E3 2013: Batman: Arkham Origins Gameplay Footage Shows New Detective Mode

Warner Bros. has unveiled some Batman: Arkham Origins footage at this year's E3. A prequel to Rocksteady Studio's Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, Origins is in the hands of a new developer (Warner Bros. Games Montreal), the characters are voiced by new voice actors, and the script is in the hands of a new writer. How different is this new Arkham game going to be?

Not that different at all, it would seem at first. In the opening few minutes of the footage Warner Bros. have shown, we see Batman flying around a very familiar urban open world environment, albeit one that is noticeably taller than the world seen in Arkham City. A new enemy type is introduced, but nothing that is going to cause any heart attacks; 'Martial Artists' are tougher enemies that can counter Batman's counters. Besides that, though, the combat, movement and visual style looks largely unchanged.

So far, so Arkham City.

However, there are two cool features shown here that are worth talking about. Firstly, Batman has a new gadget at his disposal called the remote claw. It allows Batman to fire a projectile at an enemy, and attach him to another object, such as gargoyles or other enemies. The remote claw seems to be taking a few cues from Just Cause 2's grappling hook, which is no bad thing, although Warner Bros. Montreal's Eric Holmes explained that the remote claw seen at E3 is a "slightly overpowered version of the gadget".

The second cool feature is the revamped detective mode. Instead of just walking around an area scanning for clues, the player now gets to interact with a simulated reconstruction of the crime scene, winding it backwards and forwards to discover new clues. What I want to see is this new detective mode turning each crime scene into a smartly crafted puzzle, like a cross between Metroid Prime and Braid, as you rewind time back and forth to find the optimal moment to scan for clues. What I don't want to see is this mode becoming overly straightforward and scripted. We'll have to see how it's implemented, but it seems like an interesting idea with a lot of potential.   

Batman: Arkham Origin's new features show promise, but I would be lying if I said that what I've seen so far hasn't given me a certain sense of deja vu. If they can make the most of the new detective mode, gadgets, and sense of verticality in the world, however, there might be just enough here to set this Arkham game apart from its predecessors. 

Check out the footage below and see what you think.