The third installment sends us to the beginning of the Bat in the inevitable prequel that’s been on the cards since the success of Asylum and City. In a major change, the developer, Rocksteady, handed the helm to WB: Montreal, which is the overriding element in this game’s failure in living up to expectations.
On a cliche Christmas Eve, Bruce Wayne meets many of his most infamous foes for the first time. A $50 million bounty is on his head and 8 assassins are out to claim it. Batman being Batman, he actively seeks out these assassins to take them down one by one. The combat and predatory systems remain identical to the two predecessors, while gadgets are slightly bolstered in number along with enemy types. Kinks in the system remain however, such as duration of the cape stun and the ridiculous alertness of snipers making already difficult situations near impossible.
The game is so buggy in fact that it becomes almost unplayable. From generic lag when fast-traveling to floating atop the bridge in fight mode, it’s easy to laugh off at first, but when it happens during a boss fight, it’s infuriating. At one point, when I needed to defeat all enemies to unlock a door, one foe got himself stuck in a wall, meaning I had to reload the checkpoint.
The online mode that Origins has introduced is limited, boring and again, buggy. To get in a game, you must have a full lobby, something that is hard to come by, and have no one leave before the game starts. I could not understand why someone leaving meant having to matchmake again. You can be waiting twenty minutes in one lobby and never actually play. When you finally do get in a game, it’s difficult to understand who’s who and what they’re trying to do. Heroes are too slow and thugs are so busy battling other thugs that everyone is just left standing still with a blank expression on their face, wondering whether to just kill themselves and have done with it.
Back to the story mode, we are in Gotham (finally). Connected by an infuriatingly long bridge, New Gotham offers generic buildings and gargoyles, while Old Gotham offers exactly the same. If looked down on, it would look and feel exactly like Arkham City but with less iconicity. Very little is different from the previous two games, and seeing as this is a prequel, everything should be.
In terms of story and plot, the return of The Joker is just typical. Being the major villain in Asylum and City, it was refreshing to have somebody else being the mastermind behind Batman’s downfall in Black Mask. He was an interesting choice as he is relatively unknown, especially to non-hardcore fans of Batman, but perhaps a little off putting. There is always a sense that there is a larger criminal at works. Upon a brief meeting with Penguin, it seems he may be the overlord, but no, lo and behold, it turns out to be The Joker in the most insufferable slap in the face way possible.
Some villains don’t get nearly enough screen time, in particular Deathstroke, whose boss fight is an incredible high-tempo duel that finishes far too quickly, and Electrocutioner, who you don’t actually get to fight at all. Other assassins must be captured outside of the main plot, which is a shot in the foot of the one leg the game stood on. The plot becomes a sub-plot, and the new plot becomes a typical Batman plot – Batman vs Joker.
Arkham Origins is not so much the beginning of the Batman, but rather the beginning of Batman and Joker’s relationship, so much so that there is what feels like sexual tension between the two. Villains are in the abundance, but the defeating of these villains is either too easy or non-existent, while side missions are not difficult, just time-consuming. This game is lacking a unique take on Batman’s universe that Asylum and City offered, offering little in the way of re-playability and defining moments.
5/10 – Buggy, boring and typically predictable, Origins throws villains, boss fights and mechanics at a wall with Joker’s face on and hope it sticks; luckily some do, but most just splat to the floor in an unsatisfying way.
Prepare to be Bloggled! 