By TYLER FLOOD
The Batman Arkham Series is one of the most beloved franchises to start on the current console generation, with Arkham City hailed as not only the best video game adaption of a comic book, but also as one of the strongest games of the 21st century. With the original studio Rocksteady (who made Asylum and City) working on a new undisclosed project, newcomer Warner Bros Games Montréal takes a few steps backwards for Origins, though regrettably it’s not just in its chronology alone.
The story of Arkham Origins is that of a younger, rasher Batman in his second year of waging war on crime. During Christmas Eve, he learns of a plot by the crime boss Black Mask who has put a bounty on his head with eight assassins planning to kill him by the night’s end. Batman knows that the assassins will do whatever it takes to draw him out and goes forward into the night to stop them. Though all is not as it seems. This plot takes many twists and turns, but finds itself at it’s strongest through the first three fifths of the game; after a certain turn of events, the game becomes a bit fragmented. The assassins in this story range from notable DC Comics villains such as Bane and Deathstroke, to the entirely obscure Electrocutioner, with an additional host of baddies encountered in the side missions, and also franchise mainstay, the Joker, who is expertly voiced by Troy Baker. The majority of the boss battles in the game are pretty direct encounters, with the exception of only a few standouts, such as a memorable battle on the Gotham Bridge.
The side missions in this game vary from usual tedious collection of data packs with the end goal of stopping a familiar foe going by the alias of “Enigma”, to a one-shot-mission with a certain hatter. The plot of the game and its side missions are passable enough to be a part of the Arkham series, but where this game shows it’s primary issues is with its lack of polish. I ran into several bugs in the game where I’d have to reload my last save after getting stuck in a wall. For a series dedicated to immersing you as Batman, this is a problematic issue. However, where the game does succeed in its immersion is in its gameplay. The combat system is even better than that of its predecessors, with the addition of new enemy types such as the martial artists who can counter your attacks against them. In terms of the stealth based gameplay some previous gadgets have been re-skinned, such as the freeze blast of Arkham City, which is now the glue grenade. Both effectively serve the same purpose. The gameplay stands as strong as ever… with the single-player, that is.
Perhaps the most notable addition to the series is the new multi-player mode. Which is a 3v3v2 Death match where players take control as Elite members of Joker’s crew, Bane’s crew and Batman and Robin, respectively. The premise is strong. Joker and Bane crewmembers fight to the last man. If either crew runs out of lives, the other crew wins, but Batman and Robin have a fear meter which increases with every knockout they get and decreases when either is killed. If they fill this meter before one crew takes the other out, they win. The crew customization is surprisingly strong for this mode. What aren’t strong are the controls for the crewmembers, which feel sluggish and are paired with awkward animations. Admittedly, however, the teams are fairly balanced, as Joker and Bane crewmembers can, at some point in the match, open a door to play as their respective leader, who can take a lot more bullets and deal out a lot more damage. This mode is at least entertaining enough to merit a few hours of play, but it needs more refinement if it’s ever going to be brought back to the series. Challenge mode also returns which feels the same as that of Arkham City. The variety of modes in this game gives it moderate replay value. Another replay-ability factor for more hardcore players is the “I am the Night” mode that tasks you to beat the game with only a single life.
Batman Arkham Origins is a good game, but not great. It’s story falls short, though the gameplay should be enough to keep any Batfan satisfied. 8/10
