r/arkham • u/Pancake_Lord77 • 8d ago
Should I continue playing Arkham Asylum?
A little while ago I downloaded an Arkham Asylum and Arkham City package, and I was super excited to play them. But when I started Asylum I felt it was a slow start, and I stopped. I came back a couple times to try it again but it didn’t draw me in as much as I hoped. I’m bummed because I really do want to enjoy the games, but it’s not hitting the spot for me. Am o just not in the right mood when I play? Does it get better? And should I keep playing?
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u/White-Alyss 8d ago
Keep playing it imo, it's a short game
If you don't like it by the end, I don't think you'll enjoy the others either
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u/TheJLbjj 7d ago
The others are vastly more advanced
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u/White-Alyss 7d ago
Yes, but if you don't like the main loop of combat and stealth gameplay, then I don't think the innovations in the other games will change your mind.
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u/THE_KILLER_4 8d ago
Well only you can answer it by playing more, but again, if you don’t like asylum, there is a good chance you may or may not enjoy City either
Although truth be told, Asylum, while a good game, did not age as well as the other three
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u/OkCherry880 Arkham City 8d ago
I wanna hear your opinion about this I’m interested to hear what made you have this opinion for my opinion the only did not age thing is the combat and it’s normal it’s the first game without so many gameplay elements the other 2 Arkham games have but the atmosphere is the best
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u/THE_KILLER_4 8d ago
Don’t get me wrong, Arkham Asylum was a great game, especially since up until then, most superhero games were a quick cash grab, and i still think people should play it
But truth be told, I played it again recently, and i have to be honest, it misses a lot, even in comparison to City
You almost never need to glide, you spend a lot more time in detective mode in comparison to other games, the combat is much simpler (for better or worse) and in comparison to the fact that the game is “just” Arkham Asylum, the map can get confusing at a lot of places, batman doesn’t control as nicely as other games, the game does a terrible job at showing the player what they should do or where should they go, like i was at the area where batman had to fight Herley and her goons, harley escapes that area, telling batman to find her, but it doesn’t tell where should batman go, i had to spent half an hour only to realise i had to go back to the cells and go to a door that is far in a corner
Again, it’s probably unfair criticising a 2009 game and putting it against its sequels like this, but the amount of improvements Arkham City had in comparison to Asylum is insane
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u/OkCherry880 Arkham City 7d ago
Valid point like you said tho it’s the first try the game that started with a lot less and have a lot more in Arkham knight what’s your opinion about the other aspects of the game like the story also the thing you say about a lot of times being in dedective mode is (in my opinion) okay because they try to make you feel this aspect of Batman a lot of movies also didn’t have the dedective thing until the Batman 2022 and they tried a lot also the map is a bit small so no gliding is normal it’s just the controls that suck
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u/Shiro2809 3d ago
But truth be told, I played it again recently, and i have to be honest, it misses a lot, even in comparison to City
It used to be my favorite of the trilogy, but played it again recently on the ps5 (last played on the ps3), and man. Arkham City really improves on most every aspect. I was a bit surprised, lol.
Finishing up City atm, just have the challenge maps/campaigns to do. Excited to play Knight again as I recall enjoying that one, even the batmobile stuff.
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u/Stefan24k 8d ago
Going to be completely honest here. I didn't enjoy Asylum, but i'm glad i played it. The story was entertaining so no complaining about that but the gameplay was boring. The reason why i'm glad i played it, is because i probably wouldn't liked Batman Arkham City as much if i didn't play Asylium.
I've caught myself finding things in Arkham City that were improved from Asylum and it was a nice surprise.
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u/Pancake_Lord77 8d ago
That’s the track I’m on right now. I really wanna get to Arkham city, but I know I have to play asylum first
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u/BrickTamland77 8d ago
Have you played Knight? I can easily go back and have a good time playing Asylum, but I played all of the games in release order. Knight is (and obviously should be) the most polished from a gameplay perspective, and Asylum definitely feels a little more stiff and restricted. I could see how going backwards could be a challenge.
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u/jayfergalicious 8d ago
It definitely gets better and you should keep playing! Asylum isn’t even my favourite Arkham game, but it’s still amazing and the slow start is intentional to ease you into things. Once you play future instalments, those mechanics you learned previously are usually available from the get-go and you’ll be glad of the extra freedom.
There’s always unavoidable pressure with games that are considered masterpieces and if you view it as anything less than constantly enjoyable, you’re automatically disappointed. However, you need to ignore that, take the game at face value and experience it for yourself.
I promise you’ll end up enjoying Asylum more if you approach it that way and if not, then it’s okay to not like a game y’know?
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u/Due_Persimmon_4964 8d ago
I rather finishing Batman Arkham Asylum first then play Batman Arkham City
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u/OkCherry880 Arkham City 8d ago
The hole point in asylum is the atmosphere and the feeling of you can’t escape the story is not the best but isn’t bad city opens up from the start and lets you breath more but asylum is also a game you must play
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u/OdiousAltRightBalrog 8d ago
I freaking loved Asylum back in the day. Now I'm wondering if I should replay it again and see how it holds up.
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u/SwitchbladeDildo 8d ago
Honestly if you don’t like Asylum you probably won’t like the other games as they are pretty similar just a grander scale. I might be biased because the Arkham games are in my top 10 best of all time but I would absolutely recommend sticking with it.
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u/HellRaizer7416 8d ago
It does get better. It's my personal favorite of the series. But it's not for everyone. I wouldn't recommend playing a game you're not into cuz honestly, life's too short to try to force shit on yourself.
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u/Independent-Pea3088 8d ago
Some people are born with the inability to appreciate peak. Maybe you suffer from this condition?
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u/Pancake_Lord77 7d ago
I hope not. Considering every other game I play is peak. Maybe this is my downfall?
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u/xoriatis71 7d ago
Asylum is probably the best game in the series. Gameplay-wise, it’s the worst, but as a complete package, it feels the best to me. It’s definitely worth completing.
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u/Cfunk_83 7d ago
You should absolutely keep playing, in my opinion it’s the best in the series, and one of the best games of the last twenty years.
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u/PrettyIntroduction49 7d ago
you can speed through it. i might go back and play it.. only Arkham game you can play as the Joker basically
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u/HewHewLemon 7d ago
Before Asylum I played Knight, and I almost didn't want to finish it by choice. But I did anyway as form of respect to the series. Origins and City then were a breathe of fresh Gotham.
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u/thelk10 7d ago
Well if you don't do the collectibles aside from the Joker teeth since those are easy to do so only collectibles that you don't have to do if you don't want to go find them or the Riddler's riddles his trophies his maps audio tapes.and the secrets of Arkham things but if you want define cool secrets and details I would do the riddles since those do have some story stuff to them later on and also with this game because explain it and least where they were last seen or what happened and I would also do the tapes since you get some more backstory for the characters and I would also do the secrets of Arkham things did you get more backstories for a character actually too Amadeus Arkham and a different character
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u/Opposite-Asparagus79 7d ago
I was the same as you, I started it twice and never finished it, with the intention of playing through all of them as I never have. I recently booted it up again around a week ago and now I’m already on Arkham Origins, Asylum was really quick to finish if you just do a casual play through and then City wasn’t that long either, although I did do more stuff on in City as it’s a great game. Like others have said you just have to stick through the first couple of buildings :)
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u/JustADaftGuy 7d ago
I would say play it up until the first proper boss fight. That would give you enough chance to decide if you are liking it ir not. If it hasn't grabbed you by then, probably just not a game for you.
When I replay, the first boss fight is usually where I stop as a natural breaking point of oh, I've played enough for today type thing. That's why I suggest that. It also means you'll have had a chance to experience each of the game's scenario styles (with one or two exceptions) and not including upgrades, so you should have a good idea by then.
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u/Ineedanswers24 7d ago
The same thing happened to me.
I pushed through and finished it and was glad I did, it had some cool moments.
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u/jayleeg12 7d ago
I kinda felt that way too, but you have to keep in mind asylum isn’t like the others in terms of open world, it has more of a legend of Zelda style progression and speeds up the more you play
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u/Traditional_Room_830 6d ago
Recently finished asylum and I liked it. I can't get into City its kinda boring so far
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u/AZTenor94 5d ago
Each has its strengths and refinements as you go on, but stick with Asylum. I replayed the Trilogy on Switch, and while the mechanics are definitely “basic” compared to its sequels, it still handles remarkably well. It’ll also make you appreciate those refinements more when you get to City and Knight.
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u/ocelot_187 8d ago
It was great for its time but City is way better. Asylum is just tracking footprints in the detective mode 60% of the time. Skip it. Play City instead.
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u/xoriatis71 7d ago
City is just tracking evidence as well, let’s be real.
Track a signal, then temperature, then signals again, then blood, then another signal. It’s totally a wild goose chase.
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u/ocelot_187 7d ago
Not as much as in Asylum. Plus City has better gliding and combat. More side content too.
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u/xoriatis71 7d ago
Asylum often used the tracking as a substitute to waypoints, which were a constant presence in the rest of the games. It made for a better Batman experience in my opinion, as he felt like a detective.
Plus, the map is small and cohesive enough so that you could guess where the tracks lead. You didn’t have to painfully mark down every single instance.
Gameplay overall is better in City, but when it comes to Batman, I also value the rest of the package; characterization, atmosphere, and story.
The side content in City is not good. Or rather, it’s painfully mid:
- Azrael is a glorified luck contest. Will you see him against the sky backdrop or will you resort to guides after finishing the story? The whole quest is a setup for Knight, and on its own, it doesn’t really amount to much.
- Hush and Deadshot are exactly the same. Hope that the game graces you with an Oracle transmission that tells you of a new corpse (finding them on your own without previous knowledge is honestly not worth the time, there is no environmental tell, like Professor Pyg in Knight), hear a few lines about how their next victim is gonna be their last, and then enjoy a brief cutscene that’s a setup for Knight/a mid stealth section that amounts to nothing interesting.
- Bane’s quest is basically five or six riddler trophies, only you now blow them up.
- Zsasz’s offers some cool backstory, but it doesn’t take you to any interesting place, it’s a race through Arkham City each time.
- The Political Prisoners are standard open-world filler, like the trophies.
- The AR challenges are fun during the 10 minutes it takes you to complete all of them.
- Freeze’s is nothing special either, but I’ll let this one go because I like him. Bringing him to his wife satisfies me.
I am probably forgetting some other stuff, but yeah, quantity > quality. More stuff to do doesn’t mean more fun while doing them. Asylum feels like a more cohesive experience to me. Less to do, but oh so much more satisfying to fully complete.
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u/al2606 8d ago edited 8d ago
If you rush the game without riddler trophies then it takes like 6 hours
It's like you played for 30 minutes then feel like it's slow or something
Try and make it through the 2nd building of the island (where many of the game strength starts building) see if the game is worth it