Batman has never had much luck in the world of video games. From his impossible 8-bit adventures to the broken last-gen efforts, the interactive exploits of the Caped Crusader have left many Bat-fans sore. Rocksteady Games realized this and decided to enlist the talents of Paul Dini, who brought us the much-heralded Batman: The Animated Series, to craft their game’s scenario. The result is Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I recently got to take a look at this dark, gritty action game to see if it will finally right the many wrongs left behind by other titles.

The game begins with Batman escorting the Joker to Arkham Asylum, a maximum-security facility packed to the brim with supervillains and psychopaths. While being transported to his cell, the dastardly clown initiates a plan that frees the prison’s inhabitants and traps Batman among dozens of criminals that he helped put in jail. From this point on, Arkham is left completely open for you to explore, as the game offers a non-linear progression through a rogue’s gallery of Batman’s most dangerous adversaries.

Arkham Asylum offers three primary modes of play, each of which can be utilized at any time. Investigation calls upon Batman’s detective skills and lets you use special view modes to search for evidence, find hidden areas, locate key items, see enemy locations and determine what risks surround you. FreeFlow Combat is the core action element of the game, and has you using fists, combos and gadgets to take down up to fifteen enemies at a time. Predator is a stealth-based mechanic that allows you to use fear and intimidation to pick apart unsuspecting thugs. After using your grappling hook to reach an aerial viewpoint, you can deploy some of your wonderful toys, such as player-controller Batarangs, explosive gel and a claw that grabs criminals and pulls them up into the darkness, to pick off opponents and scare the remaining goons to the point that they are too distracted to notice you sneaking behind them.