Arkham Returns

After a long delay, we got our hands on what Arkham City gave us a taste of, and what we wished Arkham Origins could have been. If you’ve ever wanted to be the Batman, truly, honestly, looked in the mirror and thought about whether you could do it, this game might be the closest chance you’ll ever get. There are beautiful moments when you put the Dark Knight’s full repertoire to use and almost feel the weight of the cape and cowl on your neck.

Perhaps this success is the reason the flaws in this game stick out so much. Some of the early experiences that Arkham Knight presents are head-scratchers. The game starts a break-neck pace without much in the way of exposition. After some introductory violence and the obligatory conversation with Commissioner Gordon, the Batmobile is called in, complete with dramatic cutscene that makes sure to show off every detail of the fine machine like a Forza menu screen. It's then that you find out the all-time most legendary comic book vehicle handles like a bar of soap.

Rocksteady Studios

The Batmobile is the largest piece of contention I have with the game. It’s both clunky and floaty in a way that will make you wonder what the vehicle is made of. Rocksteady’s artists again found a way to mix the old with the new and crafted a vehicle that looks like a high-end sports car made of leftover tank parts. But all the weight of those plates don’t help it hug the road as the game favors high-speed drifting and streets that are too narrow not to hit anything. Holding the left trigger puts the car into an interesting battle mode as a hyper-agile, four-legged gun platform to take on other tanks that are referred to as drones. There are other great mechanics surrounding the vehicle, such as being able to control it remotely, an ejection seat that sends you gliding into the air, diving down into the car and driving without missing a beat, and car assisted takedowns in combat. None of these, however, make up for the fact that you have to use a car that doesn’t live up to the other experiences the game has to offer.

Arkham Knight has so much to it that a patch removing the Batmobile would go unnoticed. The combat has never felt tighter. Every punch, kick, elbow, and knee cracks against opponents in satisfying fashion. The transition animations are smoother and far more diverse than the Arkham predecessors. Being able to pick up a thug’s pipe and break his leg with it, bring a light down on top of his head, or dunk a brute face first into a spotlight are just the icing on the cake that make all of Batman’s gadgets and skills look like an unfair advantage.

Rocksteady Studios

Predator mode saw its own shakeup, with new ways to neutralize guns, smash through windows, and take out multiple targets at once. Batman smoothly slips from victim to victim silencing their radio chatter. There are a few new tools that can disarm guns or mimic people’s voices, and you’re going to need them because the thugs in this game are trained and well equipped. If you use the same strategy too much, they might toss a motion detector up on your favorite perch or throw some thermite down into a nearby grate. But being forced to adapt just helps you feel more like the Dark Knight and when you finally herd the last few terrified bad guys into the right spot, it’s that much more rewarding and sets you up for arguably the best part of the game: Fear Takedowns. Fear Takedowns allow you to quickly take down up to five enemies with a few button presses and it all happens in gorgeous slow motion while they scream in terror and fire their weapons wildly. These moments strike a perfect balance between the cinematic and mechanical parts of the game making every well done encounter a reward of its own.

With all the excitement going on, it can be easy to forget that Batman is known as the “World’s Greatest Detective.” All the investigation and x-ray vision return in Arkham Knight with a much-needed facelift. There are still places in the game where you’re following the tracks that can only be seen through Batman’s augmented reality goggles, but those moments are rare. Instead, Batman reconstructs car accidents that the player can move rewind or fast forward at the scene. Dead bodies need the depths of their injuries scanned to determine the cause of death. There’s even a scene where Batman has to splice together DNA sequences. Rocksteady hasn’t forgotten the Sherlock Holmes influence that’s often forgotten by other forms of media and Batman’s genius side is on full display.

Rocksteady Studios

This is why it’s so troubling when Batman, as a character, falls flat. Kevin Conroy was the voice of my childhood and forever will be the true voice of Batman for me. (Sorry Mr. Bale) Some of his delivery in this game feels a bit shaky and unmotivated and are paired with some wooden animations which stands out when you’re supposed to be ruthlessly interrogating a henchman. Like the Batmobile, there are times when it all comes together and the overall quality of Arkham Knight’s characters is fantastic, but sometimes it’s enough to be noticeable and can pull you out of a scene.

Unlike the Batmobile, the genuine moments we get of Batman are enough to make this a quibble. We get everything from Batman’s grim apathy in face overwhelming odds to his lowest possible moments. I’ll warn you, it gets dark, even for a Batman story. The game contains what I would nominate for one of the darkest scenes I’ve ever experienced in a game. Rocksteady again shows their ability to synthesize old and new, with the story being a mix of classic Batman stories like No Man’s Land, Hush, The Long Halloween, alongside the addition of the enigmatic Arkham Knight. The appearance of this new antagonist is both a blessing and a curse for the game. The Knight shows up like another Batman sans cape, but with a gun at their hip and acts as the wildcard that Batman can’t predict but ends up stealing a large amount of screen time from Scarecrow. It’s never quite clear who the primary threat is. Given the attention Rocksteady has put into reinventing Scarecrow to be the psychologically imposing monster he should be, it comes at odds with this new character they’re throwing into the mix. The story ends up lacking the subtlety and drive that made Arkham City great, but is still up to the task of driving you forward.

Rocksteady Studios

Batman: Arkham Knight is an enjoyable disappointment. It’s well worth the price of admission with more than enough to keep you entertained and scratch whatever Batman itch you might have. Just don’t go into the game expecting to enjoy every moment. For a game that does so well helping you become the Dark Knight Detective, it doesn’t give you a lot of choice at how you should be him. After the open world experiences of The Witcher 3 and Grand Theft Auto V, it feels odd that you can’t tackle challenges your own way on your own terms. There’s nothing in this game to make it bad, even the Batmobile becomes tolerable over time, it’s just disappointing that some of the features and choices made don’t live up to the pedigree or standards that so much of this great series has held itself to.