Abstract:
Arkham Origins presents many of the things you know and love from the Batman: Arkham games, yet fails to break free from unoriginality and stagnation.
Pros:
- The satisfaction of the FreeFlow combat system remains mostly intact
- Some new enemy types occasionally change things up
- A well-written origin story that develops key characters in compelling ways
- Impressive voice acting from certain characters
Cons:
- The Arkham City formula has been pasted in with minimal innovation
- A disappointing world – half of the map is still Arkham City
- Underwhelming boss fights
- The majority of side missions aren’t interesting
- Riddler challenges no longer require you to think
- Multiplayer touches on something good but can’t sustain itself
Review:
To say that Batman: Arkham Asylum revolutionized the concept of superhero games would be a rather egregious understatement. Considered by many to be the one truly great superhero game ever created up to that point, Arkham Asylum succeeded on all fronts and gave you the real feeling of becoming the Bat. It has only ever been rivaled by one other game: its own successor, Arkham City. Arkham City did what few had thought possible – improving significantly on a near-perfect combat system and providing an even greater feeling of freedom in its world.
Of course, developer Rocksteady has been lauded for these achievements, and their unbridled success became part of the consternation surrounding the announcement of Arkham Origins. With WB Montreal taking up the mantle, plenty of fans were concerned that the new studio couldn’t live up to Rocksteady’s established quality. Unfortunately, if Origins is any indication, they might be right. Still, while WB Montreal may not have the prominence of Rocksteady, they have managed to create a decent Batman game, even if it’s not the most original thing on the market.
Arkham Origins takes place prior to both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and features a younger and less experienced Batman who has yet to meet his greatest foes. While it sounds like standard prequel fare, the story and characters are where the game takes its opportunity to shine. Crime lord Roman Sionis, also known as Black Mask, has placed a massive bounty of $50 million on Batman’s head and thus attracted eight particularly deadly assassins to Gotham City on Christmas Eve. While the story begins with Batman’s determination to take down the assassins and find Black Mask, the narrative soon evolves into something more intriguing with good writing and some well-executed plot twists. Surprisingly, the game strives for some emotional tones as well as Batman progressively encounters his enemies and must cope with the effects they have on him and his allies. Perhaps the most impactful scene is the Joker’s monologue, deftly performed by Troy Baker. Most of the assassins are built up during the story as well – until you actually have to fight them.
While Arkham City’s monumental FreeFlow combat system is alive and well in this game, most combat encounters are identical in presentation and stale in execution. You’ll be seeing a lot of them over the course of the game and they will become tedious very rapidly. Sadly, this includes boss fights, which are little more than quick-time events or repeatedly dodging before performing the same sequence of moves. This cuts especially deep when you are about to face off against esteemed characters like Deathstroke, only to find that you must press the counter button constantly while watching the same scripted animation throughout the fight. Combat is not entirely without advancement, however; new enemy types such as the Venom User and the Martial Artist are present and serve to provide some brief variety.
There is only one element of the game that cuts deeper than its flatly underwhelming boss battles: its thoroughly disappointing world. Those expecting to explore the city and fight crime in the “expanded Gotham” advertised during development will simply be let down. Initially, it seems promising – the early portions of the game have you Bat-Grappling around the first half of the map that is new and filled with crimes-in-progress just waiting to be stopped. But as you continue to glide through the night, you eventually see something that looks very familiar: Wonder Tower. This signifies the unhappy truth that the second half of the map is merely a redone version of Arkham City, and that all crimes-in-progress will be the same from here on out. Even as the most blatant opportunity to make Arkham Origins stand out from its predecessors and create a truly open-world Batman game, the opportunity is still left unused.
Secondary missions also suffer from this pervasive lack of original content, as most of them are either cut-and-paste fetch quests or collectibles that are just too numerous and repetitive to be enjoyable. This doesn’t diminish the potential that a select few of these missions have, however, as the new crime scene analysis system allows for some fascinating ways of locating clues and nailing the perpetrator. On the other hand, the Riddler’s “puzzles” aren’t nearly as intriguing this time around, given that they are almost all easily obtained collectibles, and none of his objectives require you to use any real brain power.
As a brand new addition to Arkham Origins, a multiplayer mode is now included with the game. It is structured around the dynamic of “3 vs. 3 vs. 2” gameplay, meaning that two rival factions of three face each other while the two heroes, Batman and Robin, hunt them down as well. While this proposition certainly seems remarkable, its appeal doesn’t last in the long term. This can be attributed to undersized maps that cause a sense of claustrophobia and paranoia, especially when playing as a gang member whose teammates refuse to stick together. Add to that the use of pay-to-win elements and it seems difficult to recommend it, but this mode undeniably has its own unique features and still feels like a diamond in the rough.
Ultimately, Arkham Origins is a flawed but moderately enjoyable game that relies a bit too heavily on the series’ past triumphs. These triumphs still work to great effect and are not noticeably impacted by Origins’ other factors, but brand stagnation has ostensibly set in and can be seen all throughout the game. Hopefully, WB Montreal can spring for more original territory in the future, but for now they have at least succeeded in making an acceptable Batman title.
Final Score: 7.0 out of 10