Batman: Arkham Knight drives the final nail in the coffin for Rocksteady’s “Arkham” series with no hesitation or excuses. An exhilarating ride from start to finish. Batman: Arkham Knight will steal your breath and bring your fears to a boil as you defend Gotham and the ones you love from a seemingly ever flowing stream of villains. WARNING: THIS COTAINS SPOILERS. Scroll past Jim Lee’s Batman to read the article. You have been warned.
The opening scene of the game gives you front row seats to: the Joker prepped and ready for his cremation. The end of the Clown Prince of Crime. Arkham City was the death of the Joker, and Batman: Arkham Knight is the inevitable follow up, firmly rooting itself in alternate DC lore. I stared in disbelief, jaw to the floor, as the Joker’s pallid flesh crackled and disintegrated amongst the flames inside the crematorium until only ash remained. To have that kind of definitive proof that the Joker had left the physical realm for good was not relieving in the slightest. It only steeled me for the trials and tribulations I knew I would face as the Dark Knight this time around.
Now with the Joker gone. Dead from his disease and double-tapped by the incinerator. The reign of chaos ends, allotting the citizens of Gotham a years time of relative peace. Halloween. Enter Jonathan Crane. Doctor Jonathan Crane as he is known amongst the Arkham Asylum inmates, but to Gotham. He is known as Scarecrow. Hellbent on utilizing the most powerful motivator of the human psyche: Fear. A quality his latest and most potent Fear Toxin will exacerbate to extreme conditions. His plan is to release the toxin city wide using a device with the project codename “Cloudburst”. A mechanism that will spread the biochemical threat across Gotham and more than likely nation wide if given the opportunity. However, we soon realize he is not alone.
The Arkham Knight. The title character. A mysterious mercenary with an impressively armored suit who seems more interested in killing Batman, than actually seeing Scarecrow’s plan to fruition. He brings an entire army, flooding Gotham with soldiers, tanks and drones. All of which are ordered to hunt The Dark Knight with extreme prejudice. Aside from the veritable army that await his command, The Arkham Knight he is more than a force to be reckoned with as its slowly revealed how much inside information he has on Batman. Suit mechanics and weaknesses to tactics and the identities of affiliates. Its very entertaining to see Bruce learn that for once, he does not have the upper hand and that he may finally have met an opponent who is his equal. At one least that doesn’t need venom coursing through his veins or the blood of the demon.
On the other side of that coin however, it was quite obvious that Batman is more prepared now than ever. As a veteran super hero and well into his prime both mentally and physically. He stalks the dimly lit streets and alleyways with intimate knowledge of the cities infrastructure. However despite his vast experience on the streets he has sworn to protect, sometimes Batman must even the odds. Batman: The Arkham Knight marks the Batmobile’s grand and destructive entrance on the streets of Gotham in Rocksteady’s series. BattleMode Batmobile is an impressive display of superior firepower as your vehicle transforms effortlessly into more of a BatTank. This somewhat newly explored dichotomy seamlessly ties its tank-like combat with what seems like standard drift and boost driving for a vehicle of that caliber. Thus allowing Batman to deal with more than just your common foot soldier or anything that would wish ill will on Gotham and her citizens.
Fortunately for The Caped Crusader he is not alone. Tim Drake is by his side as Robin. The third incarnation of the boy wonder. Dick Grayson shows up from Blüdhaven as Nightwing. Jim Gordon and the GCPD have all been acclimated to Batman, now working with him as opposed to against. Barbara Gordon tells her father she had escaped Gotham during the evacuation yet she sits in the Bat Cave as Oracle with a direct link to Batman. Poison Ivy assists Bruce and all of Gotham in the most crucial hour of the story giving her life to erect an ancient plant capable of neutralizing the toxin Scarecrow inevitably releases through the Cloudburst mechanism.
There are two major plot twists in this game. One of which is triggered early in the story as Batman confronts Scarecrow with the hopes of apprehending him and calling it a night. During their encounter Batman takes a lungful of Dr. Crane’s Toxin bringing his worst fear to a froth. What could the Knight’s worst fear possibly be? Why, The Joker of course! Voiced by none other than Mark Hamill, The Joker haunts Bruce’s every waking moment during the story. Seriously, he is everywhere. On rooftops, in alleyways and random buildings. He cracks wise and interrupts whenever he feels is necessary. He’s even in the damn cut scenes!
Yes, The Joker is alive and well in more ways than one however. Five ways to be exact. Hidden in the bowels of the Bat Cave are five containment cells housing four individuals slowly turning into the Joker after a myriad of clandestine medical procedures. The fifth cell is for Bruce Wayne, who is infected with the Joker disease. With no cure in sight, Master Wayne prepares for the worse. With the help of Scarecrow’s Toxin, Bruce’s struggle to remain in control has become a whole new task he must endure. As The Joker pleads to “take over” we witness a constant battle of these two wills for the vessel of Bruce Wayne.
The level of dedication Bruce Wayne has committed to his nocturnal alter ego sounds like it has taken a very profound and profane toll. Coupled with the superb voice talents of Kevin Conroy, we’re given insight as to how tiring this life has been for him. The unraveling of Bruce’s minds is made worse as The Joker’s career of crime leaks into Bruce’s psyche. Offering us insight on two pivotal Batman arch's. The first is the assault on Barbara Gordon, from The Killing Joke. She unknowingly opens her door to The Joker who shoots her point blank, paralyzing her from the waist down and proceeds to take pictures of her lying helpless on the floor. A truly grisly scene for any veteran comic or video game fan, but an excellent addition to the arch laid out in the Arkham series.
The other memory that is laid bare by the subconscious of The Joker is Jason Todd. Jason was the second person to don the mask and cape as Robin, Batman’s sidekick. Kidnapped by The Joker, Jason was tortured and beaten day and night by the Clown Prince. His mind made weak and malleable as the waves of constant manipulation and insanity eroded away the mental defenses Batman had taught young Jason. His mind now twisted, he curses Batman for the hell The Joker has created for him and feeling abandoned by his only role model, swears revenge.
It is at the end of this memory that causes Batman to have an epiphany that leads straight to the second major plot twist. The realization that Jason Todd is The Arkham Knight. The Worlds Greatest Detective pieces it all together. How he knew his weakness, how he stayed ahead of him. Bruce confronts Jason, explaining how he was led to believe that he had died at the hands of The Joker. Jason opens up more once his identity is revealed and he and Bruce interact like father and son. Its an interesting display of affection as Bruce’s paternal side shines through in his attempt to reconcile with Jason.
Truly a masterpiece given to us by Rocksteady studios in this Golden Age of Gaming. A must have for any Batman fan. The Arkham Knight was an experience I will not soon forget. My favorite part in the entire game was the moment Barbara Gordon is induced with Fear Toxin and shoots herself in the head right in front of Batman. Never have I ever been as shocked by a moment in a video game as I was then. However the pay off was extremely satisfactory. I don’t believe ill ever play another Batman game that I hold in such high regards for a long time. When that day comes though, I will certainly let you all know.
Thanks for reading.
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