Batman: Arkham Asylum Preview

Rocksteady Studios wants Batman: Arkham Asylum to be an important game - that much is obvious. It's clear from the way that the marketing manager is using big words like "BioShock" and "Chronicles of Riddick," - but there are other indicators too. There's the participation of Mark "Skywalker" Hamill, and the fact that the script has been handled by Paul Dini - a writer with vast experience of working with the Caped Crusader. Of course, this is exactly the way things should be. This is Batman, after all, and Gotham's finest deserves nothing less than the highest level of respect.

Our first proper glimpse at Arkham Asylum took the form of a visit to Eidos' headquarters in Wimbledon, where the aforementioned manager showed off the intro sequence and a few early scenes - it wouldn't be accurate to refer to these as "levels", as the whole game is designed to be relatively open-ended. It appears that you and the Dark Knight will be free to go exploring the infamous asylum as you see fit, investigating the game-world and looking for optional collectibles. It's not clear whether there will be lots of sub-missions to take up, but apparently there will be things to see and do. There's a linear plot driving things forward, so you'll have to head to specific parts of the institution to progress. In other words, it won't be Bat Theft Auto - but it won't be a rigid set of stages either.

Indeed, the "BioShock" comparison is immediately understandable upon seeing the game's interactive introduction. After a brief in-game cinematic that shows Bats delivering the Joker to Arkham, you'll take control as you help to shepherd your old nemesis through the institution. The Asylum has just been fitted out with a whole array of new technology, and the Joker himself is tightly bound to some sort of trolley - but there's a definite air of foreboding. As the green-haired menace taunts you and the guards, there's more than a hint of Silence of the Lambs. It's a great opening, and since you'll be playing through it for yourself, you should feel properly involved in the story that unfolds.

Naturally, part of the credit for this opening must go to Mark Hamill, and to whoever secured his vocal contributions. As any fan of Batman: The Animated Series will tell you, Hamill's rendition of The Joker is widely regarded as one of the finest: he's funny and manic, but he also sounds insane and extremely dangerous. Of course, decent vocal skills are nothing without a good script, and it's here that Dini's involvement pays off. Even within the limited timeframe of Arkham Asylum's first few minutes, seasoned Bat-fans will spot a number of references to the comic's history. For example, at one point Joker mocks a minor character named Aaron Cash - a security guard whose hand was bitten off by the monstrous Killer Croc. "Tick-tock, tick-tock... Is that a crocodile I hear?" This brief taunt then subtly primes the player for Croc himself, who makes his first appearance a few moments later.

This level of detail won't matter to everyone who plays Arkham Asylum, but if nothing else it demonstrates the care and effort that is going into the project. The rest of you will no doubt be more concerned with how the game plays. Well, it's probably not spoiling much to reveal that The Joker's incarceration doesn't quite go as planned, and that he ends up taking charge of the roost. To make matters worse, a small army of his personal henchmen have just been transferred to the Asylum following a mysterious fire at Gotham's prison. Soon there are hundreds of thugs roaming the joint, looking to batcave-in your bat-skull. And of course, Arkham is packed with all of Batman's worst enemies. Aside from Killer Croc, Harley Quinn and Zsasz, there's no confirmation on who else will appear - but suffice it to say that we expect a proper rogue's gallery of familiar villains.

In gameplay terms, it seems that a lot of your time will be spent fighting off these various evil-doers, while contending with the occasional puzzle. The success of the combat system will therefore be of key importance, but it's looking good so far. Batman has a full set of hand-to-hand moves right from the word go, so the emphasis lies on taking on several thugs at once and combo-ing your attacks. If you succeed in maintaining a decent stream of beat-downs, you'll start to build up an accumulator displayed in the corner of the screen; this figure multiplies the amount of experience you'll get at the end of a fight - experience which can then be used to upgrade your gadgets and equipment.

The Dark Knight's combat skills are based around three principles: attack, stun and takedown. Without having tried it out, it's hard to talk about this setup in too much detail - but there's a neat countering system that requires you to hit Y or triangle when you see a visual prompt over an enemy's head. From what was demonstrated, the animation seems to be slick and brutal in its sound and appearance, with spontaneous slow-mo when Batman finished his opponent with a powerful kick to the face. Following one fight with a bunch of goons, The Joker gave comment over the Tannoy system. "They were just like family!" he wailed, in mock despair. "How could you! I think I'm going to cry!" A burst of maniacal laughter followed.

In addition to beating people up, you'll also have to engage Batman's grey cells for the occasional spat of puzzling. Sometimes this will involve a special vision mode that can be triggered via one of the shoulder buttons: do this and the screen will take on a blue tint, with objects of interest highlighted in bright colours. Humans take on an x-ray appearance, and a display at the side of the screen reveals how many hostiles are in the area, and how many are armed. In one area our demonstrator entered a room that was filling with deadly Joker Gas, using this vision to locate an electrical cable that could be destroyed, triggering the extractor fans. Before he did this, Batman helped a security guard who was trying to escape the gas by climbing to a higher level - lifting the man with the strength of just one arm. And because he's Batman, he also helped out a petty thug who was trapped in the same position... although he then punched the guy out cold. Because he's Batman, and he does that kind of thing.

Indeed, the thing that really seems to suggest that Arkham Asylum might be great is the fact that everything you do feels... well, very Batman-like. In another area, a huge and high-ceilinged chamber, our demonstrator showed off a stealth-based section in which he toyed with a group of gun-wielding bad-guys: he hung upside-down from a ledge, swooped down and snatched a man clean into the air - at this point he could be dropped to the floor, or left to dangle from a rope. Our host opted for the latter, and the remaining guards reacted with fear to their trussed-up colleague. The enemy AI looks impressive: if they see Batman escape to a high level via his grappling hook, they'll look up and search for him in the corners of the room; if they get scared, they'll bunch together, and they'll start spouting lots of nervous dialogue. This seems like a masterstroke on the part of Rocksteady, as the concept of Batman as an intimidating figure has never really been exploited in a game before.

It feels like this game is trying hard to nail the feel of the Batman franchise. No single comic or series has been used as key inspiration, but there's a clearly-defined art style based around strong use of the colours blue and green. Given how many games normally opt for the obvious "Dark Knight = Dark Graphics" approach, this is refreshing. The Asylum itself appears to be quite detailed in its appearance too, which is clearly no bad thing either. All in all, it has to be said that Rocksteady seems to have done a lot of things right. Will it be the best Batman game ever made? The answer will be clearer once more has been revealed, but so far the Bat-signs are extremely promising.

Batman: Arkham Asylum will be released later this year on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.