“Batman: Arkham Origins” video game review
After the wild critical and commercial success of “Batman: Arkham Asylum” and “Arkham City,” developer WB Montreal has the uneasy task of proving that it has what it takes to pick up the reins from previous series developer, Rocksteady Studios. In case this shift from the previously tried and trusted developer wasn’t enough to make fans nervous about the Dark Knight’s next outing, the voice cast saw its own shake-up with long-time fan favorites Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill being replaced by series newcomers Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker as the Batman and Joker respectively.
This all in addition to “Origins” being set as a prequel tale to the existing series entries – and people’s generally sour predisposition towards prequels ever since “The Phantom Menace” rocked our worlds – stacked a possibly insurmountable mountain at WB Montreal’s front door – a mountain of equal parts unreasonable expectation and unsubstantiated doubt.
There are many reasons why “Arkham Asylum” was the unprecedented triumph it was. The title’s “Metriod”-style gameplay, deep combat and stealth mechanics were perfectly suited for Batman and the inclusion of experienced and beloved voice actors and a story written by Paul Dini – who had already made his mark on the Batman mythos in other mediums – ensured the characters and tone were fitting and true to both the source material and fan’s desires.
It also didn’t hurt that “Asylum” broke through that previously impenetrable barrier standing between superheroes and top-tier quality gaming. The sequel, “Arkham City,” took the established formula and added new combat, stealth and navigational abilities, an open-world environment and another intricate and masterful story by Paul Dini.
With “Batman: Arkham Origins,” WB Montreal was afforded the luxury of a rock solid and proven preexisting foundation provided courtesy of Rocksteady Studios. All of the combos, takedowns, gadgets, grappling and gliding present in “Arkham City” are back – even if some of them have been renamed for continuity’s sake. Even one of Gotham City’s two islands is largely recycled from the previous game. Fans can rest comfortably in the knowledge that this foundation is strong enough to weather any change behind the wheel.
Of course, it would be very disappointing if a new developer took over a franchise and did nothing to make it their own. Batman does get a new gadget or two – such as the shock gloves and remote grapnel which arguably make the game a little easier than it needs to be – as well as a few new enemy types – such as the martial artists and armored enforcers who serve to balance the game back in the other direction.
Where WB Montreal really leaves their stamp on the series, though, is with the boss battles. While one or two may feel a little overly reliant on button prompts, they all deliver large-scale action set pieces that differ greatly both from typical combat scenarios and from one another. Often, the player is forced to learn the boss’s weakness or find a way to trick them and gain the upper hand using stealth or one of Batman’s many wonderful toys. It’s a great expansion on the structure that was originally so interesting during the Mr. Freeze confrontation in “Arkham City.”
The story once again finds Batman on one of the longest and busiest single nights of his career – a night where all the crazies are out running amok just asking for some vigilante justice and, oh yeah, it’s Christmas Eve. Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of imagery or Bruce Wayne’s own grim demeanor, but for some reason – whether in the comics, on the animated series or Tim Burton’s “Batman Returns” – Batman stories seem to always work really well when set against a jovial winter holiday.
This Christmas however, it’s not Santa and his eight reindeer coming to town – it’s Black Mask and his eight hired assassins all vying for the fifty million dollar bounty on the Batman’s head.
The plot provides an interesting setting as well as a character driven story that doesn’t shy away from exploring the pathos that drives Bruce Wayne or the psychosis that binds the Joker to him. In fact, two or three scenes featuring the Joker – starting about halfway through the game – serve to peel back the layers of what pulls these two characters towards each other and really stand out as the true heart of the story.
“Origins” earns its title not for providing an origin story for any particular character, but for diving right into the genesis of the relationship between Batman and the Joker, the emergence of Gotham’s so-called “super criminals” and the need for an isolated facility designed specifically for the incarceration and intensive treatment for the criminally insane.
Unfortunately the game lacks any real narrative momentum or sense of urgency at the onset. There’s no race to stop the citizens of Gotham from being infected with Titan formula by the Joker and there’s no looming threat of Dr. Hugo Strange ordering the execution of Protocol Ten. Instead, the story rests firmly on Batman hunting down those very assassins who have come to town to hunt him. It’s hard to disagree with Alfred’s comment early in the game that should Bruce Wayne simply spend the holiday at home, all of the assassins would fail to locate and take out the Batman.
Obviously Batman fears innocents would be harmed to attract his attention and so goes on the offensive, giving the story the only real motivation that is necessary – taking out the trash.
“Origins” also gives players the chance to take out each other in the series’ first online multiplayer mode. While this may seem like an unjustified and misguided attempt at breaking into the online competitive demographic, just remember that we all thought that same thing when “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” and “Mass Effect 3” broke out their surprisingly fun and popular versions of online multiplayer. The competitive mode in “Origins” pits two teams of three gun-toting gang members against each other while the dynamic duo tries to take them all down – it’s a brilliant idea. Playing as a gang member is truly panic inducing as you twitch about not knowing if failure will come from a rival’s shot in the back or a hero’s stealthy assault from above and preying on your friends from the shadows as Batman or Robin is an intoxicating power trip.
It has its hiccups – the “Arkham” series wasn’t built around third-person running and gunning and the heroes are a bit clumsier here than in the solo campaign – but it’s a great first draft that builds on what the series has already done so well.
While “Arkham Origins” benefits from standing on tall shoulders, there’s an empty feeling about soaring over Gotham and a lack of fulfillment in meeting Batman’s rogues gallery early in his career when compared to the grandeur of each character’s implied history with Batman in “Asylum” and “City.”
Additionally – plagued with graphical, geometrical and game-killing glitches – it fails to deliver the same impression of polish and reach as its predecessors. That is simply to say that when compared to Rocksteady Studios’ entries, it may not entirely satisfy fans’ expectations, but “Batman: Arkham Origins” is still the third best Batman game ever made and is well worth your time.
“Batman: Arkham Origins” is available now for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U. It is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.