Above, a scene from “Batman: Arkham Origins.” (Photo credit: WB Games Montreal)
Note: This is the first part in a two-part series reviewing WB Games Montreal’s newest release, “Batman: Arkham Origins.” This part will cover initial impressions of the just-released game. The second part, a full review, can be read here.
‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ off to rough start
Look, let’s just get it out in the open: WB Games Montreal’s “Batman: Arkham Origins,” the follow-up/somewhat-related prequel to the outstanding “Arkham Asylum” and “Arkham City,” does not continue the tradition of excellence developer Rocksteady had established. Instead, we get a dialed-in, paint-by-numbers release that leaves us wishing we could be the ones slinking away into the shadows.
Only a few hours into what should have been another fantastic adventure into the morally ambiguous work of the Dark Knight, we encounter a morass of mediocrity, ranging from the lackluster plot structure to the awkward controls to the sometimes infuriating way the game pushes you along — at times too linear, at others leaving you completely lost in this open city.
Not to mention this game really isn’t an origin story. A prequel, yes, but the story neither has anything to do with Arkham nor does it work as a true origin game for the previous titles. The plot and the multitude of characters are retreads from Batman’s numerous and memorable themes. Weighing heavily on our anti-hero’s quest is his ever-destructive need to be the lone wolf and his unlikely aversion to taking lives.
So, a Batman game.
Those characters, by the way? There’s a plethora of them running rampant around the city trying to slay you. The reason: You have a $50 million bounty on your helmeted head. It has a modicum of reality to it, because, honestly, what villain wouldn’t salivate at the chance to take out the Dark Knight and collect some serious cash in the process?
The game takes off quickly, and, as with its predecessors, there’s no reason to believe “Arkham Origins” will be a particularly long game. (It should range about 10 hours or so.) There’s no life-flashing-across-the-screen montage explaining what should be obvious by this point, and we already have all the fancy gadgets, expensive tech and the pitch-black jet. It takes mere minutes before we’re in the fray of it all, punching and combo-ing it up.
That’s a good thing, too, because the game’s greatest strength so far has to be its combat system. Inheriting it from “Arkham City,” “Origins” continues to provide quickly learnable and enjoyable fighting capabilities. It’s direct and fluid, and it probably goes without saying that it’ll leave a grin on your face when you beat down an entire goon squad.
Which is all you’ll see in Gotham City. As beautiful and stark as it is — coated with an appropriate layer of snow to reflect the season — the only encounters you will have will involve bad guys trying to kill you. It’s just really implausible that you would never run into any civilians. Yes, it’s the night of Christmas Eve, but people roam in the city at all hours. Again, just a bit weird.
Even though you won’t find anybody doing last-minute Christmas shopping here, you will find plenty to keep yourself occupied. There’s plenty of side missions and quest items to find, though almost most of this boils down to “find your object, punch some baddies, stop the bomb/blow something up/solve the problem.” Some of these events are timed, but it doesn’t matter most of the time. Let’s hope that changes as the game progresses.
The only real challenges involve the radio towers, which will push you to the limit as you try to re-activate them. The towers, once freed from maniacal control, unlock fast-travel locations.
On a first-time note, this is the first Batman game to have multiplayer, and while this reviewer didn’t get much time with it, it’s pretty obvious this wasn’t supposed to be a main draw. The third-person shooter-like missions are rough around the edges, and there’s really no reason to play more than a few matches. (A clever idea, though: While you’re fighting for territory as a thug, two other characters are Batman and Robin, running around using gameplay mechanics to take you down. You have to keep an eye on the other thugs as well as the gargoyles above you; you never know when you’ll see a vigilante hanging upside down.)
Long story short, “Batman: Arkham Origins” is off to a rough start. It really isn’t interesting, at times even causing extreme rage while you’re trying to save the night. It wouldn’t take much, though, to change things around to make this more enjoyable, so here’s hoping the second half of this game proves itself worthy of the Batman name.
Two avenging stars out of five.
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