Batman’s back, baby! Oh man, did you SEE that trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight? Not only is it a new installment in one of the best series’ of the previous console generation, but it’s being developed by Rocksteady, the ‘A’ team responsible for it in the first place. As can be expected, the Internet immediately went bonkers over what was revealed: All of Gotham City is available in a glorious open world, classic villains are returning, and you can drive the Batmobile.
I’ll be completely honest, I’m pretty excited about this too. I’ve dropped at least 100 hours into each of the first two Arkham titles, and the first one is definitely one of the top five games I’ve played in the past decade. With all that in mind however, I can’t help but feel a little bit…disappointed at this recent news.
It’s an Open World
Batman: Arkham City was a sight to behold back in 2011; gliding through sections of Gotham, encountering landmarks from Batman lore, and engaging in street warfare against roaming gangs. One thing that became apparent after a few hours though was that this game’s best moments were indoors. It is possible for a game world to be too big, and it wasn’t very long before the thrill of navigating the city became a bit of a chore. I worry that Arkham Knight will push the series more towards opening things up and away from the tightly constructed, contained environment of Arkham Asylum. I’m more impressed by depth than breadth, so I really hope that doesn’t get abandoned in favor of trying to compete with every other open world out there.
The Return of Rocksteady
With the first two Arkham games, Rocksteady has established itself as a premier video game developer. Their games look amazing, revolutionized both combat and stealth, and are impeccably presented. While they single-handedly revived and elevated the superhero video game, there’s a part of me that wishes they’d drop the mic and move onto something else.
I can definitely understand why they’d want to go back to the well; it’s pretty much a sure thing financially, and they’re playing to their strengths. However, having talented developers just rehashing past successes is not what moves this industry forward. Creativity comes from exploring and from forging new territory where none existed previously. That’s what they did when they made Arkham Asylum, and I’d love to see them try doing it again on something else. Besides, if trailblazing developers like Rocksteady aren’t going to do that, then who is?
The Batmobile
Ah, the Batmobile. Around the Twinfinite office, this has been the biggest point of discussion. Muaz, Alex, and Austin have been squealing with delight at the prospect of tearing down the streets of Gotham in Batman’s tricked-out car. I will admit that this incarnation of the Batmobile looks pretty cool, but is being able to drive in an open world really THAT exciting? Bear in mind, Batman could essentially fly in the previous game so I’m not 100% convinced that it’s going to be much more than a fleeting novelty.
I really don’t mean to be a Negative Nancy here, because I love Batman and I’m thrilled to see what kind of new adventures he has. There also hasn’t been any gameplay as yet, which means a lot of these questions and concerns may be moot by the time the game comes out. All I can say is this: I really hope Rocksteady takes advantage of their position and turns Batman: Arkham Knight into something we’ve never seen before with its gameplay, environments, and gadgets. Anything short of that will feel to me like, well, a waste of everybody’s time.
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