This game is/was wonderful.
Rocksteady should be proud. It is the perfect end to a wonderful trilogy, and truly their magnum opus.
Why?
Well, I was engaged with the story all the way through, which is rare. Particularly in an open-world game where there’s so much to do and see. Maintaining a narrative at all, is one thing, but to truly have me engaged and intrigued is no mean feat.
Falling down the rabbit hole with Bruce Wayne, and seeing loved ones hurt and killed by his actions is brutal and fascinating.
The gameplay itself is wonderful, everything is slick and feel great. Fighting just flows. I know if I get hit/killed, it’s my fault for being careless. Granted, sometimes the fights are stacked against you (I played on hard, for what it’s worth), and become a battle of will to just get through them.
Gliding around the city, using my grappling hook to hoist me into the sky, or out of immediate danger and onto a rooftop is always a joy.
Everything just flows, it’s sublime.
The voice acting is excellent, particularly Mark Hamill’s Joker (of course!).
Seeing and hearing from all of your allies and the villains (most of them anyway), is a wonderful send off to this universe, and makes it a game to return to from time to time, just to dip in and finish off a few more side-quests.
Flaws
No game is without flaw (some would say blemishes are what make things beautiful), and this is no exception.
The addition of the batmobile was a great idea. However it just feels a little too big for the roads and the city. The forced tank fights grew tiresome pretty quickly, too. With two notable battles towards the end, being a complete chore.
Sometimes camera angles were a little unhelpful (I’m being polite)………In a fight, surrounded by a mob of enemies that I can’t attack normally anyway, and then I can’t see a few hidden behind an object, and boom, I’m out of my flow and struggling to recover. It seems like nothing, but it’s very frustrating at times!
In the end
At the end of the day, flaws aside, this game is exceptional, and it’s been a true joy to play through. Don’t get me wrong, it can be tough and unforgiving at times, but the challenge makes those victories even sweeter.
I’d recommend it to anyone and everyone that asks.
Best part is that it’s been out so long now, that it’s cheap! Pick it up as soon as you can, if you haven’t already.
Rocksteady have delivered an open-word, third-person masterpiece. Games like Assassin’s Creed could learn a lot from this series, and anyone developing something in this genre should be taking notes (looks like the PS4 Spiderman game, has done!).
Outstanding, just excellent.
One thought on “Batman Arkham Knight – Final Thoughts”