Hands on with The Dark Knight on mobile
Batman's back and this time he's brought his Mangler
It's one of the hottest films of the summer, but how will Glu's mobile version of the latest Batman versus the Joker experience, The Dark Knight, play out?
There's only a month to go so the game's pretty much completed. Our initial hands on didn't give too much away about what happens in the movie, though. All Glu's prepared to say is that the game loosely ties into the plot.
"The overall arc is you're trying to have a showdown with the Joker, but he just pops up and teases you along the way," explains Glu's veep of North American marketing, Justin Kubiak. And he's a man who should know as he's read the entire film script. (But no, he's not talking. Even in a gothic cellar bar at two o'clock in the morning, he's not talking.)
What we do know is that as you fight your way through the assorted henchmen and villains – The Scarecrow will appear, for example – a focus of the game is Batman's gadgets and equipment. Something that's also a big part of the movie.
One new piece of tech is the Mangler. It's a big mechanical power-fist (like a special move) that you can use to inflict huge blows to take down enemies or bash your way through doors and fences. When you use it, there's a reassuring metallic sound effect. Other items include the grappling hook (used for moving around levels) and Batman's cape, which can be extended in mid-grapple so you can glide around.
As for the meat of the game, it's very much combat-led. Moves include punches, high kicks and leg sweeps, plus grabs, shoulder charges and blocks. All these are controlled via the phone's thumbstick – and occasional button press – with the actual move being triggered by your proximity to enemies.
From playing through the first couple of levels, it seems the difficulty level starts off nice and simple. Let's face it, this isn't going to be an overly complex game and the large size of the onscreen characters ensures the visuals are always clear. And while it takes a bit of time to judge how your proximity to enemies affects what will happen, this isn't really a problem.
Variety from bashing and leaping around is added with your missions being matched to overcoming the Joker's various evil schemes. For example, one of the early levels has you collecting ten containers of toxin that have been distributed around and about. Tsk, that Joker.
The only disappointment is that we didn't get to experience any of the stealth element of the game – on occasions even Batman will need to hide rather than just whack everything in sight.
As for how far the atmosphere will match what promises to be the most edgy Batman film yet, we'll have to wait until the mid-July release. Perhaps a more pertinent question is how much will Glu want it to match, though. As Kubiak puts it in a moment of candour, "I don't think the trailers show how dark this film is going to be. There is a reason it's called The Dark Knight."
