Batman: Arkham Asylum Combat Guide

The combat system in this awesome third-person action game is intuitive and very accessible. You should be able to get resultsinstantly by tapping the Strike button but to deal with large groups of enemies, gun toting baddies and some of the super villains lurking around you’ll need a bit more finesse. In this guide we’ll focus on the combat aspect of the game. If you want to learn more about it then check out the Batman: Arkham Asylum review.

Before you even engage in fighting you should size up the scene. Use your Detective Mode before you enter each new area and make sure you have identified all the threats. You'll be able to see thugs through walls. The blue ones are unarmed and the red ones have guns. Remember thugs will react to noise and unconscious colleagues and they tend to patrol so don’t assume they’ll stay in the same position.

The combat system is based on combos. They allow you to show off your mixed martial arts skills by chaining together a series of punches, kicks and throws. The vast majority of the enemies you’ll knock out are basic thugs who are either unarmed or wielding pipes or bats. You are tough enough to wade into a group of these guys and just ping around tapping Strike to knock them all out.

You’ll get even further if you introduce a second button to your repertoire and start using Counter. Your honed bat senses can predict incoming attacks and you’ll get visual cues that a thug is about to hit you in the shape of a wavy lined icon above his head. Get the timing and directions right and you’ll be clearing rooms full of thugs in no time. Strike and Counter can be chained together for a continous flow of violence which will give you a maximum multiplier for your XP reward.

There are also several gun toting baddies in the game and Batman is not bullet-proof. You may be surprised how quickly you’ll die if you get caught in a fire fight. These thugs require a bit of stealth and the best way to clear a room is often to use stealth. Use your grappling hook to jump up out of view and survey the scene from atop a gargoyle. You can perform Glide kicks and then take people out on the ground by pressing Crouch and Counter. Do not use the ground takedown when there are multiple enemies around because it will leave you open to attack.

If you get the chance to sneak up behind a thug then make sure to hold Crouch so you don’t make any sound and then tap Counter when prompted and you’ll send him off to the land of nod without alerting his chums. In a room full of thugs pick off the loners first because a group will see you coming and alert any remaining enemies to attack you. You can also hide behind corners for surprise attacks just follow the onscreen prompt. If you do get spotted you can swing round gargoyles in quick succession or disappear into a vent to escape.