Batman: Arkham Knight Review (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

I've never really been a superhero fan. But if you were to ask me now which one was my favorite, the answer would undoubtedly be Batman. Over the past several years, Rocksteady rose to fame by developing the critically acclaimed Batman Arkham series. And now, the series has come to an end with Arkham Knight being the grand finale.

Story

Several months after the events of Arkham City, Scarecrow returns and manages to take control of Gotham City and threatens to cover it in his fear gas. He is joined by the titular Arkham Knight, who brings all manner of militia, unmanned tanks, drones, and heavy duty weaponry. Because all citizens have been evacuated from the city, several other members of Batman's rogues gallery are also free to wreak havoc.

The story isn't as complex as Arkham City's. But it's also much more personal. Arkham Knight's plot explores the psychological consequences the events of the previous game has on Batman. It also explores his character flaws; showing the downsides of Bruce's stubbornness, pride, and unwillingness to accept help from others in a situation where he needs it the most.

Gameplay

As in Arkham City, you're given a huge area to explore. You're free to continue the main story or pursue sidequests at your leisure. With the introduction of the Batmobile, Batman has even more exploration and combat options.

In general, Batman has several ways of taking down various thugs and militia members. Direct melee combat relies on an almost rhythmic chaining of strikes. It also demands that you're able to counter enemy attacks and multi-task. Melee combat in this game as a whole feels very deep and satisfying, especially when you rack up an enormous combo.

When your enemies wield guns, however, you'll need to hide in the shadows and silently take them out one by one. These Predator sections allow for creative use of your gadgets and surroundings, and bring a unique thrill as you slowly take each enemy down.

Arkham Knight introduces the Batmobile, which can be used at almost anytime, and is seamlessly integrated into the game. It allows you to drive around the city at high speeds, and also features a tank mode where Batman can fire cannon rounds (and non-lethal bullets, apparently) to take out unmanned tanks and drones. Though combat in the Batmobile is much simpler, upgrading the Batmobile's weaponry brings a lot more options. The puzzles (or Riddles in this case) involving the Batmobile can also be quite creative.

As mentioned earlier, Arkham Knight also has sidequests for you to do. The majority of them bring their own side story, and often give you a good reason to want to continue them other than just awarding you upgrade points for your skills and gadgets. A few of them, however (mainly involving the Arkham Knight's militia), come off as rather repetitive.

The game also has a surprising lack of boss fights. Although boss fights seem to be the series' weakness, this game barely has any bosses to begin with. The majority of them also involve the Batmobile, which wastes the potential a creative on-foot battle would have. And though some of them bring creative uses of the Batmobile, it's nowhere near as ingenious as the famous Mr. Freeze battle in Arkham City.

Graphics

Thanks to the power of newer hardware, Arkham Knight looks absolutely gorgeous. Gotham's latest incarnation is very detailed. Character models also sport lots of detail, like the rain dripping down Batman's suit. The textures are high quality, and the realistic artstyle helps bring Gotham's dark atmosphere to life. Arkham Knight is definitely one of the best looking games so far this generation.

However, PC players should be aware of the game's myriad technical issues, from things like missing textures, poor performance, and freezing. It's gotten bad enough to the point that Rocksteady has pulled the game from Steam and retailers while they fix these issues.

Soundtrack and Voice Acting

Arkham Knight brings a fantastic atmospheric soundtrack. The music fits the dreary nature of Gotham, and gets intense during combat or Predator sections. The voice acting in this game is excellent, and helps bring characters to life. The chilling delivery of Scarecrow's lines fits his character very well, and Batman shows a better range of emotion than he did in the other Arkham games. But my favorite lines in the game come from a certain character (who I won't spoil); the delivery of his lines really enhances the black comedy nature of his dialogue.

Length

After completing the main story and the majority of the side missions, my total time was around 30 hours, which is quite long for a game like this. Of course, it can get even higher should you choose to go for 100% completion to get the game's secret ending. New Story + is also an option for those who want to play through the game again; it retains all of your upgrades but permanently sets the difficulty at the highest setting.

Final Verdict: 9.8/10

Pros

• Good story
• Combat and Predator gameplay is immensely satisfying
• The Batmobile is integrated very well
• Lots of other things to do beside the main story
• Graphics are absolutely gorgeous
• Great atmospheric soundtrack is immersive
• Excellent voice acting

Cons

• Surprising lack of boss fights
• Side missions involving the Arkham Knight's militia can get repetitive

If you own a PS4 or Xbox One, this game is definitely worth buying. Arkham Knight may not be perfect, but it's still a contender for one of the best games to come out this year. Hell, it's probably one of the best to come out during this generation as a whole. Rocksteady did an amazing job on this game, and it's a wonderful finale to the Arkham series.