When it comes to stealth in Batman: Arkham Asylum, realism takes a back seat, as there's just no way that Batman could sneak around successfully the way the game portrays. When Batman enters a large room in Arkham Asylum, it's usually filled with a bunch of chattering thugs. The room is well lit with plenty of gargoyles for Batman to find a perch and survey the area. Somehow, the thugs never seem to notice the large black mass firing off zip lines and swinging around without a care in the world. If Batman makes a mistake or gets caught it's no problem, every room in Arkham Asylum conveniently contains several large air vents located on every surface of the facility. While this is great from a gameplay perspective, it doesn't really make any sense under scrutiny.
Batman's Arkham series went to great lengths to immerse the player in the caped crusader's cowl. Arkham Asylum's open world gameplay loop cycles through exploring the environment and encountering enemies, then presenting the player with an opportunity to fight head-on or utilize stealth. Many sections of Arkham Asylum are isolated challenges encouraging players to sneak around and use a large variety of gadgets to gain the upper hand. It's a lot of fun, the combat and stealth options complement each other and the player is never limited to focusing solely on one play style.
The problem is Arkham's environment is catered for Batman, making the guards on patrol suffer for it. Every vent is the right size and easy to open, despite Batman clunking around inside making enough noise to alert everyone in Arkham's version of Gotham City. Meanwhile, the henchmen working for the Joker are completely oblivious, just carrying on a conversation like the boss didn't almost fail to capture the facility. No wonder Batman keeps beating the odds, everyone around The Dark Knight can't hear or see anything unless it's directly in front of someone's face.
Sneaking in Batman: Arkham Asylum Can Break Immersion
In a real-life scenario, Batman sneaking around Arkham Asylum never would've worked. It's a classic movie/TV trope that's migrated to video games; the hero always manages to get through a scenario that would kill a normal person instantly, usually due to luck and convenience. An actual guard would likely have enough common sense to look up as soon as Batman fluttered by, and real vents are built far too small for most animals, let alone a person the size of Bruce Wayne to squeeze through. Besides this, all the equipment Batman keeps on hand would be so clunky it would need to be strapped down tight to avoid making noise or slipping out of Batman's utility belt mid-swing.
Of course, someone may argue that Batman is skilled enough to easily avoid the guards, or deploy strategies that stretch beyond the confines of a video game. For the most part, this is true, and most hidden Batman in the Arkham series. To enjoy the intended experience, players must suspend disbelief so Batman can do what he does best, and it's an unspoken agreement between developer and player that the game will be as fun as possible as long as the player agrees to ignore some of the final product's less believable aspects.
Stealth is always a fun gameplay mechanic, though it requires an environment designed to help it function. Arkham Asylum has a great compelling system designed around how Batman would approach the situation, and for the most part, Rocksteady succeeded. If Gotham Knights manages to fix Batman: Arkham Asylum's environmental shortcomings, making the experience feel a little more organic, it could do wonders to help players stay immersed - and less reliant on the suspension of disbelief.
