One of the biggest releases this year is also one of the strongest entries in the Batman Arkham series. It also happens to be the first PS4 game I got, YAY NEW PS4 OWNER! If you were somewhat let down by Arkham Origins, just take it as a break that developer Rocksteady used to polish up and make Arkham Knight a fitting end to this series. Taking place a year or so after the events of Arkham City, Scarecrow has taken the whole city of Gotham hostage and prepares a giant nuclear attack on the city along with the East Coast. Basically wanting to bathe everyone in his infamous fear toxin. Not only does Batman have to stop this from happening, but there's also a new player on the field known as the Arkham Knight. The Knight is hell bent on killing the Batman using all his militia powers. There's also the fact that most of Batman's villains are teaming up to take him down once and for all. The Dark Knight certainly has a lot on his plate for one night.
Several new additions were added to the already successful gameplay formula that the Arkham series built upon. I'll get to those later on but just to refresh anyone who hasn't played these games, this is basically living your dream of what it would be like being Batman. The combat is ever so fluid in the game where you punch, stun, and counter thugs. Chaining attacks together which builds up the multiplier gives you a beautifully choreographed Batman. Flying everywhere doing flips and kicks. The world of Arkham Knight is a little larger than City so traversing through is made with several upgrades to the grapple boost along with a new feature. The Batmobile.
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| Be ready to pounce on your foes, unarmed or armed depending on the situation. |
Yup, the Batmobile makes its first appearance and it definitely amps things up a bit. Some side missions have you use the vehicle to chase down militia trucks to take out their influence in the various sections while others have you defend a virus being uploaded to a mine in order to shut it down. It takes awhile to get used to, but you'll be able to have mostly smooth drives to the city and not crash into everything (guilty as charged). The Batmobile has 2 main modes, driving through the city, and a Battle mode where you fire a vulcan machine gun as well as a giant 60 mm cannon (used mainly to take out the cars and trucks. While driving you can also eject out for a faster transition to on foot. Taking out thugs can also be enjoyable when adding in the Batmobile during combat.
Speaking of combat, another addition the game throws in is Dual Play. With the threat over Gotham bigger than ever, Batman while thinking he can handle it all on his own, has backup this time around. Robin, Catwoman, and Nightwing show up throughout the game in the story and side missions. Basically during combat you'll be able to perform a dual team takedown which not only knocks out the enemy, but has you switch to the other player. Playing as Nightwing is TONS of fun (Nightwing fanboy here don't hate the bias :D). New gadgets also play a role such as the voice synthesizer which allows you to transform your voice in order to order around thugs while in stealth missions to set them up for takedowns.
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| Dual Play is tons of fun |
There are also a variety of other side missions such as hunting a serial killer, checking up on Lucius Fox, and taking down Penguin's weapon shipments. The voice cast is incredibly strong with actors from notable shows joining the cast of well established people from the Batman Animated Series. Kevin Conroy delivers an incredible performance as the Dark Knight and while the Joker is indeed dead, he somehow plays a role in all this within Batman's self, so Mark Hamil KILLS it here. Some scenes were definitely haunting. References to past Batman stories are also thrown in there. Any Batman fanboy will enjoy this game to its fullest.
As of this review, I'm clearing up some side-quests to activate what I think is the true end/final story element. I know there's a 100% ending but with all the Riddler trophies, I'm unsure if I'll be clearing it. With this game, I also managed to play through a bonus story mission as Harley Quinn. Unfortunately it didn't really offer much, mainly 2 beat down sections (one with Nightwing as a boss) and a stealth section which honestly doesn't suit Harley as a character. There is more DLC planned so I don't think I'll picking them up immediately. The skins pay homage to the Batmen of various time periods, both from TV/Film and Comic.
This is one of the most definitive Batman experiences you will ever get. Some parts of the story were a bit weak/predictable but overall I enjoyed it. Yes mainly the forced Batmobile missions/tank battles will frustrate you to no end which to me just means I need to get more upgrade points but not enough to diminish the game's value. Moments where you can feel that Batman is truly outgunned especially when facing the Arkham Knight really drive home the experience to make it unforgettable.
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| Combat is more fluid than ever |
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| How the Batmobile plays with its Battle Mode functionality |
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| The Arkham Knight doesn't mess around! |
Should you Play this Game?
Yes! Batman Arkham Knight pushes the boundaries of what it means to be the Batman even further to an almost full experience. Stunning graphics, superb voice acting, and a chilling story add on to its already well established gameplay formula. While the Batmobile does falter in some points, it's a welcome addition to the finale of the Arkham trilogy.
