PixlBit

Not perfect, but very promising.

I’ve been reading mixed things about Batman’s first handheld outing.  I had some hands on time with the game and found it to be a much better representation of its console counterparts than I initially expected. The game is a 2.5D action platformer in the vein of games like Metroid. While the gameplay is primarily in 2D, the game does boast full 3D graphics and environments (with the Vita version having the slight edge visually).  Batman controls very much like he does in the other Arkham games, with most of the controls remaining on the same buttons, particularly during combat.

The combat, more or less, is just as you would expect it to be. Batman fights a swarm of enemies, and has to counter, jump over, and stun in order to best them. Its free-flow nature has remained intact, allowing you to go from enemy to enemy with ease; however, the counter timing felt a bit off. The Arkham games usually lock-on to the closest enemy to counter, but I noticed enemies displaying counter markers from pretty far away at times. I’d react, only to realize that they were too far away and it would drop my combo. This happened a bit too often, but I was told that it was due to it being an early build. Still, I was surprised to see how similar it was. Many of Batman’s moves are represented well on screen, and I had a great amount of fun beating up the enemies. Sure, it wasn’t as deep as the console versions, but it was more than serviceable from what I played.

Stealth also makes a return. You go from perch to perch taking out enemies one by one. The traditional ground takedowns are back and functional, as well as long range weapons like the Batarang, and utilities like Detective mode. I spoke with a developer who also told me about a bola-type weapon that can stealthily hang enemies from gargoyles from far away, rather than having to be perched right over them.

Batman: Arkham Origins – Blackgate definitely impressed me. The controls took a bit to get used to. Not to mention, the 3DS doesn’t exactly look as visually impressive as the Vita version, but both games manage to capture the spirit of the past Arkham games, while providing a new twist with the 2D landscapes to explore. Interested gamers can check the title out soon as it releases on October 25 for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS.