Batman: Arkham City roared onto the console scene last year, taking the industry by storm with outstanding gameplay and a thrilling narrative. Months later, Warner Bros. and NeverRealm announced an iOS Batman adventure titled Batman: Arkham City Lockdown. Flash forward to today, some folks have finished the entire Arkham City experience and are looking for something new to feed their hunger. Does Lockdown answer fans' calls, or prove to be a Batman poser?
Batman: Arkham City Lockdown is simple game at heart: a melee fighter that features swiping motions, like EPIC's Infinity Blade II, and is set in Arkham City. Your job, as Batman, is to rid the streets of thugs and Batman's greatest villains. Players will direct Batman in a linear path across the city, taking down several different types of these bad guys. Every area you clear features a boss battle with foes like Two-Faced and Penguin. While on your journey, players will be able to upgrade Batman with new gadgets and abilities.
From a presentation standpoint, players want to see Arkham City — the same city they fell in love with last year. NeverRealm captures these locations quite well — back alleys and smoke-filled streets have that eerie, Arkham City feel. What made the console versions so brilliant, though, was the ability to soar across the city. Sadly, Lockdown limits you to a linear story and strangles you to similar locations. Nevertheless, enemies within these environments respond like you'd expect, and boss battles open and close with epic voice-overs.
Lockdown features the notorious Unreal Engine, and ironically features the same fighting mechanics as Infinity Blade. Combat is smooth and enjoyable at first, but after a handful of fights, it becomes tiresome and "noobish." Enemies attack in exact patterns, and countering their moves is as easy as a tap on the screen. Like presentation, Lockdown's mechanics struggle with variety. Luckily, the game flaunts impressive graphics; it's not Infinity Blade II worthy, but still pretty.
Overall, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown struggles to grab your attention. At first glance, you'll find it to be tasteful, detailed, and filled with content (i.e. Wayne Tech upgrades), but after you spend some time with it, you'll most likely grow bored. As an iOS game, Lockdown is definitely an above average title, but in terms of the Batman name, it's nothing to brag about. If you're a fan of Batman and have $5.99, give this one a shot, but for most of you, either wait until the price drops or steer clear of this one.
