I guess I’ll play along for the next eight hours or so because I don’t really have a choice.
I also have to admit I was pretty bored as the game took its time meting out breadcrumbs in terms of both plot and gameplay while it slowly built up to the bigger events. Side missions, called “Most Wanted” missions, were especially lousy in cutting you off at a certain point in their quest chains ‘just because.’ There seems to be this attitude in game design where “Well, we have to give our players busy work and smaller, menial tasks to build up to the big stuff.” When recent games such as Saints Row 4, Grand Theft Auto 5, Infamous: Second Son, Witcher 3 and Shadows of Mordor have proven you can get to the juicy stuff right off the bat and make for an overall more compelling experience.
I would be willing to give this game a 4, maybe even a 5 if it didn’t feel like it reverted so damn much to its over-reliance on the Batmobile while also doing away with a lot of the “meat” that makes the other Arkham games so great. I honestly don’t understand how this can be praised as the “perfect” Arkham game when it’s shoved a major, unpolished mechanic into the gameplay at every corner. If this were any other title, the “driving” physics of the Batmobile wouldn’t be forgiven. I chose to avoid using it whenever possible, even after the game threatened to blow up Catwoman if I didn’t drive it around. Yes. This actually happens.
Otherwise the combat is smooth as drawn butter, the predator moments are more fun and more intense than they’ve ever been, and it all looks great. Typically when it comes to a video game I can overlook what I deem to be its minor flaws, in this case mostly the story. Let’s be honest, DC has done worse themselves with their Bat-tales, and there’s enough pastiche you can at least tell Rocksteady really loves Batman. So it comes down to what feels like a lack of core Arkham content paired with a shoved in Batmobile, and when you beat me over the head with your new toy I just want to throw it out the goddamn window.
