The Batman Arkham Games were revolutionary and made Batman even more of a relevant character in fiction if that’s possible. Batman Arkham Games had finesse, good storytelling, a brilliant and interactive open world, and the best voice acting out of any Batman game. To celebrate the late Kevin Conroy having a role in the upcoming Suicide Squad game, this list will go through the best Batman Arkham games that put Warner Bros. Games on the map.
Contents
- The Best Batman Arkham Games Ranked
- 4. Batman Arkham Origins
- 3. Batman Arkham Knight
- 2. Batman Arkham Asylum
- 1. Batman Arkham City
The Best Batman Arkham Games Ranked
The Batman Arkham franchise was in a league of its own. Every mainline entry of the franchise was good and did not disappoint. In this list, we won’t look through the other entries like the Arkham Games or the portable entries like Blackgate or VR versions. However, we will only rank the mainline entries. Each one had a distinct look and improved upon the gameplay the previous entry laid out.
The portrayal of Batman and his struggle to protect the city of Gotham while taking care of his loved ones and struggling with his own emotions was executed beautifully. That is why, the Arkham edition of Batman is always considered one of the most intense and lore-accurate portrayals of Batman. Even though the Batman Arkham series has ended, its legacy will be that it was one of the most critically acclaimed DC game franchises ever.
(Note: This list reflects the opinions of the writer)
4. Batman Arkham Origins
- Developers: WB Games Montreal
- Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Batman Arkham Origins was much better than most people gave it credit for. When it first came out, people were disappointed that Batman and Joker were not voiced by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill respectively. However, Troy Baker’s performance as Joker and Roger Craig Smith’s Batman more than did justice to both of their predecessor’s performances. In addition to the voice acting, the open world was cold and heartless, it felt barren and the only thing protecting the city was Batman.
The cool gadgets like shock gloves and the glue grenade made the game even more fun. The game incorporated Enigma Data packs to collect and the skill tree system was brilliant. The story had decent pacing and gave players the option to either roam the city to do side missions or continue on the main quest. Speaking of the main quest, the boss fights in this game are out of this world. Boss fights with Bane, Deathstroke, and Lady Shiva were nail-biting and had players on the edge of their seats.
Arkham Origins also had a multiplayer where players could either play as Batman and Robin or the minions of Joker. The entire rogues gallery of Batman appears with the likes of Penguin, Copperhead, Lady Shiva, Bane, Joker and Firefly. All in all, this was a great game for Batman fans to get acquainted with what Batman was like in his early years, ruthless and unforgiving.
3. Batman Arkham Knight
- Developers: Rocksteady Studios
- Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Batman Arkham Knight lived up to the hype but it is lower on this list because the previous games were masterpieces. This game had lots of things going for it. However, the most important pro of this game is also the biggest con, the Batmobile. Instead of using it in emergencies, the game relies too much on the Car/Tank hybrid. A lot of chase sequences and fights that are important to the story are Batmobile Tank Battles and chase sequences. Even the fight against Deathstroke is a Tank fight.
That threw many fans off. In addition, it has tons of bugs that cause the game to crash or stop functioning altogether, especially for PC versions. Criticisms aside, the game’s open world is vast and alive, giving you access to three different islands. Wayne Tower, Ace Chemicals, and other notable buildings show up in the game.
In addition, Batman’s rogues gallery is from and center. The game makes improvements in the stealth sequences and there are tons of suit and gadget upgrades that make Batman feel like an unstoppable force. Joker is in your head most of the time and it makes for a nice combination of serious/funny interludes. The Batfamily DLC is also quite fun, letting you play as Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and even Harley Quinn.
All in all, it might not be better than its predecessors but it is a worthy sequel aside from the Batmobile flaw.
2. Batman Arkham Asylum
- Developers: Rocksteady Studios
- Publishers: Eidos Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Batman Arkham Asylum was the near-perfect Batman game before Arkham City came out. Despite that, it is remembered as the second-best Batman Arkham game, and for all the right reasons. Arkham Asylum had everything from the eerie soundtrack to the comic book-like portrayal and character designs of Batman’s rogues gallery. In addition to that, it marked the first time the “Arkham-like” combat system was introduced to the world.
The developers at Rocksteady made the perfect combat system for Batman that other superhero games could steal from. It could bounce from one enemy to the other to enter a seamless combo while also having the option to counter them without stopping it altogether. The upgrade system was fantastic and made Batman stronger while the boss fights were innovative.
The Asylum grounds themselves which comprised of the open world were scary to explore and there were always new mysteries to be found even after game completion. The gadgets in the game could not only be incorporated in combat but in stealth sequences as well. Batman Arkham Asylum truly allowed the gamers to be Batman and take on an entire army of crazy inmates and villains.
It might not be the best out of the bunch but it is the blueprint for superhero games. If any studio is to work on any IP, they should take inspiration from this game. Rocksteady truly understood what Batman meant to people and brought that love to this game.
1. Batman Arkham City
- Developers: Rocksteady Studios
- Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Batman Arkham City is the best Batman game of all time and it is not even close. It did everything right ranging from the combat to the pacing of the story and the traversal. Every side mission too was interesting and the rogues gallery where scattered throughout those missions instead of being shoe-horned in the main story. Wonder City, another beautiful addition and a new location to the Arkham world was brilliant and gave so much mystique to the game.
Batman Arkham City also had collectible Riddler Trophies scattered throughout the game. Another good aspect of this game was the fact that you could play as Catwoman in the open world and traverse around the city which you cannot do in Arkham Knight. The dynamic between Batman and every other character in the game is perfect and the way the game advances naturally and slowly without hurrying up the story is brilliant.
In addition, the boss fights are a thing of beauty, particularly the Solomon Grundy and Mr Freeze ones. Rocksteady hit it out of the park with this game and we doubt any other superhero game in general can replicate the mystique, beauty, and perfection that this title gave fans. Batman Arkham City is one of the best superhero games of all time and it deserves to be on the upper echelon of even that list.
