*The following review was based on experiences with the PlayStation®4 version of Batman™: Arkham Knight. Technical remarks regarding stability, frame-rates and resolution may not be applicable to all platforms.
Of course Scarecrow isn’t necessarily our main attraction, and our titular antagonist Arkham Knight has taken his place at the top of the food chain to do what no other villain could ever do: kill the Batman. Seemingly he does seem to be the most competent antagonist that the franchise has taken up so far when it comes to providing a physical and psychological challenge for Batman throughout. The fight is personal for the Knight, and we’re constantly reminded of the fact, though we are left in the dark throughout the narrative when it comes to his identity and you begin to speculate who the man behind the mask really is, though the real plot twist may seem a bit lackluster for some. (Not due to the execution, but the reality behind the material that might seem more straightforward than expected, along with an arc that is left a bit more open-ended than is to be desired.)
Here comes a rather problematic aspect of the ending, which may be a bigger problem for some than others. The ending of Arkham Knight is essentially split up in three sections. Players are given an ending to the main arc at the end of the story section of the game, but in order to continue the ending in its entirety they must beat a certain percentage of the secondary objectives in order to unlock the second ending, which doesn’t mark the end of the game. Playing the game to this second ending is still a joy, as you get to enjoy some of the best material you may have missed, but the secondary ending itself provides an issue. The structure of the second and third ending is identical, though the former is cut off at a rather out-of-place section, leaving most of the substance (which is pretty essential, rather than a nice easter egg) to the third ending, which can only be showcased after completing the game for a 100%, including all Riddler riddles. Even though the material you get to play is nothing short of great to awesome, the main issue is that players who aren’t interested in the secondary objectives may be left in the cold with an ending that is as incomplete as it is underwhelming. From a design perspective it is an understandable design choice, but it may be quite frustrating for some, especially if you don’t even realize you’re not at the end as is.
Rather than having the game built on the newest version of the Unreal Engine it runs on a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 3, which Rocksteady had been working on throughout the production process of the franchise. From a technical perspective it’s hard to say wether the game would perform better on newer software, but Arkham Knight looks and plays as next-gen as it gets. The game isn’t the first open-world game we’ve been introduced to throughout this generation, but it may be one of the moodiest and deep worlds that’s been showcased in the genre. Whilst games like The Witcher and such take their crown in providing luscious open worlds of nature and such, Arkham Knight preforms the feat of showcasing and urban and moody setting that is as much of a character as its protagonist in a way. The only remark that I can make here is that it does seem a little too light on civilian activity, but this is explained by the plot.
Performance-wise the game runs at a solid 30 frames per second, though the engine is somewhat tested at times when there’s a lot going on at the same time. These dips usually take place during Batmobile sequences, especially when there’s a notable amount of destruction and/or particle effects being showcased on screen at once. In the grand scheme of things these dips seemed to be a minor hinderance though, as in over 12 hours these dips may have only covered a few minutes of gameplay in total, providing a very smooth experience overall, which is quite a feat when you look at some of the on-screen action. In the case of the PlayStation®4 version the game is showcased at a resolution of 1080p, which delivers a clear and visually pleasing presentation. Additional filters such as film grain are present, though it doesn’t seem to interfere with the visual presentation to a problematic level, and depending on your likings it may add a nice cinematic touch.
Traversal has undergone similar changes, but this is also largely influenced by the fact that there’s a little not-so-small addition to our arsenal of toys: the Batmobile. The Batmobile in Arkham Knight isn’t simply a means of transportation as it is more of an extension of his arsenal of gadgets, albeit a bit too large to fit on his belt (god knows what else he’s got in that belt though.) The Batmobile is used in many ways, ranging from combat to puzzles and advanced traversal, providing a much needed addition when it comes to providing gameplay variety to the franchise. Combat, traversal and such are a joy to endure thanks to the great gameplay design and handling, but the sheer amount of emphasis on its contents does create another problem. Whilst it creates a lot of much-need variety it also takes some of it away due to the fact that the amount of content based around it is simply staggering sometimes. Ranging from long sections of the campaign to the secondary objectives, though to be fair most of it is well-designed.
The issue that can be found with some of the secondary objectives are those that are easily identifiable with most open world games, which is variety. This issue is only as great as the player can make it however, as the game does effectively encourage you to switch objectives as you go. Not only is there an easy menu that will help you choose what you want to do throughout, but there are also visual cues on your rader that will give you a notice towards previously undiscovered missions, which may lead you to divert from your previously set path. The game is optimally played by diversifying your activities by finding a balance between the main story and the secondary objectives. This doesn’t just give you a fuller experience but it also helps you gain upgrade points for combat, gadgets and the Batmobile, which are heavily needed as you progress throughout the game’s narrative. Saving everything for the endgame can lead to frustration in the long run, as the similarity of missions in the same series can lead to repetitiveness when played through in succesion. This is as much of a knock to gameplay design as it is to player styles, as it leans towards changing many of our habits concerning secondary objectives, whilst providing a somewhat more tedious experience for players who want to save everything for last (which I don’t advise.)
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absolutely brilliant game