Summary
Batman: Arkham Asylumand its sequels gave fans of Bruce Wayne and his superhero alter ego a deeply faithful vision of what aBatmangame could be. It stuck to the source material closely while leaning into its darkness. The series balanced its dark atmosphere with fast-paced combat that maintained a larger than life comic book feel. TheArkhamseries nailed what it set out to do and contains some of the most memorable moments of theBatmanfranchise, so instead of setting out to do it again, the next series ofBatmangames needs to go its own way; it ought to take some notes fromBatman: Earth One.
The originalBatmancomics of the 30s and 40s golden era are classics, but they are far from the only interpretation of the character. The 1950s sawBatmantake on a more science fiction aesthetic, following media trends of the time. The tone of this decade was much sillier and out there versus the characters dark origins. 1988’sBatman: The Killing Jokeon the other hand embraced that darkness and heightened it, creating one of the medium’s most gruesome works. All of these different visions of the series have re-imaginedBatman’s iconic villainsand heroes, butBatman: Earth Onestands out from the crowd.
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Batman: Earth One is One of the Boldest Visions of the Character
Batman: Earth Oneeschews much of what fans know and love about Batman to imagine what the character and his world could be like if they were created in a modern context. Bruce Wayne himself is young and scrappy, lacking his signature combat prowess. Many ofBatman’s gadgetsare seen malfunctioning and still experimental.Earth One’s Alfred is a roughened veteran who isn’t afraid to insult Bruce and does not share in his aversion to murder. Alfred is in many ways just as much of a threat as Batman.
Batman: Earth Onere-envisions more than its heroes. It depicts its police officers as more morally complex, and its villains receive changes as well. In this world, the Riddler is much closer the in in2022’sThe Batman, depicting him as a terrorist of sorts.Earth One’s version of The Penguin is not just the boss of a criminal organization; he is the mayor and is tied to the death of Bruce’s parents.Batman: Earth Onewould serve as strong inspiration for a game, not because it’s the definitive Batman that everyone knows, but instead because it so radically reinvents the character and his world.
The Next Batman Game Needs To Push Boundaries
The next series of Batman games may struggle to top theArkhamseries' faithful approach to the series.Kevin Conroy’s depictions of Batmanare iconicand unrepeatable. Instead of trying to replicate theArkhamtrilogy’s success, it needs to create its own. While an adaptation ofBatman:Earth Onemight not be necessary, it should definitely be borrowed from. A weakerBatmanwhose gadgets don’t work properly all the time would make gameplay really dynamic and stand out from theArkhamgames. Gadget malfunctions could be especially cool in a PS5 version if it took advantage of the DualSense’s functionality. Combat could feel more like the scrappy fights ofTheLast of Us, forcing players to improvise and adapt.
This new vision of Batman could also re-imagine villains as heroes, or vice-versa, and take on a grittier aesthetic. WhileArkham Asylumand the proceeding series were dark, they were very comic-book inspired. A new series could either be more realistic, or lean even harder into larger-than-life comic-book aesthetic.Batman:Arkham Knightis already one of thebest open-world stealth games, but a more realistic depiction could crank those elements up to new heights. However the next Batman series decides to proceed, it should verify to forge its own path rather than try to recapture what made theArkhamseries great.
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