Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has revealed a new wrinkle to Batman: Arkham Origins, its prequel to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, with the announcement of a 2 vs. 3 vs. 3 online multiplayer mode developed by Splash Damage (Brink, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars). Invisible Predator Online will pit Batman and Robin against two player-controlled teams of gun-toting henchmen, each consisting of three players, led by the competing Bat-villains Joker and Bane.
These aren’t just any ordinary henchmen, though – Joker and Bane have enlisted their Gang Elite to take down the Dynamic Duo, outfitting them with special gadgets like Enhanced Vision, which works like Batman’s Detective Vision to see other players through walls and objects but with limited battery power, and deadly themed weapons like the Joker gang’s “Surprise, You’re Dead!” proximity mine gift box or the Bane crew’s ultrasonic pulse that can zap enemies even through walls.
Though I initially had reservations about how well multiplayer could be incorporated into the Arkham world, my hands-on experience in several matches quelled my fears (Scarecrow’s fear toxin not included). In the level I played – set inside the crumbling interiors of Blackgate Prison – the two Gang Elites competed to secure three different control points. If your gang holds a majority of the control points, the opposing gang will lose a respawn every 30 seconds for each one you hold. Once a team has used up all its respawns, either by getting toasted by the rival gang or subdued by the Caped Crusaders, it loses. Likewise, Batman and Robin fail by being sent to that great belfry in the sky once too often.
Batman and Robin win through intimidation, by taking down gang members, varying their tactics, and subduing high-value targets like gang captains, until Joker and Bane stop the operation.
Playing as Batman or Robin is all about mastering stealth, cunning, and your environment. The heroes have all the moves and gadgets that Batman has in the solo campaign, but they’re hardly bulletproof. As Robin, I started out perching on the gargoyles, using my Detective Vision to track henchmen’s positions, and waiting for one to wander underneath so I could drop down for an inverted takedown. Or if one is isolated, I could target him and swoop down with a glide kick to the head. When caught up close, I whipped out my fold-up bullet shield to block gunfire before stunning the Joker flunky with a shuriken (Robin’s version of a batarang) and then knocking him out with my bo staff.
Batman and Robin can also set traps, such as spraying a walkway with explosive gel, retreating to a convenient vantage point, and setting it off when a henchman or two get too close. They can also hide under those walkways in grates, stealthily picking off unaware goons from below. And to ratchet up the tension even more, the environment will play tricks on unsuspecting bad guys, occasionally spooking them with a swarm of bats or distracting them with flapping cloth that looks like the rustling of a cape.
But because those goons are human-controlled, they’ve got a few tricks up their garishly colored sleeves as well. Gang Elite can’t be subdued by stealth attacks if they’ve seen the Bat or Bird first, such as spotting one moving into position on a rooftop or sneaking underneath in grated vents. Luckily for Batman and Robin, they can temporarily scramble a Gang Elite’s Enhanced Vision as well as temporarily scramble a hold point to keep either gang side from capturing it.
After the battle has been raging for a while, Joker or Bane become unlockable. When activated, the first Gang Elite member to reach his secret hiding place will be able to control his respective gang leader – and that’s when the action gets really intense.
Each supervillain has his unique strengths and abilities. Bane, for example, is a bulldozer of a man, great in melee confrontations, who can pummel his opponents with his fists and soak up heavier damage from gunfire. He can even pick up an enemy and toss him as a weapon, or unleash doom with a rocket launcher. The Joker is deadlier at a distance, armed with two custom hand-guns – the Ace of Spades, an explosive hand cannon with tons of splash damage, and the King of Hearts, a one-shot kill weapon that requires more careful aim. When caught up close, Joker can give pursuers a lethal jolt with his Joy Buzzer.
While Invisible Predator Online is set during the window of Batman: Arkham Origins’ fiction, it isn’t directly connected to it. Robin, for example, will not play a role in the main story, though he’s a prominent figure here, but playing the solo campaign will allow you to unlock as-yet-unspecified items in multiplayer mode.
Make no mistake, this is no after-thought multiplayer mode tacked onto a solo campaign. Invisible Predator Online is shaping up to be a full-fledged, tension-filled multiplayer experience that psychologically scarred whackjobs on either side of the law will appreciate.
