Batarangs are one of the best tools in Batman's arsenal, but they have been underused in virtually every Batman game. Batman is one of the most brilliant tacticians in comics, yet one of his most iconic tools is all too often reduced to a simple ranged attack in video games. In the future, games should try to reflect Bruce's ingenuity in their use of his Batarangs.

Batman has been around since 1939, and he is arguably the most famous superhero in the world with the exception of Superman. He is famed for his fighting skills, incredible mind, and the impressive amount of gadgets at his disposal. The most famous of all of Batman's tools, aside from his iconic Batmobile, would be the Batarangs. In line with Batman's one rule to never kill, Batarangs are a nonlethal method for Batman to end fights. A consistent part of his arsenal, especially in Batman: The Animated Series, they help Bruce control a situation from a distance as well as up close. Yet despite how memorable the Batarangs are, games have not come close to using them to their full potential.

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Batman's Batarangs Should Be More Than Simple Weapons

Bataran - Things Need To Know About Batman

Batarangs have made several appearances in Batman video games, but only in their most basic form. When they show up, it's almost always as either a ranged attack option or a way for Batman to knock out enemies. While the Batarangs are undoubtedly useful in combat, using them solely as a blunt instrument is a serious waste of their potential. It's similar to if someone were to make a Superman game where he only used his flight to travel between levels. It only makes use of them in the most basic way while ignoring a lot of good options.

Bruce Wayne has historically made much better use of his Batarangs than simply hitting people with them. One of the best consistent uses of Batarangs is the way he uses them to quickly disarm enemies in the heat of the moment, as can be seen on countless occasions in comics and cartoons. This would make for an excellent and exciting addition to gameplay, with Batman essentially using his Batarangs as tactical counters. Not only would this be true to the character, it would have also been a great way to handle many of the Arkhamverse's most annoying enemies, who often used weapons to their advantage. In addition, other uses of Batarangs, such as using a precise Batarang to cut a rope or break a machine, could play more into their multiple-use nature.

Batman's multitude of gadgets could also come into play with specially designed Batarangs. For example, he could use explosive Batarangs to clear debris, or throw a Batarang equipped with a tracking device at a car so that he could track it down in the next level. While a lot of Batman games focus on fighting, one can't forget that he has designed an incredible amount of tools and weapons over the course of his career. There are so many ways to upgrade Batarangs that practically a whole game could be made out of that alone. When the Arkham games failed to show Batman's detective skills, they also failed to show how good the Batarangs could be.

While Batarangs have made regular appearances in Batman games, they have yet to be used the way that Batman himself would. Batarangs are both weapons and tools, but so far only the first application has seen significant use. A future Batman game should make a point to show how versatile the Batarangs truly are.

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