I have 8.7 hours (exactly 8 hours and 42 minutes) of playtime on Steam. I picked this up a long time ago in a bundle sale with all three Arkham games for just a couple of dollars. I finished the main story and unlocked 25 out of the 47 achievements. I am not looking to go for the 100% completion because I don't care about the game quite enough to grind for it. It gets a solid 7/10 and a Thumbs Up—especially if you grab it on sale. It's still enjoyable at full price, but a sale is where it's truly worth it.
Narrative, Atmosphere, and Audio
The narrative is a fun, classic Joker story. While his master plan is interesting to watch unfold, it isn't anything mind-blowing or "to die for." However, the pacing is excellent. The horror elements are fairly good and planted perfectly throughout the campaign, and the atmosphere inside the asylum is top-notch. Since this is the first Gotham-based game I have played, the dark setting left a really good impression.
The audio and music are absolutely perfect. Rest in peace to Kevin Conroy—he is the definitive, iconic voice of Batman, and finding out about his passing was incredibly sad. His performance here, alongside the rest of the voice work, is so good that I didn't feel the need to listen to any outside music or Spotify playlists at all. I kept my ears entirely on the game.
Gameplay, Combat, and Stealth
The combat is easily the main highlight of the experience. It feels incredibly fluid and remains the element that shines the brightest. However, there is a slight, noticeable input lag during gameplay that can feel a bit sluggish and annoying at times.
The stealth mechanics (Predator mode) are fun in theory, but they can become stupidly hard for no good reason. Whenever you knock an enemy down, they scream, alerting the entire room. Because the remaining enemies immediately group tightly together, it becomes incredibly difficult to pick off the rest of them. It feels like an unnecessary design hurdle that slows down your momentum.
As for the collectibles, I didn't care about them or pay much attention to them. I ignored the optional files and riddles, choosing instead to stay entirely focused on the main cutscenes and core campaign.
Technical Performance
Because this is a legacy title, the initial setup required me to track down and install an older DirectX version that the game required to run properly. Finding that file was pretty annoying. Once that hurdle was cleared, the performance was completely stable on my PC with no major bugs or crashes.
Score: 7/10
Recommendation: Buy it on sale, experience Kevin Conroy's legendary performance, and enjoy a classic slice of Batman history.
