Editor’s note:This review was written by David Paskiet, a 27-year-old student at Full Sail University and a student member of the IGDA. He is passionate about gaming and learning about game design. In his free time, his hobbies include playing guitar, building custom PCs and studying World War II history. This month, he celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary.

Batman has been gracing the pages of comic books for more than 70 years, but his frequent ventures into the gaming world have been a rather mixed bag to say the least. It was this track record that made me skeptic when I first saw Rocksteady Games’ Batman: Arkham Asylum, but after playing through the game, I realized the Dark Knight had finally found digital justice.

The game opens on a rainy night in Gotham City as Batman speeds toward Arkham Island having just captured the Joker. As you escort the Joker to his cell in the Intensive Treatment Facility, you quickly learn the asylum has taken on additional prisoners due to a fire at the nearby Blackgate Prison. Like the aging asylum itself, things quickly start to fall apart as Harley Quinn helps the Joker escape, and the prisoners and resident lunatics quickly overrun the entire island. To make matters worse, the Joker announces he has placed bombs all around Gotham City and will detonate them if any police arrive on the island. Usually this would be something to be concerned about, but for Batman, it’s just another night.

As things move along, you quickly find out the Joker let you capture him and had planned not only his breakout, but also the fire at the other prison that resulted in the influx of prisoners to Arkham Island. Before you can deal with the Joker, though, you have to get through several other major enemies, including Bane, Scarecrow and Poison Ivy. After a brawl with Bane, you learn that Joker is looking to get his hands on something called the Titan Formula, a stronger version of the serum Bane uses to bulk up. If you don’t stop the Joker from getting his hands on the Titan Formula, he plans on using it to create an army of bulked-up prisoners and spreading the formula into Gotham’s water supply.

The gameplay in Batman: Arkham Asylum is smooth and tight. The combat is extremely easy to pick up as you simply attack in a chosen direction with a well-timed button-tap countering any incoming blows. Taking down a group of eight or so bad guys without suffering so much as a scratch helps you feel like a real superhero. To keep things from getting too easy, the game throws in a few harder henchmen, complete with knives, guns and tasers, forcing you to rethink your plan of attack rather often. Luckily as the enemies get tougher, so does Batman. Taking down enemies and stringing together combos presents you with experience points that can be spent on new gadgets, combat moves or armor upgrades. The gadgets are a blast to play with and are one of the best aspects of the Batman character, in my opinion.

Another thing that adds nicely to the gameplay is the fact that the colorful denizens of the Batman universe come into the game as more than just enemies. The Riddler, for example, has scattered collectibles and riddles to solve all over the island, adding a fun meta-game to the mix. Also, some of the best parts of the game take place under the influence of the Scarecrow’s fear toxin, as you go in and out of nightmares.

Visually the game is stunning in almost every way. The island is so full of detail; it is almost a character in itself. The game requires you to visit many locations more than once, but they are all constantly changing due to the events taking place on the island, so they never get tiring. It was really the small details that impressed me the most, though, like Batman’s suit getting more ripped and torn as he battled his way through the night. I also really enjoyed the interview tapes spread out over the island. Picking them up gives you greater insight into some of the interesting personalities that inhabit the island. Even though these are small details, they really helped immerse me in the world of the game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum isn’t without its flaws, though. One key gameplay element called Detective Mode, which allows you to see clues on where to go and what to do, quickly becomes a crutch. Instead of playing the game how the developers intended and getting to enjoy the immense amount of detail, I have to admit I spent the majority of my time in the purplish hue of Detective Mode, as there is simply no reason to turn it off.

Overall, Batman: Arkham Asylum stands above and beyond previous attempts at bringing Batman into the gaming world, and it is an amazingly fun action game. I highly enjoyed my time on Arkham Island and recommend to anyone else who hasn’t tried it yet to suit up and give it a go.