PS VITA – Although Batman: Arkham Origins was not the highlight of the series, it was pretty okay. In 2013 it was released for the PS VITA, and in spring of 2014 to the PlayStation 3. The interlude showed the gritty walls of Blackgate and what goes in the criminal filled hellhole.

Two weeks have passed since the Christmas chase, and Batman does not even have a minute to rest. While on his usual night patrol he encounters Catwoman with a very valuable box. Of course she did not get it the honorable way. The cat and bat game ends after Joker, Blackmask and Penguin take over the Blackgate prison. Of course Bruce Wayne needs to get there so he forms an alliance with the Catwoman, to defeat the three leaders of the riot.

B-man in action

Once the first chapter is done we’ll notice that we’re not playing the same Batman 100% in terms of character that we got to know in Arkham Asylum. Everything is inherited from the previous game: the free-flow combat system, the detective mode, we even have all of the bat devices. Stealth is still in this game, and even in some parts it is better than in Asylum. The so called “predator mode” is available to us, so that we may take on large number of enemies with weapons. I can only congratulate Armature Studio as they did not take anything away, and tried to streamline it. Unfortunately the story and the gameplay is not up to the usual quality. The Arkham games always had a twisty storyline, but Blackgate has a rather simple story. A prison with three sections that must be liberated. Nothing else.

I like the 2.5D world but at 20% of the game I felt that there were too much simple walking, and climbing in ventilation shafts. The map should have been worked on also, as there are parts due to the 2.5 view mode that limit the perspective and make path finding difficult. I spent a lot of time in different room’s corridors that made it especially monotonous. This is where the game losses points for me. There are the typical Batman esque puzzles, secrets, which does lengthen the gameplay, but do not feel that well developed. However rest assured everyone that I am done with the negative aspects of this game

Smile a little Batman

The graphics is well done in Blackgate. It’s clear, and crisp, to the point you can see the stink from the enemies that are behind bars. All of the details are well modeled, from the entrance to the last cell. The predator mode has a bit of an “Orwellian Big Brother” feel to it. Luckily there are no quick time events, and the soundtrack is great. Instead of ingame cutscenes we get comic book page esque cinematics that really provide that Batman feeling.

Although it did not transcend the previous entries, but it is not worse in any shape or form. It hit all the right marks, and is entirely like Arkham Origins in terms of quality. Anyone who needs more Batman until 23^rd of June, then I can fully recommend Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate.

-Parzival-

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: DONTNOD Entertainment

Genres: adventure

Publication: 2015 March