Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe Edition Review (PC)

Batman: Arkham Origins launched last year for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U platforms but Warner Bros. prepared a special title for PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS owners, in the form of Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, which charts a different adventure of the Caped Crusader.

Now, that same experience has been remastered in high definition for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U platforms, offering owners of these platforms the chance to go through the story of the game.

With the promise of a side-scrolling 2.5D experience with a great combat system and plenty of hidden features, not to mention most of the powers, gadgets, and abilities of the Dark Knight as in the other Arkham games, Blackgate is looking set to be a good outing for the series.

Does it deliver or should Batman stick to full-fledged consoles? Let's find out.

Play as Batman ...

... and meet new characters

Blackgate takes place after the events of Origins and sees Batman interact with mostly the same characters, from allies like Commissioner Gordon to villains like the Joker, Black Mask, or the Penguin. There are, however, a few new additions, including Catwoman, who encounters the Dark Knight for the first time, and a few mysterious characters.

In terms of story, Batman is sent to Blackgate prison to stop a riot gone wrong and has to work alongside Catwoman in order to rescue civilians and guards, while stopping the villains.

Here is where Blackgate implements a few different changes to the core recipe of the Arkham games, as Batman is free to explore the prison and its villains in any order he wants. You can start in the Industrial section and go after Black Mask or you can take on the Cell Block or Administration offices, controlled by Joker and Penguin.

While there's no XP progression system, like in previous games, the game scatters different gadgets in its three major sections. You start with the regular Batarang and slowly get the Explosive Gel or the Batclaw, which can be used to unlock new areas during the levels.

Exploration is pretty well done but there are still a few quirks, such as Batman failing to grab onto ledges while gliding or the camera that can't be panned into different directions. The in-game map is also badly designed and doesn't really help you get your bearings if you don't know where to go.

Detective mode is much more used by Blackgate than previous titles, as you need to enter it almost all the time in order to scan different objects before being able to interact with them. This is required when destroying objects with your batarang for example, as you can't manually aim it.

The combat system tries to replicate the stellar FreeFlow system seen in the proper Arkham games and succeeds in that to some degree, as you can obtain that same great flow to brawling. Unfortunately, the 2.5D system doesn't lend itself so well to this, as you can easily try to punch an enemy while another one, just a short distance from him, is already in his attack animation and you can't counter it. Even so, considering fights are mostly isolated events, you aren't subjected that much to such moments.

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The AI detection is also a bit erratic during the so-called Invisible Predator moments, when you can move stealthily around the zone and try to take out enemies without alerting their friends. Even if you make sure that you pounce on an enemy when the others are out of range, you might still get detected for unknown reasons.

The boss fights are relatively well done, but once again they force players to use detective mode. This is due to the fact that you need to scan things in order to interact with them, even obvious dangers like electrified wires or flammable gas.

In terms of visuals, Blackgate looks relatively good for a former handheld title. The textures aren't that great, however, and the animations are limited, to say the least. Character models look good but during cut scenes, for example, you can spot plenty of problems.

The soundtrack doesn't stand out but, fortunately, the voice acting is really good, as Roger Craig Smith reprises the Batman role after the regular Origins. Troy Baker brings the Joker to life, while Grey DeLisle once again shines as Catwoman, after Arkham City.

Fight regular thugs ...

... and big bosses

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion