Warner Bros / Rocksteady’s acclaimed Batman trilogy reaches its conclusion on next-gen platforms. The question is: does it end with a triumphant climax or a melancholic swan song?
As gamers, many have envisioned the definitive Batman game. While Marvel boasts a plethora of superheroes, the consensus—at least within our editorial team—is that Bob Kane’s legendary DC Comics creation, the winged avenger, remains the coolest. The richly detailed mythology has fueled countless comic books since the 1940s and inspired modern interpretations by artists like Alan Moore and Christopher Nolan, who have presented their unique visions of The Dark Knight in graphic novels and films. Even Tim Burton’s 1989 film still resonates, featuring an unforgettable Jack Nicholson as the Joker, igniting a Bat-fever that saw middle schoolers adorning everything with the Batman logo (a skill taught to us by our art teacher as a mouth with teeth). While Ocean, the license kings of the era, offered Batman titles on Amiga 500 and NES in the 80s and 90s, a truly remarkable Batman game didn’t arrive until much later. Rocksteady then revolutionized the gaming landscape with Batman: Arkham Asylum, an exciting, action-packed, and visually stunning game that redefined the genre. It finally captured the essence of a Batman movie or series. Its sequel, Arkham City, expanded upon Asylum’s foundation, offering a larger open-world environment popularized by titles like Assassin’s Creed. Now, the trilogy concludes (?) with Arkham Knight on next-gen consoles. In many respects, it resembles Arkham City but introduces new, albeit sometimes contentious, elements.
Gliding through Gotham City is one of the highlights of Arkham Knight
The Batman universe is indeed rich, but Arkham Knight reveals its finite nature. Certain elements are almost mandatory: the Bat-Signal, Jim Gordon, and, of course, Batman’s rogues gallery – from the Joker to Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, Penguin, Two-Face, and others. While these confrontations felt fresh in Arkham Asylum, they now border on repetitive. This time, Scarecrow launches a chemical attack on Gotham City, transforming citizens into feral, zombie-like beings. Riots and fires plunge the city into chaos, overwhelming the police force. Batman, our alter ego, steps in once again. Veterans of the series will find the setup familiar, as it largely mirrors previous installments. You can glide, investigate in detective mode (now more sophisticated), fight (even in tag-team mode with Robin and Nightwing), parry, and, new to this entry, drive the Batmobile.
Rocksteady has leveraged the increased capabilities of the PS4, resulting in the visually most impressive game in the Arkham trilogy, as expected. The Unreal 3 engine renders a bleak, rainy, metallic, and decaying city. The texture on Batman’s suit is well-rendered, and the character models are generally high quality, though not quite on par with the facial fidelity seen in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Beyond. The consistent frame rate Rocksteady has achieved on the PS4 is particularly noteworthy. Despite the detailed environments, the game maintains a stable 30 fps, with seamless transitions in and out of cutscenes. The sound design is also commendable, contributing to the interactive comic book feel through cinematic music and dialogue. While the voice acting is competent, the script can be somewhat stilted. Batman himself is less than charismatic, often muttering orders and maintaining a generally sullen demeanor, potentially hindering player investment in the protagonist.
The Batmobile is great fun at first, but unfortunately overused in the game
The controls remain responsive and intuitive. The Batmobile is a significant addition, presenting a mixed experience. Its initial introduction is exhilarating, allowing players to drive, burn rubber, and fire weapons. The steering can be somewhat twitchy, but the vehicle’s capabilities are extensive – boosting, missile-like ejections for gliding, and the ability to use tethers to pull down walls or even scale them. However, the Batmobile’s overuse becomes detrimental. Rocksteady’s enthusiasm leads to its constant integration, with several missions requiring its deployment, even in scenarios like navigating narrow rooftops or scaling walls that could be traversed more efficiently with the grapple hook. While its combat capabilities against tanks are appreciated (and frequently utilized), the novelty wears thin, and the excessive reliance on the Batmobile eventually becomes tiresome. Similarly, the tag-team mode with Robin and Nightwing, while initially exciting and enabling new combos, ultimately feels like a limited and underutilized feature.
The title Arkham Knight refers to a new supervillain created specifically for this game with the approval of DC Comics. He possesses prior knowledge of Batman, and clues to his identity emerge throughout the game, becoming relatively obvious to seasoned Batman fans. Gotham City in Arkham Knight offers a large, relatively open game world, allowing players to engage in various sub-missions – rescues, murder investigations, solving the Riddler’s 326 riddles, or hunting down supervillains. The murder investigations have been enhanced, allowing players to analyze bodies at the muscular and skeletal levels for clues, adding a macabre yet effective dimension. The Riddler’s challenges range from arcade-style trials (which are genuinely enjoyable) to cryptic clue hunts. While the scale of Arkham Knight is commendable, offering freedom in mission order and extensive upgrades for the Batsuit, Batmobile, and Batarang, certain design choices are less successful. A recurring frustration arises during missions, particularly major ones divided into smaller sub-elements. Even with a clear understanding of the objective, the means of achieving it can be obscure. This is not due to the intellectual complexity of the puzzles but rather the absence of clear markers or hints guiding players to the next step. This often results in tedious trial-and-error gameplay, requiring players to interact with various elements in hopes of stumbling upon the correct solution or gadget.
The mysterious Arkham Knight is Batman’s new archenemy
Overall, Batman Arkham Knight is a technically accomplished and entertaining game, although the third installment naturally lacks the initial impact of its predecessors. While novelty inevitably diminishes, and despite technical advancements and larger worlds, Arkham Knight does not feel as groundbreaking in the current landscape of next-gen titles. Games like GTA V have redefined open-world standards, and The Witcher 3 (which, incidentally, borrowed its detective mode from the original Arkham Asylum) sets a new benchmark for narrative depth. Ultimately, we are left with an action-adventure that excels in its best moments but is hampered by design choices like the Batmobile’s overuse and cryptic sub-missions.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Batman Arkham Knight is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. At the time of writing, the PC version suffers from significant issues, leading Warner Bros. to suspend sales. We tested the game on PS4 and recommend this version if you have a choice.
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