NetherRealms Studios, responsible for the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot as well as the newer Injustice: Gods Among Us, decided to take quick, iOS-shaped slice of the Batman universe. Their latest project, Batman: Arkham Origins, sets out to rob people of their free time as it crawls onto mobile devices in the shadow of its PC/console big brother.
The mobile game's story hardly differs from the main game's: Batman is still hunted by a group of elite assassins hired by the supervillain Black Mask, ready to take him down amidst the snowy streets of Gotham City. The most significant change, however, comes in the form of gameplay, as NetherRealm's iOS installment is actually a 1-on-1 brawler, pitting Batman against a series of enemies that players can defeat one by one via tapping the in-game prompts appearing on the screen, thus advancing from one level to the next. In order to introduce some level of variety into this seemingly repetitive cycle, Batman is able to utilize a number of his own gadgets, from his trusty Batarangs to electric shock gloves. Another extra feature is the inclusion of a defensive and a more aggressive combat stance for Batman, increasing either his mid-battle defense or offensive prowess, respectively. As we proceed to beat level after level, a number of potential upgrades will also become available for us to choose from, with which we can upgrade Batman to become faster and stronger in combat.
Although the base game itself is free to play, a number of purchasable extras become available in exchange for a smaller fee. In addition, players can access further new content by connecting to their PC/console copies of Batman: Arkham Origins, or by inviting their Facebook friends to play the mobile game.
The mobile brawler of Arkham Origins has been made available on October 16 for iOS devices, with an Android version appearing further down the line, possibly by the end of the year.
