Before I go into my special Dark Knight review, I must request that, if you don't know what Psychonauts is, to click here. Did you read it? I hope so, because for my take on Dark Knight, I shall present it as a build of Psychonauts, as in separated into different levels so that it is not just a rehash of every other review of Dark Knight that is out there, but instead we shall examine the minds of the characters and see where their flaws lie (one of the great themes of the film) and also how awesome it would be to see it presented in one of my favorite games ever (yeah, I know its a last generation game, but wouldn't it be so awesome if Double Fine made DLC with extra levels to play through?) One more thing before we begin... there will be spoilers ahead, so if you are just here for a recommendation, I say go see Dark Knight, but if you want to go a little further with me, read on (quick note, these levels aren't in any particular order, they are just coming as I think of them)...
Bruce Wayne/Batman's Level - Yeah, I know they could be two separate levels, but for the sake of time, I'll do it as one.
As Razz enters into this level, it becomes apparent that Bruce's mind is a reproduction of Wayne Manor, large and sprawling. Of course, when you enter into the main foyer, it's beautiful and expansive, and everything is decorated with pictures of Gotham City... and bats, because these are things that are constantly parts of Bruce's mind, they permanently etched into places all throughout the mansion.
The first wing that you are granted entry to is one of Bruce's playboy personality. The colors are bright, and the figments (little collectibles within the game) are represented by champagne glasses, expensive cars, tuxedos and such. The main issue in this wing of the manor is the fact that it is a huge piece of the manor, and yet you can tell that it is neglected, Bruce dislikes this part of his mind, and although it is clearly in use quite often, the rest of the mansion does it's best to shut this part out and keep it there just for show. As you work your way through that wing, you encounter Bruce's representation of himself within and must convince him that although this part of him may seem to be a waste, it is in fact a very important part that he must learn to use more to fight justice, rather than relying on his alter-ego.
Speaking of that alter-ego, once you can convince Bruce of the importance and neccessity of actually being Bruce, you can move on to the Batman wing of the Mansion. Here, things are dark, and the figments are represented by Bat gadgets, weapons, and the occasional criminal. Within this wing, you learn of Bruce's obsessions. He hinges his entire being on this "hero" that he has created. So much so that the only way to pull Bruce out of this part of his mind before it can be sucked into the massive vortex of obsession in the middle (yeah, I forgot to mention it earlier, because I just made it up) is by finding Rachel in the mansion. For some reason, it's not the promise of a safer Gotham, or even a happy life that can make him willing to give up the mask, the only thing that he finds bright is Rachel. His cravings for her attention and approval are represented by secret rooms that are easy to find because the doors are constantly left partially open with rays of light coming from the cracks. Inside these rooms, the walls are covered with memories of Bruce and Rachel throughout their times together, both as adults and as children.
Once you beat the level, you think that somehow Bruce's mind will be changed and guided to something of a balance between his desire for justice as Batman, and his ability to help bring justice as Bruce Wayne as well. However, as in the movie, Bruce is unable to separate this desire from his very being, and as you leave his mind, everything that you had changed to help him, slowly begins to revert back to the state that it once was.
Rachel's Level -
Rachel's level is similarly divided as Bruce's. However as much as her love for Bruce is represented in her mind, it is clear that while it was once at the forefront, it has been taken over by Harvey. Figments are represented here by posters for Harvey's campaign, lawyer accessories, and the occasional bat. Unlike Bruce's mind, which is closed off into the (albeit large) mansion, Rachel's psyche is represented as the grounds around the mansion, where holes that were once wells and trees prohibit too much wandering. Her mind is fixated (like that of Bruce's and later Harvey's) on justice and peace. Although, her's is brightly lit with hope from the future (hey, I don't know how to represent it in the game, I'm just writing it, not making it). Her level will have the feel of a 2D platformer... very linear and lots of jumping, with you travelling through the grounds of the Wayne Manor, with flashes of Harvey and Bruces' faces appearing randomly throughout. As you reach the end of the level, you catch up to Rachel who is standing in front of a fork in the path with Bruce on one side and Harvey on the other, and although I'd like to say you get a choice between them, you don't. Rachel smiles at Bruce and tells him something sweet before she walks off with Harvey. As you stand next to Bruce and watch the other two walk off into a beautiful forest, you see a bolt of lightning strike the forest, and are ejected from her mind as it begins to erupt into flames.
Harvey's Level -
Yeah, I know I wasn't going to do these in order, but when you arrive at Harvey and enter into his mind, it is while he is in the hospital after Rachel's death and his rebirth as Two-Face. Razz will be confronted here again by duality (see, there's a theme), this time it is completely obvious. As you enter into Harvey's mind, you find it represented as a huge courthouse. The level alternates between darkness and light at complete random, and the level structure is completely frustrating, because everything is guided by chance. Places that are safe will randomly be turned against you, but not at any particular point in the level, just whenever it feels like it - it's like the level in Psychonauts where you can adjust the play to good or bad, except here you have no control, again, it is random (kind of like his flipping a coin). The problem with the level is that although you feel the animosity in the darkness, it is completely sane. The level is well structured, with nothing out of the ordinary, figments here are represented by coins (that's all, just lots of coins). The goal of the level is to bring both parts of Harvey together, one represented as a whole Harvey in a white suit and, the other a fully burned Harvey in a charred suit (yeah, I know its obvious, but sometimes you just have to go with the easy answer). Anyway, the level ends when the Harveys come together and find that the balance between his light and dark is able to be brought together by the random element found in chance. When the Harveys are brought together, they turn to you and flip a coin, if it comes up good, you finish the level, and if it comes up on the charred side, you die and are forced to do the entire level over again (told you it was frustrating).
Jim Gordon's Level -
Jim's level is represented as the Gotham Police Department. Like all the others within the movie/game Jim's duality is between his job and his love for his family, which is represented in part by his figments, which are his wife and two kids shown at different stages in their lives that he could potentially be missing. Your goal here is to clear out the Department so that Jim can finally find his way home and be with the people he loves. You begin the level on the roof next to the Bat-signal and Jim's representation is covered by the shadows and as you clear different stages of the Department, you can come back to see Jim and find the shadows receding. It's a fairly straightforward level, with criminals and crooked cops haunting the entire place. The hook to the level (and also a sometimes frustrating piece of gameplay) is that Jim is never safe or satisfied. Each time you leave him to clear out different places, you will find him to have wandered off from the last place you left him in order to get more done or to help clear another area on his own. When the level ends, you exit the Police Department and guide Jim home to be with his wife and children, only to hear his phone ring, as you are floating out of his mind.
Finally, The Joker's Level -
Unlike every other level where there is some semblance of structure (and even that theme of duality), the Joker's level is complete chaos. It is represented by the whole of Gotham City in all its urban glory (in fact, now that I think of it, it might even be the hub world of the game). However, it is also structured kind of like The Milkman Conspiracy level in Psychonauts or parts of Super Mario Galaxy, where your perspective is constantly shifting as you walk vertically up walls as they turn into the floor beneath you. The figments here are represented by different knives and cutting tools, as well as various guns and weaponry, and as you "progress" through the city, the Joker's mind will constantly test your choices and humanity's choices, forcing you at points to choose who is more important to save. Also, unlike in the movie, within the Joker's mind humanity is not as kind and forgiving as they turn out in the movie and as people are given the choice as to save themselves or to keep others alive, they will consistently choose themselves, and you will be sidetracked as often as possible in order to try to help those who have been elected to die by others. As you make it to the Joker's representation of himself, you find that he has no issues within his mind and that this chaos is exactly what he desires it to be. Something that he finds exciting because it is unable to be predicted or controlled (just like Harvey's chance). After you get a chance to talk with him wherein he tells you all of this, the level ends as you are pulled from his mind to his maniacal laughter and explosions ringing throughout the city.
That is about all I can think of for the moment, I know I skipped over Alfred and Lucius, but it would be kind of repetetive to go over their own themes of duality through the movie. Basically, the movie is a great representation of this theme (and also of lies and hope -odd matches, huh?). So, I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I shall be back (hopefully soon), with some more stuff.
P.S. Psychonauts is awesome, and you should play it.
Bruce Wayne/Batman's Level - Yeah, I know they could be two separate levels, but for the sake of time, I'll do it as one.
As Razz enters into this level, it becomes apparent that Bruce's mind is a reproduction of Wayne Manor, large and sprawling. Of course, when you enter into the main foyer, it's beautiful and expansive, and everything is decorated with pictures of Gotham City... and bats, because these are things that are constantly parts of Bruce's mind, they permanently etched into places all throughout the mansion.
The first wing that you are granted entry to is one of Bruce's playboy personality. The colors are bright, and the figments (little collectibles within the game) are represented by champagne glasses, expensive cars, tuxedos and such. The main issue in this wing of the manor is the fact that it is a huge piece of the manor, and yet you can tell that it is neglected, Bruce dislikes this part of his mind, and although it is clearly in use quite often, the rest of the mansion does it's best to shut this part out and keep it there just for show. As you work your way through that wing, you encounter Bruce's representation of himself within and must convince him that although this part of him may seem to be a waste, it is in fact a very important part that he must learn to use more to fight justice, rather than relying on his alter-ego.
Speaking of that alter-ego, once you can convince Bruce of the importance and neccessity of actually being Bruce, you can move on to the Batman wing of the Mansion. Here, things are dark, and the figments are represented by Bat gadgets, weapons, and the occasional criminal. Within this wing, you learn of Bruce's obsessions. He hinges his entire being on this "hero" that he has created. So much so that the only way to pull Bruce out of this part of his mind before it can be sucked into the massive vortex of obsession in the middle (yeah, I forgot to mention it earlier, because I just made it up) is by finding Rachel in the mansion. For some reason, it's not the promise of a safer Gotham, or even a happy life that can make him willing to give up the mask, the only thing that he finds bright is Rachel. His cravings for her attention and approval are represented by secret rooms that are easy to find because the doors are constantly left partially open with rays of light coming from the cracks. Inside these rooms, the walls are covered with memories of Bruce and Rachel throughout their times together, both as adults and as children.
Once you beat the level, you think that somehow Bruce's mind will be changed and guided to something of a balance between his desire for justice as Batman, and his ability to help bring justice as Bruce Wayne as well. However, as in the movie, Bruce is unable to separate this desire from his very being, and as you leave his mind, everything that you had changed to help him, slowly begins to revert back to the state that it once was.
Rachel's Level -
Rachel's level is similarly divided as Bruce's. However as much as her love for Bruce is represented in her mind, it is clear that while it was once at the forefront, it has been taken over by Harvey. Figments are represented here by posters for Harvey's campaign, lawyer accessories, and the occasional bat. Unlike Bruce's mind, which is closed off into the (albeit large) mansion, Rachel's psyche is represented as the grounds around the mansion, where holes that were once wells and trees prohibit too much wandering. Her mind is fixated (like that of Bruce's and later Harvey's) on justice and peace. Although, her's is brightly lit with hope from the future (hey, I don't know how to represent it in the game, I'm just writing it, not making it). Her level will have the feel of a 2D platformer... very linear and lots of jumping, with you travelling through the grounds of the Wayne Manor, with flashes of Harvey and Bruces' faces appearing randomly throughout. As you reach the end of the level, you catch up to Rachel who is standing in front of a fork in the path with Bruce on one side and Harvey on the other, and although I'd like to say you get a choice between them, you don't. Rachel smiles at Bruce and tells him something sweet before she walks off with Harvey. As you stand next to Bruce and watch the other two walk off into a beautiful forest, you see a bolt of lightning strike the forest, and are ejected from her mind as it begins to erupt into flames.
Harvey's Level -
Yeah, I know I wasn't going to do these in order, but when you arrive at Harvey and enter into his mind, it is while he is in the hospital after Rachel's death and his rebirth as Two-Face. Razz will be confronted here again by duality (see, there's a theme), this time it is completely obvious. As you enter into Harvey's mind, you find it represented as a huge courthouse. The level alternates between darkness and light at complete random, and the level structure is completely frustrating, because everything is guided by chance. Places that are safe will randomly be turned against you, but not at any particular point in the level, just whenever it feels like it - it's like the level in Psychonauts where you can adjust the play to good or bad, except here you have no control, again, it is random (kind of like his flipping a coin). The problem with the level is that although you feel the animosity in the darkness, it is completely sane. The level is well structured, with nothing out of the ordinary, figments here are represented by coins (that's all, just lots of coins). The goal of the level is to bring both parts of Harvey together, one represented as a whole Harvey in a white suit and, the other a fully burned Harvey in a charred suit (yeah, I know its obvious, but sometimes you just have to go with the easy answer). Anyway, the level ends when the Harveys come together and find that the balance between his light and dark is able to be brought together by the random element found in chance. When the Harveys are brought together, they turn to you and flip a coin, if it comes up good, you finish the level, and if it comes up on the charred side, you die and are forced to do the entire level over again (told you it was frustrating).
Jim Gordon's Level -
Jim's level is represented as the Gotham Police Department. Like all the others within the movie/game Jim's duality is between his job and his love for his family, which is represented in part by his figments, which are his wife and two kids shown at different stages in their lives that he could potentially be missing. Your goal here is to clear out the Department so that Jim can finally find his way home and be with the people he loves. You begin the level on the roof next to the Bat-signal and Jim's representation is covered by the shadows and as you clear different stages of the Department, you can come back to see Jim and find the shadows receding. It's a fairly straightforward level, with criminals and crooked cops haunting the entire place. The hook to the level (and also a sometimes frustrating piece of gameplay) is that Jim is never safe or satisfied. Each time you leave him to clear out different places, you will find him to have wandered off from the last place you left him in order to get more done or to help clear another area on his own. When the level ends, you exit the Police Department and guide Jim home to be with his wife and children, only to hear his phone ring, as you are floating out of his mind.
Finally, The Joker's Level -
Unlike every other level where there is some semblance of structure (and even that theme of duality), the Joker's level is complete chaos. It is represented by the whole of Gotham City in all its urban glory (in fact, now that I think of it, it might even be the hub world of the game). However, it is also structured kind of like The Milkman Conspiracy level in Psychonauts or parts of Super Mario Galaxy, where your perspective is constantly shifting as you walk vertically up walls as they turn into the floor beneath you. The figments here are represented by different knives and cutting tools, as well as various guns and weaponry, and as you "progress" through the city, the Joker's mind will constantly test your choices and humanity's choices, forcing you at points to choose who is more important to save. Also, unlike in the movie, within the Joker's mind humanity is not as kind and forgiving as they turn out in the movie and as people are given the choice as to save themselves or to keep others alive, they will consistently choose themselves, and you will be sidetracked as often as possible in order to try to help those who have been elected to die by others. As you make it to the Joker's representation of himself, you find that he has no issues within his mind and that this chaos is exactly what he desires it to be. Something that he finds exciting because it is unable to be predicted or controlled (just like Harvey's chance). After you get a chance to talk with him wherein he tells you all of this, the level ends as you are pulled from his mind to his maniacal laughter and explosions ringing throughout the city.
That is about all I can think of for the moment, I know I skipped over Alfred and Lucius, but it would be kind of repetetive to go over their own themes of duality through the movie. Basically, the movie is a great representation of this theme (and also of lies and hope -odd matches, huh?). So, I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I shall be back (hopefully soon), with some more stuff.
P.S. Psychonauts is awesome, and you should play it.
1 comment:
FRUITCAKE!!!!
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