Following years of downright bad video games based on comic book characters (with a few notable exceptions), Rocksteady Studios surprised players with Batman: Arkham Asylum - an unparalleled superhero experience that captured the spirit of the character, his villains, and his skill set. The formula has evolved since that time, as two more Arkham series games hit retails shelves (Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Origins), each one providing fresh gadgets and a bigger sandbox for exploration; however, according to a new interview with Rocksteady, the developer is pulling out all the stops for their final installment Batman: Arkham Knight.
Recently, Rocksteady Studios manager, Guy Perkins, reflected on the Arkham video game series - as well as how prior titles have influenced and inspired his team to create the biggest and best Batman simulator yet.
-
-
NOTE: The remained of this post contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Origins.
-
-
You can check out the full interview over at IGN but we’ve collected the most interesting highlights below.
Speaking about the Arkham Knight story, Perkins asserts that the death of the Joker in Arkham City left a power vacuum, setting the stage for a better organized group of criminals around Gotham. Perkins also highlights that Scarecrow is actually the main evildoer this round villain (the Big Bad) - adding further questions to the mystery of who might be behind the Arkham Knight armor.
As indicated, Arkham Knight will be the first game in the series that does not center-on a battle between Batman and the Joker. Despite heavy emphasis on Black Mask and Deathstroke in the Arkham Origins marketing, the Warner Bros. Games Montréal title featured the Joker in a starring - much more than many players had been expecting. In fact, the Joker “introduction” in Arkham Origins was a major factor in why the game received mostly positive reviews - even though it didn’t do as much to raise the bar above Arkham City. For that reason, it will be interesting to see if Rocksteady can effectively utilize other villains to fill those big (clown) shoes in Arkham Knight.
One way the team hopes to up-the-ante is with the iconic Batmobile - which has been seen but never playable before in the series. Still, Perkins maintains that they didn’t just shove the vehicle onto Gotham’s streets - the Batmobile is a key piece in creating a bigger world and story for players to navigate.
As Bat-purists debate whether or not the Batmobile should be armed with machine guns and a cannon, there’s no doubt that the Arkham Knight vehicle looks like it should provide a fun way to get around Gotham - as well as, according to Perkins, a key layer in their “Be the Batman” experience. No doubt, some gamers have begun to feel Arkham series fatigue. Each game has built-upon prior titles with little variation in the core gameplay - especially free-flow combat. Nevertheless, it’s hard to fault Rocksteady for attempting to refine the format in the hopes of providing gamers with the “ultimate” Batman simulator.
Warner Bros. Entertainment claims Arkham Knight will be the last entry in the series but strong sales for each chapter makes it hard to believe they won’t be motivated to continue with the franchise in some form after Arkham Knight.
Either way, even with a delay into 2015, it sounds as though Rocksteady intends to cap-off their three installments with a solid entry. As Perkins states, Arkham Knight will present players with a Batman at the height of his powers - including one of his best toys. We’ll have to wait to find out where the series will go in the future but there’s plenty of reason to be excited that the next installment will be the full realization of Rocksteady’s original efforts to put players inside the cape and cowl.
MORE: Batman: Arkham Knight Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed
-
Batman: Arkham Knight will be released on June 2, 2015 for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Follow Ben on Twitter @benkendrick.
Source: IGN
