For one of the Riddler Challenges, you find Scarecrow's lair in one of the elevator shafts in Intensive Treatment.It probably won't be the first time you see the Game Over screen, but in this instance, you're left feeling utterly helpless since you have no idea what you did wrong. And at the end of the sequence, Joker shoots Batman in the face, prompting the game to inform you that you failed the mission, prompting you to 'use the middle stick note (or 'tilt the mouse' if you're on PC) to avoid being shot.' Choosing 'Retry' will take you to the next part of the game, but the moment you see that screen is just terrifying.And they're begging Batman to save them all the while, as he lies there on the gurney, unable to move. They're being herded outside by Joker's gang to be shot. Young (who was killed earlier in the game). The 'prisoners' that are making a ruckus for the 'guards' off-screen? That's Gordon, Sharp, Cash, and Dr.

Listen close to the background chatter during the scene.

It gets referenced in this game when Scarecrow, acting as Batman's therapist, sighs that he has been like this since his parents died. There have been hints in other media about Scarecrow knowing or at least correctly suspecting Batman's true identity.

There's another layer of Batman's fear referenced in this sequence.

Even for those aware of the scene, it can catch you off-guard the first time it's seen until the twisted Bat Signal appears, even past where we see Joker driving the Batmobile, it very much looks like the game had crashed. For the last one, the coughing follows a female voice asking over the intercom, 'Did anyone catch the game last night?' That itself is creepy, but it barely masks the coughing.

About the only clues to the hallucinations are Batman coughing and some distortions in the air due to the gas.

There are several hints for the alert player that this is a Scarecrow moment, but it's still masterfully done.

The third and final time Batman succumbs to the fear gas, with the faux console freezing.

He turns the corner and finds an extremely long hallway that gradually transforms into Crime Alley as he relives his parents' murder.

The second time Batman is exposed to the fear toxin as he exits the library, he's still in the mansion corridor, but the screen text indicates he's in Wayne Manor.

And the things Scarecrow says to you if you die to him are terrifying.

And if he sees you, the dread you feel knows no bounds.

And then, he starts messing with you, the player, directly. To top it all off, each hallucination culminates in a platforming segment through an area that is part black hole and part Silent Hill, evading the killer's gaze of a twenty-story tall Scarecrow.

With little more warning than a cough from Batman, you get told off by his zombified parents, relive the night of their murder from the perspective of little Bruce Wayne, and get eerily unusual radio messages. And then you actually have run-ins with Scarecrow and his fear-inducing toxin.Considering, among other things, you see a man's spine rip out of his back in close-up, it's frankly astounding the game did not wind up with an 'M' rating. The tone is essentially a hard 'T' rating. As the Dark Knight himself, you must survive a night in the titular asylum (which rivals Rapture in terms of atmosphere), surrounded by a good portion of his Rogues Gallery, to stop a plan sprung by none other than The Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill, no less).

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