12 years after the release of the first Batman: Arkham game, the series still stands as arguably the most iconic superhero video game franchise ever. Although Insomniac's Spider-Man has made waves in the scene recently, titles like Batman: Arkham City still hold a lot of nostalgia for many gamers. It's not a surprise to see interest resurging in the franchise right now, with many fans reminiscing on their favorite moments throughout the series. With the huge increase in interest in the genre thanks to Insomniac's new titles, now could be a brilliant time to return to the Batman: Arkham series.
There are plenty of reasons that gamers might want to return to the Batman: Arkham series around now. Not only has Marvel's Spider-Man revitalized the genre somewhat, but a lot of recent DC media is building plenty of hype behind the caped crusader. Robert Pattinson's upcoming performance in The Batman is a great motivator to pick up some of the game series' darker entries, and replaying the games is a perfect way of filling the time between entries of Marvel's Spider-Man. Interest in the series spiked recently in part due to a Reddit poll discussing the best Batman: Arkham game, and a lot of the answers to this poll also indicate why the series might be worth revisiting right now.
RELATED: Most Memorable Moments in the Batman: Arkham Series
In terms of popular appeal, it is impossible to deny that Marvel's Spider-Man is incredibly successful. Insomniac's superhero franchise certainly modernized elements of the Arkham games, while also capitalizing on the resurgence in Spider-Man interest thanks to Into The Spider-Verse and the wider MCU. In fact, many could argue that Marvel's Spider-Man improved on the Batman: Arkham series, and that it's elevated superhero games to an entirely new level. The future looks incredibly bright for superhero games, too, with franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy also getting very ambitious upcoming video game adaptations.
In fact, gamers have spent thousands of years in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, according to some stunning statistics shared by Insomniac. Alongside demonstrating just how good Insomniac's Spider-Man series is, these numbers also show how hungry gamers are for a good superhero game right now. Thankfully, the Batman: Arkham series is just the thing to satiate that appetite. One benefit of replaying these games now is that it will fulfil that desire for a city-sprawling superhero adventure across countless hours of gameplay, with more than enough content available to keep players engaged.
RELATED: Batman: Arkham Knight is the Unsung Hero of Suit Selection
In the past several years, the character of Batman has been in flux in pop culture. The 2010s saw the end of the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight movie era, the rise of shows like Gotham, the reimagining of Batman's enemies in Suicide Squad and Joker, and an unsuccessful attempt at launching a grittier, older version of the character in the controversial DCEU multiverse. With Robert Pattinson set to don the cowl in The Batman, the character's popular perception has never been more up in the air.
However, throughout that entire time, there was one depiction of Batman that stayed steady. Although Batman: Arkham Knight's deadly Batmobile did cause some raised eyebrows among fans in 2015, the Arkhamverse version of the character has stayed relatively consistent throughout the games. This made the dynamic bombast of Batman's rogues' gallery stand out even more as they giggled, froze, and riddled their way throughout Gotham. In the Reddit post evaluating the Batman: Arkham franchise, the justifications given for each game focused on specific parts of the Batman character that were portrayed well.
For example, Arkham Knight really allows players to utilize Batman's entire arsenal of gadgets, weaponry, and the iconic Batmobile. On the other hand, earlier titles like Origins honed in on the character's "world's greatest detective" moniker. Arkham City aimed at simulating Batman's aerial travel around a Gotham cityscape. The first game, Asylum, while being much smaller in scope than its successors, embodies the feeling and tone of a classic Batman comic story like no other. Ultimately, the Batman: Arkham series fundamentally understands the character, and that level of understanding is perhaps missing right now in wider media.
Batman's morality is a huge point of contention among the character's fans. In the Rocksteady Arkham series, the developer tries to keep him to his moral code as much as possible, while Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins showed the crusader bend his moral framework in fascinating and contradictory ways. Of course, Ben Affleck's scrapped Batman movie would have gone even darker, with the character killing plenty of opponents with little-to-no remorse in his other DCEU appearances.
Everything we know about The Batman so far indicates it will be adopting a rather dark and morally dubious tone. For example, it is likely that The Batman's Riddler is based on the Zodiac Killer. This ties the character to some very real, and very grisly murders, transforming the often flamboyant Edward Nigma into a much more realistic and terrifying threat. It makes sense, as the Zodiac Killer ran rings around Northern Californian police forces for years, playing games akin to the Riddler's. In fact, the Riddler of Arkham City constantly taunts Batman in a similar fashion to the Zodiac Killer, and is nearly as elusive.
The source material for Reeves' The Batman is Ego: A Psychotic Slide Into the Heart of Darkness. This particular story breaks apart the very psyche of the character and builds it back up from first principles. While not quite as dramatic as this, the early Batman: Arkham games employ a similar tactic. Arkham Asylum has players journey, Heart of Darkness style, into the defining characteristic of Batman: the villains he chooses to face. As such, Batman: Arkham serves as a great franchise to get gamers ready for The Batman in 2022, adding to the list of reasons why it is worth replaying.
Batman: Arkham Knight is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
MORE: Games to Play If You Like the Batman: Arkham Series
