Later this year, Warner Bros. Interactive will release Batman: Arkham Knight, Rocksteady Games’ highly-anticipated follow-up to Batman: Arkham City and the final installment of their Arkham Trilogy. Although Batman: Arkham Origins might have been imperfect, the WB Montreal game did provide avid fans of the franchise an outlet to obtain a similar fix to the Rocksteady titles prior to the release of a true sequel. All things considered, Arkham Origins was an enjoyable, albeit flawed, experience. With E3 2014 right around the corner, and Rocksteady and WBI about to show off more of the game, anticipation is building for Rocksteady’s final installment of the franchise–and for good reason.
When Batman: Arkham Asylum came out in 2009, it broke the mold. Previously, some decent and quality comic book superhero titles existed. However, more often than not, the modern games based on the Batman characters were garbage. Rocksteady Games brought us the right game at the right time. The game was not an adaptation of Christopher Nolan’s popular live-action movies, but Arkham Asylum fitted right in to a post-The Dark Knight world. The game provided an excellent, deep story; yet more smooth and polished gameplay that made the gamers literally feel like they were playing as Batman. Arkham Asylum featured a story that was nearly ripped right from the comics. Batman is pitted against The Joker, who has taken over Arkham Asylum. In short, Batman is trapped in a prison with many of the inmates and rogues he incarcerated. The game went to much darker places than any previous Batman game.
Two years later, Rocksteady Games outdid itself with Arkham City. The game was opened up even more, putting Batman in an enclosed area of Gotham City that had become a prison for inmates. There was way more to do and explore. A single-player storyline involving Catwoman was added. The game was even darker and more suggestive than its predecessor, and it took The Joker and Batman relationship to some eerily subjective places (the closing credits feature The Joker singing “Only You” to Batman). Rocksteady proved it was not messing around, ending the game not only with a series of deaths, but with the death of that of The Joker. For years, The Joker and Batman have existed as somewhat of a symbiotic, two sides of the coin relationship. It was almost as if one could not exist without the other. And just to prove that there is subtext and philosophy to these silly amusements known as video games, the game begins with a close-up of a faux painting (created for the game) Cain & Abel: The Duality of Man, a visual reference that thematically symbolizes the ending of the game. This provided the relationship of Batman and Joker a Biblical context of sorts.
In short, Arkham Asylum and Arkham Knight raised the bar; and it looks like Rocksteady wants to surpass it with Arkham Knight. The plot appears intense and compelling. While The Joker was an agent of chaos, his death has sparked all of Batman’s remaining rogues to band together to kill him. Gotham City is being evacuated, and the super-villains are taking over the city. The first gameplay trailer gave us the first taste of combat and the actual ability to use the Batmobile in the game. This will be the major selling point of Arkham Knight–something gamers and Batman fans alike have wanted for quite some time.
The most important element that needs to be delicately handled is the identity of the game’s new villain, the aptly named Arkham Knight. This figure, also seen in the latest trailer, is an armored assailant who visually resembles Batman. In addition, he appears to have deadly intentions toward Batman. While director Sefton Hill promised that The Joker was “dead,” it wouldn’t be the first time developers have tried to mislead the public. If the identity and resolution of the Arkham Knight mystery is not up to snuff, fans will be unforgiving. Final impressions mean a lot. Lest we not forget the debacle after Mass Effect 3’s release, and players going nuts over the way BioWare left that installment.
So far, everything looks on point for Arkham Knight. I’m definitely checking on the game’s progress at E3. Rocksteady Games has yet to let me down with this franchise. While I’m naturally cynical about the direction the ending might go, considering this is Rocksteady’s effective “end” of the franchise, I can’t wait to play and find out.
“In short, Arkham Asylum and Arkham Knight raised the bar; and it looks like Rocksteady wants to surpass it with Arkham Knight.”
Proofreading.