Batman returns and rises once more in a prequel set five years before the events of Arkham Asylum. With a bounty of $50 million on his head and several of the worlds deadliest assassins baying for his blood, Batman soon learns that this Christmas eve might be a tad more stressful than usual.
Still being a moderately unknown entity in the eyes of the public, the criminals and, more importantly the police, has it’s pitfalls. Support and cooperation with the GCPD is limited; often ends with a gun being pointed at our hero. Corrupt officers and money hungry SWAT teams feature in combat, with very few recognising Batman as a help instead of a hindrance; only the young, not yet commissioner, Gordon sees anything but disdain. The strained relationship between Bruce and Alfred is depicted well, Bruce’s almost immature attitude as a young crime fighter; his reluctance to let things drop shows his early struggles. Ill-advisedly leaving the Bat Cave with whiffs of tension in the air before relying heavily on Alfred’s support is yet another insight into his plight.
With only Alfred’s Christmas ham to get back for, the night is young and full of merry surprises for the caped crusader. Taking place in more or less the same open world map from Arkham City, nothing much has changed since the er, future… Hoods still run amok and nefarious villains still need a good thumping to set them on the path to redemption. Largely open from the offset, players can either jump straight into the plot or glide about delivering Batman’s unique form of punishing justice to the local inhabitants. Riddler data packs also make a return and remain still to be the only collectibles I’ve ever truly enjoyed to scavenge. Scattered across the city and accompanied by a small puzzle, they often require specific gadgets acquired from story progression to solve.
The free flow combat is what set the recent Batman games apart from other superhero offerings, incorporating the classic, easy to learn, hard to master ethos making it furiously addictive. A newly introduced grading system lets the game confirm how badly you performed in each fight according to the threat level, whether it be a stealthy predator encounter or a good old fashioned slug-fest. Incentives in the way of XP boosts amplify the pressure to perform well too. Once again, not much has changed and I appreciate the ‘if it isn’t broken’ mentality, but it would have been nice to see some new fighting animations dotted about. Enemies seem a little more on the ball this time around with counters demanding fast reflexes and a distinct refrain from pad mashing all round. Boss fights generally follow the same pattern as in previous games with an early Deathstroke fight being a real highlight in terms of direction.
Upgrades make a welcome return in a limited fashion, most are recycled from Arkham City with the exception of the shock gloves which, once charged can swing a nasty situation around. Challenges are back and now must be unlocked in a specific order, despite many of the latter ones being far easier. This wouldn’t be an issue except moves and gadgets are unlocked by progressing down these routes. The campaigns predator rooms lacking respawning enemies makes some of these challenges missable, restricting access to the upgrades for that playthrough. Easily rectifiable by either letting you do the challenges in any order or letting you complete them on challenge maps instead of solely the campaign would have sufficed.
Comic book readers will find much to discuss regarding the plot of Arkham Origins, drawing heavily from some of the most iconic books in the Batman saga such as Batman Year One, Long Halloween and Killing Joke along with some nods to other popular classics serves as some good fan service. Letting you access the Bat Cave is a nice touch, yet it feels unnaturally barren of secrets and Easter eggs; along with being unable to wander the mansion above seems like a wasted opportunity. New members of the Batman crew all perform admirably, Mark Hamills replacement, Troy Baker as the Joker gives off a believable maniac whilst Roger Craig Smith portrays an early, frustrated Batman. The music is inevitably another strong point, this time in credit due to Christopher Drake, incorporating suitably haunting Christmas jingles to match the games darker tones.
Graphically, largely unchanged from Arkham City, save for some Christmas decorations and a hugely inconvenient bridge to cross, Arkham Origins hasn’t differed much. Some of the indoor areas look great with fantastic use of lighting and varied colour palettes draping the arenas. Outside can be a different story however, mounds of snow grace the dreary streets making every outdoor encounter looking similar to the last. I found with Arkham City, I could almost navigate the cityscape from memory with distinct, abundant landmarks gracing the skyline. In contrast to this, I can only recall irritating map design from Origins such as the previously mentioned bridge and the impassable Sheldon Park. Due to the larger map size, a primarily redundant fast travel system has been implemented, not only is half the fun gliding, diving and grapnel accelerating, but the map itself still isn’t really large enough to warrant multiple fast travel points.
Whilst not the longest game if you just focus on the narrative missions, there’s plenty of content to occupy you. New crime scenes firmly cement how much of a CSI badass Batman is, from blood spatter analysis to reconstructing helicopter crashes, nothing escapes the world’s greatest detective. Instead of actively involving the user with puzzles or brainpower, they’re more of a showcase piece depicting Batman’s prowess in his field. Which is fine, yet I can’t help but think they could have created some real dastardly puzzles to complete instead. Another host of side missions are also included, ultimately some far superior than others, the final one unlocked is a little anticlimactic to say the least, requiring little more than what you were probably already doing in the first place. Challenge rooms, New Game Plus and a special mode where you are only granted one life for the entirety of the campaign should keep you going for a bit too!
Predictably, an unnecessary new multiplayer mode has been introduced to the notoriously single-player antics of Batman. A team deathmatch, capture and hold the points with a Batman and Robin kicker is the mode of fancy here. Unlocks, customisability and tactics are all present but whilst having some decent concepts; even implementing them well, I can’t shake the feeling that most players would rather have more single-player content to work through instead.
Batman Arkham Origins is a great game, a fantastic game in fact, but the reliance on previously used material is too high. Instead of proudly striding forwards, it leans to one side unable to stand alone. The multiplayer may appeal to some, but personally I would exchange it all for more challenge rooms in a heartbeat.
Reviewed on PS3, also available on Xbox 360, PC and Wii U.
