Batman: The Brave and The Bold

Posted June 9, 2012 by Speed - 0 comments

Last year we got a rock solid Batman game with Arkham Asylum. Up to now Wii gamers have had to wait for a game with their Dark Knight but developer WayForward now finally has released Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a game based on the DC Comics animation series with the same name. After Arkham Asylum we of course had high expectation but will Bats and his hero friends be able to fulfil them? All I can say to that is: “To the Batmobile!”.

In Batman: The Brave and the Bold you need to take on well- and less known villains like Two Face, Catman, Catwoman, Gorilla Grodd and Gentleman Ghost alone or in co-op. When starting up the game you immediately get the chance to train your skills. Wildcat will invite you for a training which will teach you all your moves and and get you acquainted with your batarang. After this informative tutorial you’re read to face the bad guys.

Although… maybe some nuance to that last sentence is necessary. In the training you learn all kinds of moves but in the end you don’t need them all to get through the game. Batman: The Brave and The Bold is a 2D action game that can easily be finished by constantly repeating the same combination of moves and this is due to the ridiculously low difficulty degree. I do have to note that there are some kickass combos present.

The game’s strongest point is without a doubt the presentation. You get the feeling you’re watching the animated series and whenever a cut-scene pops up you’ll rarely skip it as everything looks really good and has some decent humour.

Throughout the game you get varying partners with whom you have to defeat enemies. In the first episode that’s of course Robin but in the end you’ll be able to choose who to run around with. Every hero has his own weapons and moves, and weapons can be bought or upgraded by collecting coins.

Each episode contains multiple missions. That may sound like you’ll be busy for days with this game but nothing less far from the truth. Each mission passes by extremely fast and you’ll finish after a few hours already. A serious dent in the overall experience for this beat’em up that in the end may be way too easy but does manage to entertain, for the short duration it lasts. Of course you can play in co-op but although this makes the game more fun, it also makes it even more easy to finish. Even when you thought things couldn’t have been easier.

And to make sure you don’t run into trouble that you can’t handle: you can select another hero at the start of a mission who will come to your aid in case you would find it difficult to complete a mission. Heroes like Aquaman, Captain Marvel, Plastic Man and even Flash show their best side but whether you needed them is another matter.

If youve got the game on DS, you can connect both versions with each other and have Bat Mite, a mini-me version of Batman, come to your aid as well. The little friend can drop health or combo power-ups to help you progress. He can also fight hostiles by dropping bombs or statues onto them. But let’s not make the game any easier than it already is, shall we?

Batman: The Brave and The Bold will be a huge disappointment for fans of Arkham Asylum. It may look cool and the cut-scenes are nicely done, but the game is finished way too fast and the difficulty degree is way too low. Also some additional heroes with whom you could fight at Batman’s side wouldn’t have hurt. For those that want an arcade game that only needs brainless bashing this title may be an option. Or for kids who aren’t old enough to play a game with a real challenge.

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