It sound like a newBatman : Arkhamgame might bein the works at Rocksteady Studios , but as exciting as that could be , it ’s incredibly unlikely that the game will be the one that I personally want . TheBatman : Arkhamseries is iconic for a reason , advance the superhero writing style with piquant stories , fluid combat , and a lavishly atmospheric take on Gotham City . More recent successes like theMarvel ’s Spider - Mangames for PS4 and PS5 draw a fortune of inspiration from Rocksteady ’s titles , and I ’d debate that the new alternatives still lose in a lineal comparison .
Like a lot of fans , I start myBatman : Arkhamjourney withArkham City . As an unresolved - world sequel toArkham Asylumat a time when open worlds were just becoming all the rage , Arkham Citymanaged to give titans likeThe Elder Scrolls 5 : Skyrimand the all - clip masterpiecePortal 2a draw for their money as a GOTY contender . Unsurprisingly , I had a great time with the biz , butbouncing back toArkham Asylumafterward is what really made me fall in erotic love with Rocksteady ’s work .
Arkham Asylum Has An Unbeatable Atmosphere
I Love Every Nook & Cranny Of Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylumis the one game in Rocksteady ’s serial publication to put the emphasis on theArkham , confining Batman to the asylum and its grounds for the entireness of the game . Considering how merriment gliding around rooftops inArkham Cityis , stepping back to a biz that ’s so comparatively restrictive could easily have been dissatisfactory . I had the opposite experience , however , andArkham Asylumwon me to its side long before the quotation rolled .
For my personal sense of taste , the biggest posture of theBatman : Arkhamseries is n’t the great gameplay or interesting villains , but the detailed environment and the humor that they set . TheGothic sensibilities ofBatmanmediahave always played a large part in hold the caped crusader such an interesting hoagie , and few things come closely toArkham Asylumin this regard . cast aside Batman into the Panthera leo ’s lair and never letting him out lets the biz focalize on every grungy feature article of a facility in disrepair , rapidly sour the memorable setting into a major character in its own right .
Although only totally four mainline game , the Batman : Arkham serial publication has its own expansive continuity , and know it all can be difficult .
Custom Image by Ben Brosofsky
Although some visual elements ofBatman : Arkham Asylumhave naturally aged in the 15 years since its release , it ’s still a wonder of particular in a style that large open - world games sputter to match . There ’s simply no agency to make every recession of a gargantuan mathematical function ooze with the personality ofArkham Asylum ’s claustrophobic corridor , and geographic expedition can quickly muted once copy - pasting hits a certain saturation decimal point . To their credit , the environments inArkhamgames consistently obligate their own , but I thinkArkham Asylumremains the acme .
A Smaller Scale Might Make A New Arkham Game Better
I Want Something Like Arkham Asylum Again
I ’m well aware that puttingArkham Asylumon a footstall is n’t the most common take regarding theBatman : Arkhamseries , and the prospect of returning to an open - universe Gotham is probably one of the most exciting hope of a new biz for many fans . 2025 will pock the 10 - year anniversary sinceBatman : Arkham Knight ’s release , and the passage of clock time certainly opens up newfangled chance in exposed - world design . A new plot could make exploration more visceral and meaningful than before , and there ’s no reason why its most important area could n’t rivalArkham Asylum ’s memorable atmosphere .
I ’d rather see another smaller - scale title , however , something that I do n’t think Rocksteady and I will see center - to - center on . For better or worse , AAA secret plan have mostly been in an arms raceway of scale for a long time now , and backing off from vast clear world simply is n’t done in most scenarios . When a secret plan does go smaller — Assassin ’s Creed Mirage , for example — it tends to be positioned as a cheaper , less ambitious launching rather than something that commute that same gargantuan car of production to develop a more intimate , highly polished solution .
TheBatman : Arkhamseries is getting a small - ordered series biz in the var. of theVR titleBatman : Arkham Shadow , but as a Quest 3 single , I wo n’t actually be able to play it for the time being .
Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum puts players into the cape and cowl of the Dark Knight himself, pitting them against a host of villains after the Joker starts a riot that takes over the titular psychiatric hospital. A Metroidvania-style action-adventure title, Arkham Asylum tasks players with locating the Joker and stopping his plans to take over Gotham City, encountering some of the Caped Crusader’s most iconic allies and adversaries along the way.
A small game would be a great way to re - orient thing after the late fiasco ofSuicide Squad : belt down the Justice League , a braggart resilient - table service swing for Rocksteady and an even bigger young lady . IfSuicide Squadsuccessfully converted any one strength of theBatman : Arkhamfranchise , it was the joy of ricochet across rooftops , with each role receiving unique movement opening that could be fun to employ . In an empty urban center that shin to place memorable landmarks or find a dynamic optical identity , however , that just does n’t sense all that meaningful .
A lot has changed in the Arkhamverse in the five geezerhood between Batman : Arkham Knight and Suicide Squad : defeat the Justice League .
Using a mount that ’s closer in ambition toBatman : Arkham Asylumcould insure that every major piece of the biz feels genuinely bespoke , which is what Rocksteady needs to perfect in on more than anything else . A focused , relatively linear experience also runs less peril of an extensive development cycle , something that the studio might not be able to give in the backwash ofSuicide Squad : KTJL ’s financial failure . The ceiling for potential sales would likely be modest , but chasing the high possible profits is what led to this mussiness to set about with .
A New Open-World Batman Game Could Still Be Good
The Series Has Already Done It Well
My case for a newBatmangame that ’s more likeArkham Asylumis more of a personal fantasy than anything . I bounce severely off ofMarvel ’s Spider - Man , which feel to me like an incredibly polish shell around a hollow core , and I ’d love for a new superhero game to fellate me in likeArkham Asylumdid . I ’m not advocate a regression in pattern philosophy , as I ’d like to see it introduce on its own terms , but I think that a modified scope could help it do so .
Despite many attempts to copy it over the years , no game has reached the heights of the Batman : Arkham series ' freeflow fight .
At the final stage of the day , I’ll be glad if a newBatman : Arkhamgame is simply dear , even if it is the huge assailable - universe title that it almost certainly will be . dredge a finished story back up should n’t be done unless there ’s a strong understanding for it , and I ’m hoping that reason is more than just fiscal needs . In my dream world , though , Rocksteady ’s nextBatman : Arkhamgame would revisit everything that madeArkham Asylumspecial , and I ’ll have to leave myself a moment of mourning whenever that dream earth is officially destroyed .
Rocksteady ’s Batman : Arkham Asylum set up players into the ness and cowl of the Dark Knight himself , pitting them against a legion of villains after the Joker starts a riot that takes over the titular psychiatric hospital . A Metroidvania - panache action - dangerous undertaking title , Arkham Asylum tasks players with site the Joker and stop his programme to take over Gotham City , run into some of the Caped Crusader ’s most iconic allies and resister along the means .
