Batman Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios. The game takes place in Arkham asylum where the joker hatches a dastardly plan to seize control of the Asylum and Gotham city as well as eliminate Batman

What is the Game like to Play

Well, after a short prologue the action really starts as Batman finds himself in the midst of joker's cunning plan. You'll be rescuing guards, fighting inmates, and traversing the interior of the Asylum to find the best way to take down your foes in a non-lethal fashion. The combat system in the asylum is amazing in particular the way the 360-degree combat is handled. No more of these annoying slaps in the back of your head you can't do anything about.

This time you can block and parry attacks no matter what direction they're coming from and the melee fights are so much fun always varied always interesting with new enemies to challenge you and you'll do well to not get overwhelmed as the volume of foes can get quite large. But if you're more of a stealthy type you can sneak around use your grappling hook to swing from the rafters and do silent takedowns to eliminate the enemies. The game features a wide array of gadgets and upgrades available to you as you make your way through the story.

You have the elaborate Wayne tech upgrades with a little something for everyone. You can use back vision to ID your enemy's whereabouts and overall the combat mission structure and platforming are all fantastic. The Asylum itself is beautifully created and it's full of dark and moody vibes. The game features joker Harley Quinn and croc to name a few the enemy variety during combat is very good and the game also features a challenge mode if you just want a change of pace from the story.

Visually, the game is stunning and it really catches the dark gothic mood of the Batman comics. The character models look fantastic and the detail on the costumes is great. the game world, the lighting, it's just wonderful. in terms of sound the voice acting is superb and in particular, the work is done by Mark Hamill as the joker who is possibly the best interpretation of the joker and he really captures the essence of what that character was like in the comic. The musical score just sublime as well.

What's Good and What's Bad

• What's Good:

The graphics and sound are exceptional The combat gameplay and controls are perfect it's got a great story. The voice acting is brilliant and the mission variety gadgets melee system and platforming are flawless.

• What's Bad:

The only downside is the game world is quite dark and it's quite a narrow world. It's not a big expansive open world but it's not a massive problem. It would be nice to have a bit more expansive freedom but that comes later in the series.

What's the Verdict

Batman Arkham Asylum is an absolute classic. It was the first comic book game that really did the batman franchise justice and they perfectly captured the mood, atmosphere, character, and sense of humor of the franchise. Add to that the melee combat system is utter perfection and the varied and interesting approach to each situation keeps the game feeling fresh and enjoyable. Personally, it's one of my favorite games and if you've never tried the Arkham games Asylum is a terrific one and I would strongly recommend it.