SINGAPORE — Visiting Gotham can only mean one thing: Criminals are on the loose, and Batman has to save the day.

In previous games — Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City — we had the Dark Knight facing down his nemesis, the Joker. Now, Batman: Arkham Origins brings us back in time to the early days of the caped crusader’s crime-fighting career.

In Origins, a villain known as the Black Mask places a bounty on Batman’s head. Batman sets out to stop him before anyone succeeds in claiming it, even as it is Christmas Eve and his butler Alfred is worried about him.

If you are familiar with the first two games in the series, you will be right at home with Origins. Combat continues to be poetry in motion: Just like in previous instalments, chaining combos together keeps fights interesting and enjoyable.

Other hallmarks of the series return, but on a bigger scale than before — Gotham City has become so big and full of side quests that you now have the option of using Batman’s plane, the Batwing, to get to certain drop-off points. There is lots to keep you going, although seeing how much there is to explore can get intimidating.

And the size of the map creates problems in itself. Despite the use of the Batwing, you still need to swoop from point to point to unlock the drop points first, which is tedious in the early stages.

The expansion of Batman’s rogues’ gallery also keeps things interesting and, once again, the visit to the Mad Hatter’s lair provides some of the best visuals in the game. Graphics on the whole are impressive — Gotham is still a beauty despite the crime.

There are some new features; for example, a new detective mode allows Batman to spot clues and retrace crime scenes that you can play back to see what exactly happened. When executed properly, it is pretty fun but there are points when Batman’s deductions defy logic.

The game as a whole seems to have continuity issues. The caped crusader seems to know too much and too little at the same time, while rogues still shout about Christmas Eve after Alfred has wished Batman a “Merry Christmas”.

There is also a lack of the freshness the previous editions enjoyed — it might be a new storyline, but it feels like old territory for a good chunk of the game.

Developer Rocksteady was in charge of Asylum and City, with Warner Bros (WB) Games Montreal taking over the helm for Origins. It definitely was a tough act to follow, but WB has managed to help continue the Dark Knight’s story by bringing it back into the past, mostly by not trying to change too much.

The flaws, in the end, are not earth-shattering and there is still an enjoyable game beneath it all — it just seems to suffer from a lack of innovation. Alvin Chong

Verdict: 3/5

Rating: General

Platform:

Xbox 360 (S$76.90), PS3 (S$76.90), Wii U (S$76.90), PC (S$76.90)