Batman: Arkham Knight

Arkham Asylum, the first Batman game from Rocksteady studio, has helped breathe new life into superhero action games. And Batman: Arkham Knight comes to conclude this trilogy. It is built on the famous revolutionary combat system (and especially against attacks), and introduced in the first part, and today benefits from new powerful blows and new enemies. It all takes place in the open world of Arkham City, a much larger and more detailed version of Gotham. The game introduces a new playable version of the Batmobile and this vehicle holds a particularly important place in the action and the puzzles. Finally, Batman Arkham Knight is an opportunity to bring together all the Batman relatives (in the broad sense) for an incredible final. You have been warned!

To summarize, the title offers 12 hours of a well-crafted campaign that stages a good story in which we find Batman, the 3 Robins, Jim and Barbara Gordon. The plot flirts a little too much with the supernatural for my taste - in this I generally prefer The Dark Knight because the threats it faces are rooted in reality - but by doing so the game strengthens the relations between the allies and develops the Batman psychology in an interesting way.

While the mystery around the identity of the Knight of Arkham (a new militarized antagonist and ally with the Scarecrow) ends disappointingly, there are other surprises that keep our attention in this turbulent history. In addition, several important performances give personality to the ensemble: for example, the troubling and monotonous voice of John Noble makes the Scarecrow the scariest version I have ever seen. Mark Hamill also returns for several unforgettable posthumous tirades of the Joker, and helps to stage several moments known to comics. Here and there, there are naive or badly written replicas, most often in side quests, but this is common in games of this size.

And as much to be clear, this size is important. We are now free to explore 3 islands of the dark city of Gotham, whose character is given by its many bright neon lights and its remarkable monuments, like the Chinatown district, the tower of Wayne or the factory. Ace Chemicals. All of this is very nicely detailed: lighting effects reflected on the wet roads with capes highlighted by impressive textures. The city has still been evacuated, making it impossible to attack innocent people, but the streets are much livelier than in previous games, thanks to the significant increase in the population of criminals, whether on foot or so during high speed chases with Gotham police cars. Note: we do not return to the Batcave in Arkham Knight, which suits me perfectly considering all the time we spent there in the two previous games.

To this new fairly open world are added new ways of getting around. Not only can you soar with the cape, and even faster thanks to an upgradeable grapple, but you now own the Batmobile. Almost everything crumbles on your way and we see some nice explosions. Remember: Batman doesn't kill, so we can assume that everyone is escaping from the "ruined" cars that you leave behind. The same goes for thugs you run into on the street, who are both hit by a car and electrocuted. Besides, these are the only moments when I could realize that the framerate was going down a little, but nothing really disabling, rest assured.

The Batmobile can also be controlled remotely, which makes it a good addition to the Batman toolbox for solving puzzles. Need to be in two places at the same time to activate two switches, or to slip behind the enemies who have trapped you? No problem. Of course, you can use it almost anywhere outside. Note that the entry and "ejections" of the Batmobile are absolutely superb.

The thing is, when you keep the left trigger pressed, the Batmobile quickly changes into a more maneuverable tank to use to detonate the combat drones in front of you. It is successful, but quite bizarre all the same since it is quite far from what Batman generally does. He is a hero known for using his fists, his non-murderous gadgets, and his intelligence to fight criminals and now here he is in the form of a knight in futuristic armor, descending all enemies without the slightest restriction (They automatically switch to non-lethal weapons when they target humans.) Rocksteady is obviously aware of this, since more than one comment is made on this Batman style disrespect in the game.

On the other hand, tank battles are fun - the idea of having drones that project a visible line of sight to warn you of an attack and avoid them is practical. But it becomes complex when heavy (and flying) drones invite themselves to the party and you have the option of using a secondary weapon, such as an EMP or missiles, to counter them. It is true that tank battles are not as interesting (or re-playable) as improved combat, but adding this third mode to the Batman repertoire increases the variety of actions offered during the adventure.

The tank also plays a big role in puzzles, thanks to a grappling hook which can bring objects to you. The tank-based puzzles (in the form of platforms) are the only place where the Batmobile seems to be unsuitable. They are a little less fun to do than expected, this is because even if it is maneuverable and can be pulled, climbing a narrow ramp is always difficult, even frustrating. Note also that driving and fighting in tanks became much more enjoyable when I changed the default controls (not really intuitive) for a more natural mode You will find this in the options menu and you will probably thank me later.

Meanwhile, Batman's signatures: hitting and blocking, as well as stealth fighting, seem better and smoother than ever. Obviously, they have been improved with dozens of new mechanics and subtle possibilities to improve and master. Some of the new movements seem too powerful at first. In battles, you can find a baseball bat or bat, which gives you a few precious seconds to knock out enemies with shields or batons, and in “predator fight” fights, surprise multi-attack can knock out. up to 5 targets that have not yet detected you. Finally, the voice synthesized gadget can lure enemies into traps. But with the increase in the number of enemies and their new types, like the brutes with large heavy machine guns and the doctor who can protect his allies with electric fields (which must be destroyed with the Bat claw before you can touch them) or who squarely revives any enemy previously slaughtered, the whole balances out pretty well.

Note, moreover, that being chased by thugs who, despite all tactics, use explosive bombs in air ducts, control flying drones, deploy mines, and detect you if you use detective vision too long, made me change my habits and especially my priority targets.

Some fights, more intense than others, in the campaign scenario, and in the secondary missions, allow you to ally yourself with an AI: Robin, Nightwing, or Catwoman, and they are used to execute several magnificent bets down that knock out any enemy instantly and also allow you to temporarily take control of the character you want. Fighting side by side with a partner is something fun to do. These spectacular fights make it possible to forget the fights against the bosses, weak point of the old Arkham games.

The campaign is complemented by a ton of excellent side quests built around the stopping of super villains like Double-Face, the Penguin, and of course the Mystery Man. Each mission series has its own Gameplay style. L'Homme Mystère, for example, offers a mixture of typical puzzles and new Batmobile races. The Double-Face gang robbed banks.

If you hang out with the universe created by Bob Kane even outside his cinematic transpositions or have played Arkham Knight (and you have solved the riddle of the riddler in the clock tower), you already know that the story related to Batgirl is not of the happiest: before being known as Oracle and being forced into a wheelchair, in fact, it was Barbara Gordon who took on the role of the heroine, who thanks to this jump back in time (Batgirl: Family question is in fact set before Arkham Asylum) we can go back to admire in its full form.

In fact, in fact Batgirl is nothing more than a "lite" version of Batman, with more or less the same park moves (although several animations are new and exclusive), part of the shared gadget belt (batarang, explosive gel and grappling hook are in fact identical) and above all greater hacking skills, which is reflected in a determined way on the way in which it approaches the predatory challenges.

Batgirl's goal in this first DLC is to snatch from the clutches of the Joker and Harley Quinn (for the occasion dressed in the uniform of the animated series) dad Jim Gordon, held captive inside an abandoned amusement park that is structured like a tiny Gotham City. The various objectives (which provide for the release of the hostages) can in fact be tackled in any order, just as it is possible to come across groups of ugly faces or wander in search of small and collectible secrets (there are three types: balloons, dentures and surprise boxes). Just like in Arkham Knight, as in the other three games of the series, to free the hostages you have to face sections from night predator or simple fights, even if each of these has some element of novelty represented for example by some bombs to defuse (in a limited time) or poor kidnapped policemen to be released by carrying out specific actions.

MODUS OPERANDI
I played Batgirl: Family Matter on PS4, downloading the content thanks to the Season Pass sent to us by Warner Bros. To finish it one hundred percent, then collecting all the collectibles and unlocking the eight trophies / achievements it will not take more than a couple of hours.

To paraphrase a famous saying, a real developer learns how he finishes, not how he begins. Arkham Asylum was a modest introduction to the later madness in Arkham City , which is why we expected the last part to overshadow all the previous ones taken together. Slightly larger than before, the virtual world, the batmobile influencing the change in the way the hero moves around Gotham and the main villain - Scarecrow, who together with the mysterious Knight Arkham caused that pale - nomen omen - fear fell on the city's inhabitants. And literally. The three islands that are part of the metropolis, to which we have access in the game, depopulated almost completely due to the substance sprayed by Fear, turning people into beasts attacking each other.

Already in the first minutes of the game, when we play the role of a regular police officer, we are witnessing a terrifying incident. The opening scene turns out to be strong in its pronunciation, so that in the later part of the game you just want more similar flavors. Keeping in mind the possibilities of Fear of Arkham Asylum, throughout the entire campaign I was wondering what developer trick I would get knocked on the shoulders. Hey, Scarecrow pulls all the strings after all! I waited, waited ... and waited. The villain wandered back and forth, talked, threatened, whined. Not much was due to my apparently high expectations.

I have similar feelings about the title Arkham Knight, who throughout the whole game is so absorbed in the desire to take revenge on Batman that this character is sometimes caricatured. And probably not supposed to be, because the issue of the identity of this individual was treated quite seriously. Despite the vile villains, the scenario itself seems a bit more serious than in previous installments and more often and more willingly shows Batman's emotions. The main merit here lies in the way the kind of hallucinations of the protagonist are treated. I do not want to write in a review what exactly is going on, because I am sure that many players could spoil the pleasure of self-discovery of the plot of the game. Nevertheless, the moments when the hero sees more than he should are the greatest value of the story , and the ending, in which, just like at the beginning of the game, we move in the first-person mode, is a great culmination of the whole series.

The creators decided to present Gotham in the rain. Almost throughout the game, hectoliters of water or other substances fall on the city. We only have access to a small part of it, specifically to three islands connected by bridges. It just so happens that in these locations there is both the famous Wayne Tower and the clock tower, from which Barbara Gordon, or the Oracle operates - Batman's right hand in the matter of computers and information, as well as the main police station of Gotham, where she rules father, Commissioner Gordon. Incidentally, this character finally got more attention from the developer, which story only came out for good. The area for exploration, although probably slightly larger than in Arkham City , is not overly huge, and certainly not so packed with various finds. These, of course, appear in large numbers in the form of Riddler puzzles, but are better hidden and do not immediately catch the eye with large green question marks - that's a big plus.

It is a pity that the city has become depopulated again . In Origins, the empty streets were extremely depressing. In the new part of people walking around them, we also only watch for a few moments, because the scriptwriters used a clever procedure, evacuating residents from the endangered area, but something is happening. Bandits are moving around the metropolis, from time to time we are witnessing a police chase, here and there are convoys as one of the side quests. Unfortunately, we won't see the Bat Cave in the game. A place where we can see progress in individual tasks is the police station. Arrested opponents from different factions are slowly filling up separate cells, the rooms are also getting dense from the rescued firefighters, and Batman with each of the policemen on the spot can exchange a few sentences.

If you've played the previous parts, you know exactly what to expect from the new Batman in terms of moving around the city or melee. By spreading the cloak and maneuvering properly between the roofs, Batman is able to glide almost endlessly, reaching the target points quite quickly. Also, the skirmishes with the opponents have not changed significantly. Combined well-known blows remained, though enemies gained some new skills. Underground tunnels have ceased to be 100% safe. Guards, passing by the sewers, see what is hidden under them, and when they notice any suspicious movement, they can throw a grenade inside. Of course, first announcing it loudly to the world so that Batman would have time to get out of range of the explosion. Medics also appeared in the crowd of sensible forces. Their task is to restore consciousness to the delinquents previously stunned by Batman. They are able to work effectively when we are quietly trying to penetrate the security and during a great fog. There are also small, electric-shocking drones remotely controlled by operators, which crash after silencing the operator, as well as independent drones. The latter can be eliminated by sitting on them while gliding and using an explosive gel, which the hero does automatically.

In addition to the indispensable Alfred, with whom we have contact through the holoprojector worn by Batman, other allies also appear, among them, which is no secret, Robin, Nightwing and Catwoman. Arkham Knight has become richer because of the combat system called "dual play". It is based on the fact that in selected places next to the main character, an additional character is just starting to fight. Partners can jointly knock out bandits, and the player can freely switch between allies. This allows you to quickly eliminate larger groups of opponents and in itself is a certain attraction. Although the character's combos have an identical sequence of buttons, the animations of their attacks are different.

However, after just completing the story mode, the New Story + option is activated in the game menu. There are also obstacle races in the game where we measure against time. Although I love racing, this attraction did not quite appeal to me because of the sometimes raging camera, which in narrow tunnels can unexpectedly change perspective. This results in unintentional errors. Anyway, a similar inconvenience concerns several fragments during the battle with tanks - while trying to escape the car from the fire the camera suddenly moves away, introducing unnecessary confusion. Fortunately, there are only a few such situations and I do not think that they significantly affect the game as a whole. For most of the fun, everything works as it should, and driving a Batmobile turns out to be extremely pleasant.

Nighttime Gotham looks impressive . The edition intended for the PlayStation 4 console runs smoothly and during the several hours needed to complete the story mode only a few times I encountered a literally two-second stop of the game in order to read the data. This only happened when gliding over the roofs of buildings, never during the crazy ride of the Batmobile. The city was reproduced with details, so it is a pity that the effect is partly broken by the very visible lack of smoothing the edges of objects. It's good that once you get into the fun, such things stop bothering you - I only remembered it during a few scenes taking place in brightly lit rooms or during the day. Fortunately, the reviewer version was almost bug-free and only once or twice a knocked out opponent hung motionless several dozen centimeters above the ground. Dark music by Nick Arundel, accompanying the exploration of the city, as always in this series is the highest flight.

Arkham Knight can now be bought again. With a whole bunch of patches, Warner and Rocksteady are trying to regain the favor of PC gamers. However, the calculation obviously does not work in all cases. While some players actually report noticeably better performance immediately after the republication, many comments still show performance problems.

The stutters were sometimes no less, there are hard disk access problems under Windows 7 and some graphics cards do not run as well as they should. And on Windows 10, the developer currently recommends a whopping 12 gigabytes of RAM for a smooth game flow. The relationship between Rocksteady and buyers is still like a powder keg - reason enough to investigate and adjust Arkham Knight's rating to the new PC version.

Maue compensation

At first nothing changes in the scope of the newly released PC version. Sure, some DLCs have been released in the meantime, but the basic version remains the same. Beyond the game, however, you will still receive a loyalty thank you if you buy Arkham Knight before November 16. Then there are all previously released Arkham games (including Batman: Arkham Origins - Blackgate Deluxe Edition) for free on Steam. A special Challenge Pack, which will appear in early 2016, is also to be accessible earlier for PC users.

This is a nice bonus, but we would have preferred a noticeable discount on the main game. After all, most Arkham fans should already have their predecessors anyway. So be it - then you can at least take a look at the earlier parts again, in order to properly internalize the control with mouse and keyboard.

It is now quite overloaded with all the gadgets including the Batmobile. Sure, whoever tries it out can master all combat maneuvers, modes and gadget combinations on the keyboard. However, we recommend a gamepad, because the controls are noticeably optimized for this.

Technology: Rounder, but not round enough

Original test from 06/19/2015

Incidentally, it was not the original developer who was responsible for the PC versions of both games , but a second team that implemented the titles, which were primarily developed for consoles. Arkham Knight is the studio Iron Galaxy, which was also involved in Batman: Arkham Origins in the PC version.

The problems are all the more annoying because Arkham Knight is actually an excellent action adventure even on the PC. Logical, because in terms of content it is of course absolutely identical to the splendid console versions on which our pre-test was based.

Strange, because according to our version's config file this shader should actually be switched on. These and similar effects cannot be controlled subsequently via the options menu, because the possible graphic settings are annoyingly reduced to a minimum : apart from resolution, texture details and quality of the shadows, there is not much to optimize.

More smoke thanks to frameworks

What the PC version scores, however, are the Nvidia-exclusive framework effects : Owners of appropriate graphics cards can look forward to particularly realistic smoke effects, for example, which are quite impressive, especially in connection with the smoking tires and cannons of the Batmobile. Improved particle effects, which are used for example in paper swirling through the air, make a good difference in direct comparison.

The PC implementation does not have to hide from the console colleagues in a playful way either : In addition to the very successful (but not freely configurable) gamepad control, Arkham Knight also slides properly with mouse and keyboard . It can get a bit confusing and hectic, especially in the fight against hordes of club types or drones, but experienced players have no problems with the freely assignable mouse and keyboard controls.

If it weren't for the blasted technical problems that Publisher Warner Bros. will hopefully fix with a patch. Based on the current state of the game, we can only make a purchase recommendation for owners of high-performance PCs. This is a shame, because Arkham Knight is (if it runs flawlessly) a wonderful game, as you can read on the following pages in our test.

The impending end of the Dark Knight

Chasing criminals every night, becoming a super villain's target at least once a month and therefore constantly on the verge of a nervous and physical breakdown - no, we really don't want to be in the Dark Knight's skin. And yet we happily slip in to witness the completion of developer Rocksteady's Arkham trilogy.

Only a handful of police officers led by indestructible Commissioner Gordon and Batman remain to thwart the man's sinister plans with the potato sack over his disfigured face. Scarecrow's reinforcement, the mysterious Arkham Knight, is also committed to killing Batman. In fact, with its army of combat drones and high-tech military toys, the Knight is almost becoming an even greater threat than Scarecrow.

At least for the Batman, who is a bit poor in health, who also has to take care of marauding gangs and the atrocities of two-face, penguin and Riddler taking place in parallel. But we don't want to reveal more than these basic features of the story, because otherwise we would be on spoiler territory in no time.

For the love of the bat

That's a shame, because there are so many things that we want to reveal and analyze in connection with the story! We could fill pages just about Batman's special health in this game. In general: When dealing with the characters, it is again shown that it is not so easy to replace developers Rocksteady while maintaining the outstanding quality of the Arkham series.

Nevertheless: This is very big cinema and is not the only one of its kind in the field of comic book versions. And then the many Easter Eggs and fan services hidden in the extremely lively and authentic-looking game world! Even cars driving around (albeit with gangsters) have been thought of.

It can happen that a car with screeching tires stops and the occupants charge us with fists and clubs in order to earn the bounty on the bat. We always have the chatter of the criminals in our ears, which we filter out of the area with a bat headset. So we always know how intimidated or daring the gangster world is right now - and the game also fills with life.

We could also spend hours just walking the streets to let old Gotham City work on us. On almost every street corner, we can find references to the love of comics and the loyalty of developers to the DC universe. Pretty much anyone who is loosely concerned with the underlying DC comics or who follows the "Arrow" series will understand the insider stunt "Black Canary Club", which shines a neon letter at us from a roof.

The Lexcorp buildings and allusions to the guys from Metropolis with the Cape are probably understandable. But what is the name of the district of Otisburg? Is that a bow to Richard Donner's film "Superman" from 1978?

And there is so much more to discover. For example, the Riddler headnuts known from the predecessors or collectible items such as Harley Quinn's gift boxes or ... oh, you should really find out the rest yourself!

In the Bat tank over soft soap

Batman's cart is a good way to get from one corner of the game world, which spans three islands connected by bridges and makes Arkham City look really small, into the other. However, the word "mobile" does not do justice to the hell machine, which we can call up at any time by pressing a button.

The Dark Knight is on the road in Arkham Knight with a tank that is strongly reminiscent of the tumbler from Christopher Nolan's “Dark Knight” film trilogy. With one small difference: at the push of a button, the vehicle, which already breaks through walls and fences with ease, turns into a terrifying monster with a 60-millimeter cannon on the roof.

In the beginning, it is almost impossible to bring the Batmobile to a precise stop at the desired location, because instead of reacting directly to the push of a button, the vehicle reduces the speed continuously until it reverses and continues to roll even after we have released the brake a long time ago ,

This suboptimal impression continues with the steering: It is still difficult to steer the slippery Batmobile safely during a chase at top speed , even after hours of practice. We are constantly scraping parked cars, demolishing corners of the house and always standing in the way.

How much fun it takes to get used to the Batmobile, which takes some getting used to, depends crucially on your affinity for racing games. In turn, we let the editors test drive, and everyone feels the handling of the Batmobile differently. As a racing game professional, Heiko copes perfectly with it. Dimitry nags a bit, but finds its way into the controls to some extent. Kai, on the other hand, who hardly ever tries racing games, is still cursing after several hours of play.

In one go to the mobile turret

The speedy sledging sled is of course unsuitable for removing the armed combat drones of the Arkham Knight. If we keep the button for the attack mode pressed, the Batmobile becomes a defensive 360 ° gun. Unfortunately, with our preferred gamepad control, this button is located where the auto brake controls normally have the brakes (which is on the X button when using an Xbox controller on the PC).

We have learned and internalized this over the years, which is why it happens again and again after several hours of play that we accidentally extend the guns in car mode because we just wanted to brake. Fortunately, in the options menu there is a well-hidden option to switch to an alternative control.

In attack mode, we glide smoothly in any direction, and can also activate small rescue attacks via the drive nozzles, in order to avoid enemy shots at lightning speed. We have a big cannon and mini-guns on the roof to defend ourselves. The thick 60 millimeter gun has plenty of power, but it takes quite a long time to reload one of the unlimited bullets available.

The miniguns do not have this problem: with them we can take the enemy device under a barrage - however, we have to aim very precisely to catch the glowing weak spots of the drones, and aiming in constant fire quickly becomes a matter of luck because the weapon warps.

No driving pleasure

Upgrades can improve the reload time of the cannon and the accuracy of the miniguns: after each enemy encounter, we receive a statement of our performance (such as "inserting drones that have been destroyed one after the other without a hit") and the resulting experience points. These in turn fill our »EP« bar.

When it is full, we get an upgrade point that we can invest in improving our equipment and skills. Of all things, improvements in the driving and shooting behavior of the Batmobile are missing in the repertoire. The most important innovation of Arkham Knight is his biggest stumbling block.

We get on better and better with the vehicle as the game progresses, but it gets pretty frustrating in places. For example in the fight against Cobra super tanks, the weak point of which is on the back. We have to stalk from behind and hope not to be discovered. So far so good. The idea of installing a stealth mechanism in the vehicle sections is great!

But as soon as we are discovered, it's either through the middle or game over. However, when inexperienced in racing games wipe off with squeaky tires, they quickly turn sideways or get caught on an edge. This makes them an easy target for the drones. Annoying.

And just before the finale, when we are faced with ever larger drone hordes (including flight drones, helicopters, rocket launchers and triple guns), players who are not getting on well with the Batmobile controls can be tempted to bite the pad with anger.

Honest fist fight

But enough about the car, the bat man's best friend. Anyone who played the two (including the non-studio Arkham Origins even three) predecessor of developer Rocksteady knows what to expect besides the slippery car rides in Arkham Knight: As Batman we glide (accompanied by unbearable frame stuttering) over the roofs of old Gotham and complete assignments that either advance the main story or count as side missions.

There is usually a lot of cheek food when we take on thugs and foot soldiers from the super villains. Of course, the tried and tested Freeflow combat system is used again: We watch out for attacking enemies and either strike or counter their attacks.

The combat system, which basically consists of two buttons, seems disappointingly simple at first glance, but it means more than pounding the buttons and hoping that you will hit something. The actions need to be carefully considered, and a little tact is also necessary , because the combo counter only fills up if there is no blow or counterattack.

And the higher the combo, the more experience points we get after completing an enemy encounter. This allows us to upgrade our skills and expand gadgets, combat skills and armor in several stages as in the previous games.

Reinforcement for the Dark Knight

The fights are still working well. The further we progress in the game, the more difficult challenges we face, which we can finally only tackle with the additional rapid use of our gadgets such as stun guns, explosive gel or batarangs.

Depending on the selected difficulty level (easy, normal or difficult - we recommend normal) , there is a nice learning curve even for Batman veterans , because developer Rocksteady has come up with some new tricks - especially the dual play mode: Here you get Flattermann in the brawls mission-specific support from Nightwing, Robin or Catwoman. At the push of a button, we switch from one character to another to extend combos, for example.

While we play one of the heroes, the CPU controls the other character. Particularly cool (and important game mechanics in a great staged boss fight): With a double team finisher, we can send opponents onto the boards in a particularly spectacular way. Beyond these team battles, however, we are limited to the Dark Knight as a playable figure.

However, publisher Warner Bros. will release a story DLC in which we slip under the hood of Red Hood. For all Batman newbies: This is Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd, who was killed by the Joker in the comics but returned as a masked vigilante with a hatred of Batman.

Hunters and hunted

The Freeflow combat system is good, but it is even better to avoid open battles and to ambush one enemy after another. This is not always possible, but in many sections there are large, open areas where we can let off steam to our hearts' content: through floor grilles, from viewpoints and from ventilation shafts, we pick one patrol enemy after another and send him quietly into the realm of dreams.

The whole thing is complicated by flying drones, snipers and opponents who can locate our detective mode. This is the X-ray view known from the predecessors, with which we can also identify hidden enemies and usable objects.

Another way to send opponents to sleep is by using the voice synthesizer, which we use to sound like Harley Quinn or Arkham Knight and to give instructions to individual types of clubs - for example, to send them to an electrically charged ammunition box or near a remote-controlled explosive device guide.

The fear multi-takedown is new: If we have killed at least one opponent unnoticed, we are given the option of eliminating several opponents in a row. We are seen doing this, but such an action increases the group's general fear, making the remaining enemies easier to deal with.

The possibilities to play with the opponents are numerous. Once you've really gotten into it and done some upgrades, you'll feel like Batman after defeating a possibly heavily armed outnumber.

Compulsion to complete experience

In addition to the main ranked rank in which we fight against Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, there are numerous side missions to complete that will become available as the game progresses. For example, we have to rescue firefighters taken hostage, try the Riddler's racetracks, which have been set up with numerous traps, or put two-faces through the bank robbery bill.

Of all places in the main story, the super villains hold back disappointingly, even spectacularly staged boss fights remain the exception. Actually, they are a trademark of the Arkham series, so we would have expected more of such selective bombast highlights from Arkham Knight with all open-world freedom.

Interesting: Even after the main story is over, we only get to see the real end of the game when we have successfully completed at least seven of the side mission strands. In other words, even those who rush through the story will be forced to take some time and experience the full content of the game.

We like this approach - some types of players have to be forced to their luck. And with a game (with small drawbacks from Batmobil) as successful as Arkham Knight, no one feels cheated there, but is happy to be allowed to flutter through Gotham for a few more hours. At least when the technical problems are resolved at some point and the game runs as it should.