Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition

Genre: Open-World Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Batman: Arkham City was first released in 2011 on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, with a Wii U enhanced version called “Armored Edition” released on Wii U in 2012. The original version of this game would go on to get a remastered version on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015. This is the second game in the Arkham series, following in the footsteps of Batman: Arkham Asylum. However, while Arkham City retains the same sort of Action-focused gameplay with RPG elements that was seen in Asylum, this game expands on the prior game’s Metroidvania-style world with a fully Open-World map, allowing players to tackle a variety of goals in any manner they choose.

The Wii U version of the game not only adds in all the previously-released DLC content, it is unique due to a concerted effort to work the Wii U gamepad’s unique features into the game, with an interactive map and menus, as well as using the gyroscopic motion control to make elements of the game’s signature “detective mode” a bit more immersive. I don’t really feel like these elements dramatically improve the game, but neither do I think they detract from it. They’re amusing, but ultimately I feel like they just make this game a little different rather than better or worse.

Graphically, this game seems to be about on par with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Which is to say it looks good, with detailed 3D visuals, great character models (for the time, anyway), and environments with a ton of personality to them. As I write this in 2022, the game has aged somewhat in the decade since it was first released, and it no longer impresses the same way it once may have done, but it still has a distinctive visual style that makes it a joy to watch, even if it doesn’t quite impress on a technical level anymore.

I also need to take a moment to mention the absolutely superb sound design and voice acting in this game. This game’s sounds are phenomenal, not only giving weight to punches and explosions, but giving a unique feel to Batman’s grappling hook, his suit’s technical elements, and so on. Much has been said about the phenomenal contributions of Batman voice acting veterans Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and Joker in this franchise, but pretty much everyone is on their A-game here, with virtually all of the game’s colorful cast of characters delightfully well-acted down to the random nameless mooks musing about the plans of the big players. This is no doubt partly due to the phenomenal writing, thanks to a script written in part by Batman: The Animated Series veteran Paul Dini.

This game’s story follows the events of Arkham Asylum, which finds that Gotham City’s infamous supervillain prison has now been replaced by cordoning off a condemned section of Gotham itself to house the criminals free-range style, a plan that Batman believes can only lead to bad things. Batman makes a stand against this “Arkham City” facility in his Bruce Wayne persona, only to find himself chucked in with the criminals by the project’s ringleader Hugo Strange, who knows Bruce and Batman are one and the same. Of course, it doesn’t take long for Bruce to don his batsuit and get busy working to discover what Strange is plotting, all while contending with the various supervillains and their gangs running amok.

It’s a clever plot that not only puts a new spin on the Batman mythos that’s completely believable given the cynical world of Gotham, but also one that gives Batman an excuse to run loose in a city setting, and without having to worry too much about collateral damage, at that – everyone in this place is, after all, a criminal.

It terms of gameplay, another common thing that has been said about the Batman Arkham games is “they make you feel like Batman”. While I know this sort of comment has been roundly mocked, it’s a frequent statement for a reason – the developers at Rocksteady have absolutely nailed so many of the elements that makes Batman one of the most beloved fictional characters ever created. Combat is fluid, responsive, and does an impeccable job of making the player feel empowered without making the game a cakewalk. Stealth isn’t a slog like it can often be in some games, but rather an absolute joy as you stalk criminals like a predator silently hunting prey. The simple act of free-running up and over jagged buildings, gliding from rooftop to rooftop, and using your grapple to effortlessly climb into the air all feels so fluid and gives an immense sense of freedom and elegance.

What’s more, there’s a lot to do here. Players can tackle the campaign mode to get more of the great story, they can seek out hidden secrets, they can take on “Riddler Challenges” that have players solving puzzles and taking on difficult tasks, and there are even occasional uses of the “Detective Mode” to scan environments and “solve” crimes. Plus of course all the added expansion content included in this version of the game… suffice it to say, there’s a lot to do here, and pretty much all of it is a blast.

It’s hard for me to find much to complain about when it comes to Batman: Arkham City. The graphics are dated, but still look good. The Wii U version isn’t much improved, but isn’t any worse either. I suppose, on a personal level, I will say I do still prefer the tight, Metroidvania-style level design of Arkham Asylum, but I also recognize that this is a personal preference, and one that many others don’t share. But these very, very minor issues don’t change the fact that Batman: Arkham City remains one of the greatest games ever made, an absolute must-have regardless of which platform you get it on. So… yeah, all the joys of what it must feel like to be Batman, without having to get your parents shot.

tl;dr – Batman: Arkham City is one of the greatest Open-World games ever made, and it does pretty much everything right – the movement and combat, the story and voice acting, the gadgets, the world, the characters… this is an all-around magnificent game. It has aged a smidge since its initial release, and the Wii U improvements don’t really offer anything truly game-changing, but they don’t detract from the experience either. Whatever platform you get it on, consider Batman: Arkham City a must-play game.

Grade: A+

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