Good evening, Clarice - er, Bats.
The game's premise is certainly intriguing enough; Batman has finally apprehended his arch-nemesis, the Joker, and proceeds to haul him over to the eponymous Arkham Asylum, the infamous facility for the criminally-insane. However, soon after Joker's arrival, things start to go awry, and Commissioner Gordon and Batman realise that they have sprung the Joker's trap. To make matters worse, the Clown Prince of Crime has decided to unlock the cell doors of a great number of Batman's rogue gallery, including Bane, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc and the Riddler, to name just a few. In order to save himself and Gotham City, Batman has to survive the asylum and put and end to the Joker's schemes before his deadly punch-line is revealed. The story of Batman: Arkham Asylum has been penned by Paul Dini, producer and writer of the lauded Batman: The Animated Series, and will draw from the entirety of the title character's comic history rather than have any particular series, film or novel serve as its inspiration. Fans of the abovementioned animated series will be particularly pleased to note that Batman and the Joker are voiced by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill (yes, that Mark Hamill) respectively, who have become fan-favourite incarnations of the iconic characters.
In gameplay terms, Batman: Arkham Asylum will see the dark knight freely traversing the island of Arkham from a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective reminiscent of Dead Space and using stealth maneuvers and an assortment of gadgets to gain the upper hand over his enemies and intimidate from the shadows. Batman also comes equipped with a visor which allow him to scan the surrounding environment and utilise his oft-ignored detective skills, an aspect of the character which has hitherto been ignored in favour of plain, old fisticuffs. Which is not to say that Batman: Arkham Asylum is lacking in terms of its willingness to showcase Bruce Wayne's martial arts prowess. Hand-to-hand combat promises to be an integral pillar of the gameplay experience, taking place from a slightly-elevated perspective and comprising context-sensitive moves which are chained together in what the developers are referring to as a 'free flow combat' system. The actual fighting engine appears to be relatively simplistic, but with an emphasis on strategy and reflexes. Batman is able to counter enemies with the press of a single button as long as his timing is true, and the graceful animation truly sells this iteration of the dark knight as a brutal, efficient fighter.
Chin, meet foot.
In fact, Batman: Arkham Asylum seems set to deliver on all fronts with respect to its presentation. In addition to the ample vocal talent, the game benefits from its use of Unreal Engine 3, which truly fits the game's brooding art direction to a tee; Batman's character model is beefy and immaculate in terms of detail, and the Gothic interiors and surrounds of the asylum look gorgeous and solid. While some titles which license the Unreal Engine appear clunky or unrefined, Batman: Arkham Asylum plays to its strengths with the result appearing to be one of the finest uses of the technology outside of Epic's Gears of War series and Bioshock.
Ultimately, Batman: Arkham Asylum is far from a known quantity; very little of single-player campaign has been revealed so far, and the title's traversal mechanics and structure remain as mysterious as the dark knight himself. So while it is easy to lavish praise on the game's apparent fidelity to the source material, beautiful visuals and visceral combat, it is difficult to get a feel for the pacing of the title and how it might play out as a game experience. Nonetheless, Batman: Arkham Asylum reeks of promise, and with the game having recently been delayed ostensibly for fine-tuning, there is every hope that this could be the one Batman fans have been waiting for. PALGN will have more information on Batman: Arkham Asylum, including a full review, when the title releases later this year.
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