The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City – Game Night takes a quantum leap forward!

Guest Column

1 year ago

Infinite Rabbit Holes has developed the new benchmark for game night that seamlessly puts together incredible story telling, game play, and technology.

While attending San Diego Comic Con I was one of the lucky few to be invited to a full on demo of the new Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City. As I started the demo I was told that what I was about to witness was unlike anything that I had seen before. And it was at that point where I interrupted the demo. I had no choice. When someone makes this kind of bold claim I have no choice but to warn them that if it somehow falls short of my expectations as ‘the best thing ever’ I’ll absolutely let it be known.

Yeah, I’m THAT guy.

Undeterred, and with an odd sense of confidence, the demo continued.

The setup for the game is very intriguing. The queen of chaos herself, HARLEY QUINN, is back in Arkham Asylum. But it’s not what you think, she isn’t an inmate! Instead, she’s back in her white coat, reprising her job as a THERAPIST helping to figure out what is going on in Gotham while also diving deep into the lore of a budding vigilante who seems to have a bit of a love-hate relationship with BATMAN.

The elaborate story unfolds over 7 chapters which can be played one at a time or all at once. As players, you join forces with HARLEY QUINN herself to get to the bottom of Gotham City’s most notorious rogues by digging deep into the murky depths of their Arkham Asylum files. Working alongside family and friends you go on a journey to construct your own miniature Gotham City. Along the way, you’ll encounter challenging puzzles as you match wits with THE JOKER, while discovering a brand new, eye-popping story spun around the infamous ‘residents’ of Arkham Asylum.

The demo had my attention, that’s for sure. The game itself is perfect for an unboxing video as it has over one hundred game elements that include top secret Arkham Asylum files, classified Gotham City Police evidence, custom game boards, mysterious artifacts, and collectables. And everything was eye catching and very well made, perfect for the discerning fan of the Batman mythos! And what happened next truly blew my mind.

The game came to life thanks to some amazingly innovative and cutting edge A/R. To put this into perspective, I’m a big believer in Augmented Reality and how it can enhance and improve almost anything. That is, when it’s done right. And not only was it done right for the Arkham Asylum files, it was done in ways I had never seen before!

Without giving away too much, the A/R aspects of the game let you literally become part of the story and enter into Gotham. And the A/R isn’t just a cool visual. Oh no, it’s so much more as you can directly interact with it in the game which is something I had never experienced before. A phone was used to show how great everything looks on screen and how connected you are to the streets of Gotham City. And thanks to the integrated A/R you can actually turn different parts of your immediate environment into part of the game.

So, was the Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City game unlike anything I had seen before? Did the demo live up to its promise? By the fact that I went online and purchased the game immediately after the demo I’d say it’s a safe bet that it did!

See you in Gotham!

Written by James Gavsie
Producer, Personality, & Host of the Who Would Win Podcast
Twitter: @jamesgavsie