Batman: Arkham Asylum

What an odd game. On the one hand, it's a comics game that seems loyal to its canon and does a lot of fan service (disclaimer: I'm not invested in any of it, but also it didn't bother me). On the other hand, it was designed by people who obviously love metroidvanias. These two elements are culturally distinct. And yet, somehow, the game works.

What I loved most about it was becoming very familiar with the world map, because it's very much an exploratory environmental puzzle game, specifically one in which some puzzles require powers that you don't yet have. Every time you get a new power you'll immediately think of all the puzzles you can go back to and finally solve.

What I loved least was the combat. Superheroes are supposed to fight, OK, I get it. And, well, it looks cool enough here but in terms of gameplay it's either boring or frustrating. The combination of ridiculously unresponsive controls and tempo that keeps changing (for drama!) will make you feel more like a bystander than a costumed vigilante. Luckily, button mashing will get through the basics, and bosses can be beat just by paying a bit more attention.

The story is as you would expect for the genre, and thankfully doesn't take itself too seriously. And though Batman himself is predictably boring, the non-player characters are pretty cool and have some rambunctious voice acting and dialog. I blow a kiss to Harley Quinn!

All in all, it's a surprisingly good game. It will appeal to people who enjoy exploration and finding hidden objects, and also I guess to people who are into the bat individual.