Gotham is stunning in every way as Batman sits atop a towering gothic skyscraper, planning his next move. A light drizzle falls sparkling against the light of the city as he looks out over his kingdom. The skyline winds on and on like a neon monster that can’t be tamed, sprawling out of control. It’s dark and twisted yet somehow remains organic; most importantly, it looks real. If this is what Gotham looks like at the beginning of the new generation of consoles, I cant possibly imagine where it will go from here.
Even from a wide shot, individual raindrops can be seen running down Batman’s cape. They jump from one drop to another, rolling down over two-tone leather. It’s not the kind of black rubber costume you would see George Clooney sporting while spouting one-liners. You can easily see that it’s made up of different materials and the incredible weather effects react differently to each.
If you thought you felt like Batman in previous games you’re not wrong, but Batman: Arkham Knight takes this to a whole new level. This is it. This is the Bat. You’re free to control all of his strength, agility and intellect. Arkham Knight puts you behind the mask like no Batman game before. Hell, like no other superhero game before. Holding the controller fills you with a sense of power. This is your city.
The titular Arkham Knight has his own militia behind him and intimate knowledge of how Batman does business. “We know how you think!” he says to the Dark Knight, telling his men not to aim for the bat symbol on Batman’s chest. He knows it’s supposed to draw the eye and, in turn, enemy fire as it’s the strongest part of his armour. “Aim for the weak spots at the shoulders.”
The Arkham Knight’s synthesized voice may shield his identity but it does nothing to hide his arrogance. If he really knew Batman so well he should know not show his hand to such an accomplished detective. He doesn’t say it outright, but I’m convinced Batman already knows this new foe’s identity. We at Stevivor have inklings ourselves.
The knowledge the Arkham Knight has is dangerous enough without having a personal army answering to him. At a glance you may think Batman is in over his head, but there’s at least seven reasons batman has the upper hand.
And every one of them is the Batmobile.
It’s not just a ride. It’s a tank, a prison, a companion, a mobile construction site, a fighting partner, a launch pad and so much more. At one point during my hands-on time I found an out-of-order elevator blocking my way so I destroyed a wall allowing my trusty Batmobile to see me. Once I was in view I switched to control the monster of a “car” remotely and launched my grappling winch at the elevator cable. In full reverse it had no trouble lifting the elevator. Once Batman was in the elevator it’s just a matter of driving forward and bam, Bats is on the ground floor.
The grapple is amazing; a sheer drop is nothing for the Batmobile. Just grapple the edge of the road, reverse and you’ve got yourself a bitchin’ bitumen ramp to soar over with your afterburners. You can even launch yourself out of the Batmobile mid-jump to get some altitude and glide above the streets of Gotham. The synergy between what I have come to think of as two playable characters in flawless. You can call it at the touch of a button and it can even help you out in combat by making the last devastating blow in a combo.
Fear takedowns are new to the series and make sneaking in to initiate combat the obvious choice. Goons are plentiful with the militia on the street but if you manage to find one of the air ducts Gotham is apparently littered with you will have the first, second and third strike. After the first take down time will stop for a second, all you have to do is adjust the camera so your next target is viable and the fear takedown option becomes available again. You have to be quick but it’s the best way to take out up to three enemies before taking on the rest of the group.
The combat system feels like it’s improved in every way and much more free flowing. Moving into environmental takedowns from aerial counters is simple or throw counters into Batmobile takedowns or any combination of those and many other badass moves. Without fighting to control the character you are free to be the character and it makes the game play and feel like a batman game rather than someone control Batman remotely. It translates to more power and feels like he’s not holding back this time.
Finishing the demo was bittersweet. In terms of gameplay, Batman: Arkham Knight was certainly the smoothest thing I played on the E3 show floor. Graphically it was in my top three of the show but when the demo ended I knew I wouldn’t be seeing that beautiful Gotham skyline I had fallen in love with again for a long time.
Batman: Arkham Knight is scheduled for release on PS4, Xbox One and Windows PC in 2015.
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