Batman: Akham Asylum is the first game in the series that adapts the Batman mythos to video game format.
Click a title to learn more about each topic.
Story & Themes
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Joker is sent to Arkham Asylum and breaks free almost immediately. He proceeds to free all of the inmates, who subsequently take over the prison. His goal is to develop a stronger version of the steroid that gives the villain Bane his superhuman strength, and it is up to Batman alone to stop him and rescue Commissioner Gordon.
Save Points
The game saves your progress at checkpoints, whenever anything important happens.
Heads Up!
Violence If you're a Batman fan, you know that his refusal to kill anyone is an integral part of his character. Of course, that is also the case in Batman: Akham Asylum. However, it never stops him from beating the stuffing out of the bad guys. This often includes breaking their arms (complete with crunching sound effects) and inflicting other traumatic but nonlethal injuries. Of course his enemies don't extend the same courtesy to Batman, and it is possible for the hero to die in some rather gruesome ways. That said, it's never very graphic.
Scary Imagery Some of the villains and environments are a bit frightening.
Sex & Nudity There is no nudity, but there are some scantily clad women. Harley Quinn, who appears in all the games, wears skin-tight clothes and shows off her cleavage. Poison Ivy appears in Arkham Asylum, and her outfit is similarly revealing.
There is some flirtatiousness from some of the female villains, but nothing too suggestive.
Strong Language The villains sometimes use tame swear words.
Substance Use There are alcohol and tobacco references. One main plot point
Discrimination Two female characters, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, are featured in the game, both as antagonists. Otherwise, as is consistent with the comic books, the game lacks diversity in gender, race, and sexual orientation.
Conversation Starters
- How do you feel about Batman's refusal to kill bad guys?
- Do you think the comic-book origins of Batman justify some of its dark and exaggerated content?
- Do you think the female villains are just as formidable as the male villains, and does that make you think the games are not sexist?
3 / 5
1 / 5
2 / 5
