The Dark Knight Rises review [Android]

Gameloft is increasingly becoming the go-to publisher when it comes to high profile mobile games.

The company already presides over a vast back-catalogue of hits, and has recently added The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises to its rapidly-expanding portfolio.

These superhero movie tie-ins arguably represent two of the biggest Android launches of the year, with the latter being possibly the most eagerly-awaited, given the immense hype surrounding Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman flick.

For the most part, The Dark Knight Rises manages to hit its marks. From a purely visual perspective, it’s a real corker: Batman himself is incredibly detailed, and his iconic black cloak flaps in the wind with disarming realism.

Gotham itself is also worthy of a mention. The sprawling open world environment is one of the most convincing we’ve yet seen in this type of game, and if you’re playing on a phone with a half-decent graphics processor, you get to enjoy some impressive draw distances.

It was almost inevitable that Gameloft would closely consult Arkham Asylum - possibly the best superhero video game ever, and certainly the best Batman title ever - when creating the gameplay for this mobile offering. As a consequence, The Dark Knight Rises mixes together stealth, exploration and combat, as well as throwing in a few new ideas such as the ability to pilot the various vehicles Batman has developed.

However, for all its good intentions, The Dark Knight Rises never comes close to replicating the sublime atmosphere of Arkham Asylum. The one-button combat is simplistic and repetitive, devoid of any kind of depth. Counter attacks are intended to spice things up, but they’re so insultingly easy to pull off that there’s no satisfaction to be gained from using them.