Batman: Arkham Asylum Developer Diary #2

Developer Rocksteady continues to impress, even when treading on well worn ground. In this second Developer Diary they give us a peek at the combat at gadgets that the Dark Knight will be using to take down the Joker’s henchmen.

Again, it would be hard to say that “fighting lots of dudes” or “evading enemies” is something new in the action/stealth genre. But there are some words used here that make even my sonar-less ears perk up. Sefton Hill and Tim Hanagan work to emphasize that the Caped Crusader is a real force in combat, and that only well equipped enemies are anything like a threat. On top of that, the “Invisible Predator” mechanic leads to some great key words: Study, Preparedness, Fear, Emotional Impact. These are the things, not just the grappling hooks and batarangs, that make Batman a distinctive character in superhero comics. So long as Arkham Asylum can hit all of those watchwords, it will succeed where so many Batman games have failed.