I recently decided to embark on a journey into the dark and cinematic world of Batman, starting with the classic game, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Having been intrigued by the recent release of Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight and the indie gem Replaced, I was eager to explore this retro classic. Despite owning an Xbox 360 copy, I had never played it, and I was curious to see how it held up today.
What struck me immediately was the game's framerate. Running at a relatively locked 30fps on my PS5 Pro, it was a bit of a letdown, especially for a game from 2009. I can only imagine how it would look on PC with a smoother 60fps. But, despite this minor technicality, the remaster looked pretty decent, even by today's standards, with some obvious aging texture work.
The atmosphere in Arkham Asylum is truly second-to-none. The attention to detail is remarkable, and the eerie silence and stormy ambiance create a sense of unease that is both intentional and unnerving. The orchestrated soundtrack is solid, adding to the overall sinister tone. However, the writing, especially the caricatured depictions of mental illness, felt shallow and unoriginal. The voice-acting, on the other hand, was pretty good, which somewhat made up for the shortcomings in the writing.
What truly shines in Arkham Asylum is the combat system. It's free-flowing and impactful, with a ton of strategy involved in knowing when to attack, parry, use gadgets, or dodge. The enemy encounters in Replaced, which I had played before, had a similar feel, and I was glad to see that the developers had based their fighting system on Rocksteady's previous work. The controls, while a tad floaty in 2026, generally get the job done, and it's a blast taking out bad guys and seeing how long you can go without getting hit.
The game remained intriguing throughout, despite some lukewarm writing and dated controls. I felt the need to immediately jump back in and start playing it on Hard difficulty, which says something about my time with this retro classic. The game's allure and hype are well-deserved, and I think I'll try going for the Platinum as I inevitably start chipping away at Arkham City next.
In a time when we're currently experiencing a flood of excellent video games, including 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6, and of course, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, it's a fantastic time to be a gamer. But I get a kick out of going back to older titles like Arkham Asylum to explore our industry's rich history. So, go ahead, play a retro game. You won't regret it.
