Seven years since its original release, Batman: Arkham Knight's first Man-Bat appearance is still having an impact on players - as has been shown in a new viral Twitch clip. Fans of the Batman: Arkham series are well aware of the infamous Man-Bat jump scare, in which Batman uses his grapple hook to grapple to a rooftop where, instead of the normal animation where players can propel Batman into a glide, they are confronted with the monstrous Man-Bat. The Dark Knight goes on to have later confrontations with the winged foe over the course of the game, and does eventually turn him in to the GCPD, although these encounters are far less intimidating than the initial jump scare.
A clip shared by Twitch streamer MegMage (as reported by Game Rant) has captured her reaction to the jump scare, which kicked off Creature of the Night, one of Batman: Arkham Knight's many side missions. Understandably, as was the case with many first-time players, MegMage was caught off-guard by Man-Bat and screamed in horror at the encounter. The clip has recently gone viral on TikTok, with over 200,000 views at the time of writing.
Batman: Arkham Knight's Man-Bat Mission Got Even Creepier
Batman: Arkham Knight features plenty of scary moments, which is appropriate, given it features Scarecrow as the main villain. The Caped Crusader encounters all kinds of scary foes over the course of the game, including a particularly terrifying encounter with Professor Pyg. The Man-Bat mission comes with a scarier ending, however, as, should the player return to the GCPD after apprehending Kirk Langstrom on Halloween, they'll discover that Man-Bat has escaped. If they also return to Langstrom's lab while exploring Arkham Knight's open world Gotham City, they'll find blood scrawled all over the walls, with the implication being that his wife took the formula and has now also been turned into a Man-Bat.
Man-Bat also featured in WB Games Montréal's recently released Gotham Knights, but they didn't make as big an impact as their depiction in Batman: Arkham Knight. Fans of the Batman lore likely knew what kind of villain would be appearing upon examination of Langstrom's work during their exploration of the abandoned Arkham Asylum, and while the first battle with a Man-Bat was an exciting story moment during that particular level, encountering the creature in Gotham Knights' evolving open world proved to be an annoyance.
MegMage's reaction to Batman: Arkham Knight's Man-Bat is one many players can relate to, and is likely why the video has gone so viral. It is a testament to Rocksteady that the Batman: Arkham developers knew how to shock players by playing with its series' established gameplay elements, and that those moments still have such an impact so many years on from the game's initial release.
Sources: MegMage/Twitch (via GameRant), MegMage/TikTok