The game studio behind the hit Batman: Arkham series is making its return, this time pitting two of DC’s most famous teams against each other in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. And that’s not the only related game coming soon. Gotham Knights is set to release even sooner this year from WB Montreal, who are responsible for the Arkham Origins installment of the franchise.
With not one, but two new DC-centered games on the horizon now is a good time to look back at the revolutionary series that reinvigorated the game genre. The Batman-focused Arkham series not only made the superhero game genre a viable option going forward but a popular one at that. They were able to utilize its incredible source material and capture the very essence of their characters, but some did it better than others.
Arkham Origins: Blackgate
The Arkham Origin’s tie-in game for the 3DS and PlayStation Vita was a first for the game series moving away from consoles, causing a lot to be lost in translation. The side-scrolling handheld was fine but didn’t bring anything remarkable or significant to the Arkham series.
It didn’t offer players any new revelations to the overarching storyline with repetitive villains and plots during the 10-hour campaign. But the game did have well-animated cutscenes and the combat was the same fun strike-counter gameplay fans of the series have come to enjoy. Arkham Origins: Blackgate isn’t a total loss but far from a must-play, putting it dead last in the series.
Arkham VR
Making use of a newer medium of technology and gaming, the driving attraction of Arkham VR is the idea of becoming the hero fans have come to idolize over the last 80+ years. Arkham VR relies mostly on the player’s fascination with living out their deepest Batman fantasies in a fun open-world experience and embodying the larger-than-life icon.
In that aspect, it succeeds greatly at giving fans that highly sought-after perspective but does little in terms of actual gameplay. And a cool concept and new tech can only get this game so far. This installment of the franchise isn’t much of a game, with only about a 90-minute runtime and minimal gameplay mechanics, it fails to land in the same ballpark as some of the others.
Arkham Origins
Arkham Origins was a deviation from the rest of the series as it was developed by WB Games Montreal and not Rocksteady like the other installments. And the switch in developers wasn’t the only thing to change. A different batsuit, different voice actors, and different overall styles were evidence that change isn’t always good.
Unfortunately, the game wasn’t able to capture the magic the others had with clunky gameplay and a rather disappointing plot twist. But not all the change was bad. The game still did a lot of things well, with a fun campaign, a decent story, and new concepts. Unlike any of the other games, Arkham Origins included a new online multiplayer mode that gave the installment an added boost to its shelf life and value. With enough fan support, an Arkham Origins remaster could be a worthwhile endeavor.
Arkham Asylum
The game that started it all, Arkham Asylum kicked off a new franchise of Batman that was fresh, engaging, and fun. This was one of, if not the first game where the player actually felt like they were the iconic Dark Knight. All the aspects of the game capture the feel of Batman’s character.
The combat felt powerful, the stealth missions were well designed, and the detective work was clever, all adding to the feeling that the player was embodying the vigilante. Held back only by the game’s anti-climactic ending, Arkham Asylum's conclusion left gamers feeling shortchanged after investing roughly 10-12 hours of time into it. Still, this game became the new gold standard for the genre.
Arkham Knight
The conclusion to Rocksteady’s Batman series, Arkham Knight was a triumph for Batman fans everywhere. The game kept what worked well in the past games while also introducing a few new features, a new armored bat-suit, and the inclusion of the Batmobile.
The world was extremely well designed, allowing Batman to glide or drive through Gotham City with ease and fun. Arkham Knight continued interesting side quests that felt they had satisfying payoffs (with the exception of Hush) and the character interactions all felt personal and meaningful. But unfortunately, the Batmobile, although a fun concept, does hold the gameplay back by forcing it into the mix a bit too much. The tank warfare missions of taking out military drones deviated a little too much from the personal feel of being Batman the previous games were able to capture so well.
Arkham City
The 2011 sequel, Arkham City, improved upon the first in all the right ways. The graphics were better, the world was larger, and the story was richer. Like its predecessor, this game felt like the player was dropped right into the seminal world of Batman but this time with more freedom and more ground to cover.
One of the most impressive aspects of this game was the scale. It may not seem impressive now but at the time of release, Arkham City had one of the largest open-world environments games had ever seen. But the larger scale wasn’t just relegated to the map. The story was much more ambitious with several more tangents and side quests for the player as well as cool new combat techniques. This game had everything fans of the Caped Crusader could ask for without becoming overcluttered, making it the best on the list.