Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is an interesting case. Armature Studio didn't just try to cram a console game onto a handheld, they built something new from the ground up. It's a 2.5D sidescroller that tries to bottle up the essence of the bigger Arkham games and deliver it in a portable package. It's got a lot of ambition but you'll probably won't like it if you're a big fan from said series.

The story picks up three months after the events of Batman: Arkham Origins, a big explosion at Blackgate Prison lets The Joker, Penguin and Black Mask each take over a section of the joint. Batman has to go in, restore order and along the way, he runs into Catwoman, who gets wrapped up in the whole mess. The plot is told through cool handdrawn comic-style cutscenes with full voice acting, which is a nice touch that gives it that genuine comic vibe. It's not a deep story, it's basic, but it works well enough to give you a reason to punch dudes in the face.

Gameplay-wise, this is a straight up Metroidvania. You're dropped into this sprawling interconnected prison and you have to explore every nook and cranny. You'll constantly be backtracking to old areas with new gadgets you've picked up to open up previously blocked paths. The game lets you tackle the three main villain zones in any order you want, which is cool in theory but in practice you'll often hit a wall and have to go to a different area just to find the one item you need to progress. Again, this means a lot of backtracking, which can get annoying, especially when the map is useless telling you where to go next. Then again, it's a Metroidvania, so that's literally what you sign up for.

Now, the combat is… something. They tried to translate the famous free flow system from the console games into a 2.5D perspective. You've got your light attack, heavy attack, counter and dodge buttons, all mapped to the same layout as the big console games. For basic thugs, just mashing the attack button works fine, but the moment you need to counter or pull off a combo, things get janky. The timing for counters feels off and it's surprisingly easy to lose track of enemies who are slightly above or below your plane of attack, which can be a real pain.  Stealth is also a big part of the game and it's probably where it shines brightest, creeping around in the shadows, using detective vision to see enemy patrol routes and taking guys out silently from above is really satisfying.

Visually, the 2.5D artstyle looks pretty sharp and the character models and animations are well made. On the audio front, the voice acting is top notch, as you'd expect from an Arkham game and the moody soundtrack fits the prison setting perfectly.  So, is this a must? Well, yeah. It's a decent little Batman fix for fans who want something to play on the go. It'll take you about 8 hours to beat and even less if y'know what you doing and while you might be left feeling a bit underwhelmed in the end, you'll probably still have a decent enough time exploring Blackgate and taking down some of Gotham's worst.