MESSATSU

When we first started working on Batman: Arkham Asylum and began thinking about what we wanted to achieve with the game it came down to two essential goals. We wanted to create something that was truly authentic to the franchise, but also something really fun.

When you start to get into it in a little more detail, such as the key areas that we focused on, then you quickly realize there’s lots of key areas for BATMAN, which I think is part of what makes him such a fascinating character. He has so many compelling facets that we didn’t want to miss out on, and we certainly didn’t want to focus on one area to the detriment of others. So we started looking at what it is that truly defines Batman, and even before we looked at what the genre of game would be, we had decided we wanted to capture all of these quintessential elements of Batman first - then look at what the genre was.

I think there are a number of reasons as to why we chose to set the game solely in ARKHAM ASYLUM. First of all with Batman, a lot of what defines him as a character is his relationship with others, and you need a setting that will allow those relationships to develop. In some respects, I think if that setting is too large you lose a lot of that intimacy with those characters and thus what really defines who he is and who they are. That’s why we wanted something a little more intimate. Though that’s a loose term as you are of course free to explore the entire island, but it was very important to us that there was a close proximity between you and the key antagonists throughout the story. Their relationship being so important to the game, they should always feel within reach - within touching distance. I think there are a whole number of other reasons we chose Arkham, but in terms of the history of the place itself, nearly every important Batman character has been there. It’s been touched by all of them and it’s also the last place in the world Batman would want to be trapped. Combining those elements allowed us to create this ultimate challenge for Batman.

Throughout the game you’re free to explore the whole island – starting off in Intensive Treatment, delivering The Joker and from there on you escape to the island exterior itself, roaming around the island into different areas such as the medical wing, the penitentiary section, administration - which is in the main mansion in order to be used as the administration center and the botanical gardens – so there’s lots of different areas, all with their own history and style. It’s a fascinating place as it’s been built and repurposed, and repurposed again so you have these layers of history everywhere and every building on the island was created at different times with different purposes in mind and then retro-fitted with different levels of technology in order to service its new role on the island. Each of the different areas presents its own challenges because of what it was built for and what it is now. There’s a massive amount of variety.

One of the most unique things about the game is that you have this classic historical location from the Batman universe that no one has ever realized in its entirety before in any medium, so it’s great to have the chance to do that and we look forward to seeing the fans reactions to it all.

Sefton Hill – Game Director – Rocksteady Studios