Summary
The Rocksteady Batman games are a tough act to follow. Winning near universal acclaim and a slew of Game of the Year awards, the now legendaryBatmanArkhamtrilogy set a new standard for both open-world action games and superhero comic adaptations. With so much to live up to, the developers of a futureBatmangame might not want to compete directly with Rocksteady’s vision of a modern Gotham, and instead opt for doing something completely new.
Released in 2009,Batman: Arkham Asylumbrokea pattern of notoriously terrible Batman games. Inspired by Elseworlds tales—such as Grant Morrison’sArkham Asylum—Rocksteady gave fans a fresh new version of Batman, taking as many cues from modern horror movies as from classicBatmancomics. Widely praised for its art-direction, writing, Metroidvania-style world design, and intensely satisfying combat, Rocksteady’s first Batman game was an immediate smash hit. Followed up in 2011 withBatman: Arkham City—which is tied withThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimas the highest reviewed game of 2011—and later in 2015 withBatman: Arkham Knight, the Rocksteady Batman trilogy remains the gold standard of superhero video games.
The Next Batman Game Needs to be a Fresh Start
Having visited modern Gotham several times now, Rocksteady’s original vision of DC’s most notorious megacity is understandably burned into gamers’ minds. While there’s every chance that a new studio could craft a version of Gotham equally impressive as Rocksteady’s, similarity invites comparisons and a Batman game set in a similarly modern Gotham will always be fighting to escapetheArkhamtrilogy’s long and storied shadow. With this in mind, a developer working on a future Batman game would be wise to do something radically different, and Mike Mignola’sThe Doom That Came to Gotham—recently adapted as an animated feature—could point the way forward.
Batman and Cosmic Horror are a Natural Fit
MILD SPOILERS for The Doom that Came to Gotham ahead
A short, breezyDC Elseworlds tale,The Doom that Came to Gothamdevotes much of its small pagecount to remixing Batman’s more iconic characters into strange, Lovecraftian versions of themselves. Taking place in 1928, the comic follows a grizzled 1920s Batman with no compunctions about killing, as he tries to stop Ra’s Al Ghul—playing the role of H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘Mad Arab’ character—from summoning a squamous horror from beyond time and space. With a steampunk Mr. Freeze, a particularly demonic Etrigan, and a body-horror Poison Ivy more reminiscent of Swamp Thing than any of her previous incarnations,The Doom That Came to Gothamdoes interesting things with the core Batman mythos.
It’s a shame, then, that so much of comic’s world is left unexplored. Despite so many characters making cameo appearances, several ofBatman’s most iconic charactersremain absent. Joker, Catwoman, Riddler, Scarecrow, and many more are all screaming out for steampunk reinterpretations, yet they’re nowhere to be seen. Similarly, much of the world itself remains unexplored. Expanding on the elements the comics left out, a game set in Mignola and Pace’s turn of the century Lovecraft-inspired Gotham could be the perfect way for a future Batman game to set itself apart from its predecessors, while also breathing new life into the setting and characters.
In 2012,gameplay of a cancelledGotham by Gaslightgameleaked to Siliconera, and was later published to the Siliconera YouTube page. Featuring still-impressive cape physics, the short gameplay video showcases an 1800s inspired Batman model exploring an atmospheric Victorian version of Gotham City.
A Lovecraft Inspired Batman Game Could Be Something Completely New
While Batman’s fate at the end ofThe Doom that Came to Gothammakes a sequel unlikely, an original game set in that world could be something quite unique. While still relying heavily on hand-to-hand combat and stealth, Mignola and Pace’s Elseworlds Batman is comfortable using a gun and seemingly has no moral problem murdering his enemies—which makes sense when many of his enemies are world-devouring cosmic monstrosities. While this willingness to kill goes against much of Batman’s established mythology, a game inspired byThe Doom that Came to Gothamcould use its Lovecraftian elements to explore this Bruce Wayne’s murderous tendencies. Taking cues fromtheInfamousgames, a killer Batman could gain access to new cosmic horror abilities the more madness he accrues as a result of slaughtering his opponents. Of course, not killing anyone and avoiding madness entirely would also have its own rewards.
A steampunk-inspired Batman game could also put more of an emphasis on detective work. Taking inspiration from more recent detective games—such asReturn of the Obra Dinn, the twoFrog Detectivegames, andthe wildly in-depth immersive-simShadows of Doubt—a Batman game set in the 1920s could truly put players in the shoes of The World’s Greatest Detective. Dialing back hints and making players figure out where clues should reasonably lead could help a future Batman game feel meaningfully different, rather than a reskinned retread of the games that came before.
It’s Been Almost a Decade Since the Release of Arkham Knight
With Rocksteady announcing that it doesn’t have plans for a new Batman game any time soon, andWB Montreal’sArkham Legacyprojectabandoned in 2019, it’s likely that a new developer will be tackling the next Batman game. While it’s been nine years since the release ofArkham Knight, theArkhamgames remain a tough act to follow. Any developer brave and bold enough to take on the task would do well to search widely for inspiration.
Batman Arkham City
WHERE TO PLAY
Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players flying through the expansive Arkham City - five times larger than the game world in Batman: Arkham Asylum - the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Featuring an incredible Rogues Gallery of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals including Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze and many others, the game allows players to genuinely experience what it feels like to be The Dark Knight delivering justice on the streets of Gotham City.Batman: Arkham City - Game of the Year Edition includes the following DLC:Catwoman Pack, Nightwing Bundle Pack, Robin Bundle Pack, Harley Quinn’s Revenge, Challenge Map Pack, and Arkham City Skins Pack
