GAME REVIEW: 'Batman: Arkham Origins' is worthy, if imperfect, prequel 

“Your Enemies Will Define You.” That’s the slogan that accompanied much of the marketing and advertisement for “Batman: Arkham Origins” – Warner Bros. Games’ next installment in their highly successful Arkham series. 

 

A prequel set years before the events of “Arkham Asylum” and “Arkham City”, the game focuses on a younger and more inexperienced Batman/ Bruce Wayne, who’s two years into his mission to avenge his parents and defend Gotham City. It has quite the reputation to live up to, and is the first game in the Arkham series to not to include original Batman and Joker voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. 

Christmas in Gotham
 

Set on the night of Christmas Eve, a prison breakout in Gotham City’s Blackgate penitentiary sets into motion events that test the young vigilante’s resolve and foundation. The mob boss, called Black Mask, issues a bounty on the Caped Crusader’s head, dispatching various villains and assassins to take out The Bat once and for all. With innocents caught in the crossfire and his reputation as a hero yet to be established, Batman must save his city and face down enemies that will define his existence as The Dark Knight, defender of Gotham. 

 

Developed by Canada-based developer Warner Bros. Games Montreal, who take the reigns from Rocksteady Studios, “Arkham Origins” does its best to earn its namesake while remaining consistent to the parameters its successors have established and earned praise for. 

 

The game is not without its faults, although these are minor nitpicks at best. There are plenty of good and familiar elements that make it a worthy entry to the series, yet random glitches and some paces of execution keep this game from being a perfect progression, despite new features and entries that aim to add something new into the mix. 

 

Game play has remained largely unchanged in “Arkham Origins”, save for a few new elements that add depth and assist the Dark Knight in his war against crime. 

 

Controlling Batman remains relatively fun and the same. You can beat criminals by using extensive focus and free flow moves. Besides brute force, stealth and theatricality are once again key skills to learn, they are necessary fundamentals to learn to instill fear and intimidation on your enemies.

Don't leave home without your Batarang

Batman’s utility belt also brings back useful tools to help him progress, with the Cryptographic Sequencer, Bat Claw, and the trademark Batarangs returning. Successfully completing fights and objectives earns Batman experience points or XP, which he can use to level up his moves and equipment to boost his performance in the field.

 

New to the Batman’s arsenal are a few new gadgets acquired as the player progresses through the game. The Remote Claw is a cross between the Batclaw and Line Launcher. It's a handy tool that helps the Caped Crusader build a line to reach spots that are otherwise inaccessible. The Glue Gun, a device similar to the Freeze Blast from “Arkham City”, acts as a sticky adhesive that can be used to close off steam clots and build a makeshift raft to use in water based locations. While those are some of the newer gadgets at Dark Knight’s disposal, the best one by far would have to be the Shock Gloves, which augments Batman’s fighting ability in addition to charging electric based equipment scattered in the game. When activated, the gauntlets give Bats a temporary power boost, doubling the damage dealt to enemies in excruciating fashion. 

 

Unlike its predecessors, “Arkham Origins” makes the brave attempt to expand the franchise's horizons by opening up Gotham City, leading to a larger and more expansive playground for the Caped Crusader to glide around in. This makes it twice as large as what was featured in the previous game, with more criminals to beat up and places to explore. 

 

Familiar locations like the Sionis Steel Mill and Amusement Mile return, yet are noticeably cleaner and more lively than the derelict looking, walled off portion of Gotham featured in Arkham City. It may sound intimidating and tedious to navigate on foot, but thankfully Batman’s gliding and grapnel capabilities return to help him scour his home turf with ease. 

A new “Fast Travel” system courtesy of the Batwing has been added, giving Bats the ability to skip through location marks scattered around the city or return him to the Batcave. The latter location in particular makes its very first appearance in a Batman Arkham game, and allows Batman to switch suits, play challenge maps, or talk to his faithful butler Alfred for some words of wisdom that provide some XP in return.

 

In addition to playing the main story itself, “Arkham Origins” offers a variety of unlockable side quests to engage in like any sandbox type game. Players can collect and scan the entirety of Gotham for hidden trophies, scattered around by the mysterious “Enigma” (aka the future Riddler), and locate hidden “Anarky” symbols in different landmarks and locations. Interestingly enough, WB Games Montreal has expanded the use of “Detective Vision” and incorporated it into “Crime Scene Investigation” type feature, where Batman has to carefully analyze the crime scene to reconstruct evidence and patterns. It’s a pretty impressive addition, but unfortunately restricted to key events and side missions. 

Batman vs. villain bosses
 

Without a doubt, what makes “Arkham Origins” innovative are the numerous, exciting boss battles. Each is a unique experience in itself that will sorely test a dedicated player to his limits. From facing familiar DC villains like Deathstroke and Bane to new interpretations of Copperhead and The Electrecutioner, these battles are definitely the highlight of the game, and make the experience only more encouraging for Batman fans to take on.

 

So, the bottom line. Is “Batman: Arkham Origins” a must-have? Definitely, for any Batman fan, and there’s plenty of replay value here thanks to the various in-game unlockables, bonuses found by completing story mode the first time around, and a paid DLC that can be accessed through the online store (such as the Deathstroke challenge pack). 

 

The whole game is an interesting take on the Batman universe, and does its best to deliver a pretty good prequel experience that ties in nicely to the past two games. WB Games Montreal’s delivery is fine and manageable, and the brand new multiplayer feature developed by Splash Damage is something new and wholesome to tryout.

While quality and presentation of the game isn’t perfect, big praise goes to Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker for taking on the roles of Batman and The Joker. Definitely, this is one game Batman fans won’t want to miss out this holiday season. — KDM, GMA News 

 

"Batman: Arkham Origins" is now available for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC.