Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal’s Arkhamverse is a seminal setting in modern gaming and particularly in superhero titles. Players may prefer one game to another, but it is inarguable how significantly impactful the franchise has been altogether. That continuity seemed to be shelved afterBatman: Arkham Knight, but that is no longer the case. Instead,Suicide Squad: Kill the JusticeLeagueis confirmed as an extension of the Arkhamverse, as well as the characters and narratives it establishes.
Rocksteady’s decision to continue the Arkhamverse is both a massive undertaking and an incredible opportunity.Gotham Knights, for example, bears the weight ofwithstanding comparisons to theBatman: Arkhamgames, even though it is not part of the Arkhamverse canon. The Arkhamverse is simply that iconic now, and has demonstrated how an in-game universe should be managed throughout a franchise’s connected entries.
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Batman’s Arkhamverse Has Seminal Iterations of its Established Characters
One of the most important features ofBatman: Arkham Asylum’s narrativeis that no characters are introduced to the player as if fans are completely unfamiliar with them.Batman: Arkham Asylumtrusts that its fanbase is knowledgeable about Batman and his rogues’ gallery from either comic book or animated series source material, and its characters are already established in connection with Batman.
Batman’s interactions with each super-villain inBatman: Arkham Asylumare special because fans understand there is a storied history shared between him and every criminal he has incarcerated.Batman: Arkham Asylumopens with players escorting the Joker into the mental institution, where Killer Croc is encountered as Arkham security relocates him within the facility. This interaction in particular lets players know that there is definitely animosity brewing within the asylum, and establishes that connection with the player before they inevitably encounter each antagonist later on in the game. Rocksteady’s use of environmental storytelling illustrates Batman’s relationships with characters without having to explicitly state them.
Batman and Joker’s relationship is iconic, for example, and clearly a back-and-forth cat-and-mouse effort, which is why the game’s opening did not need a cinematic fight to introduce them.For fans who are uninitiated with any of Batman’s rogues’ gallery, however,Batman: Arkham Asylum’s psychiatric tape recordings offer a creative glimpse into these characters’ backstories.
Even Batman’s relationships with Barbara Gordon, who is presently adopting the Oracle mantle, and Jim Gordon are implicit, but their connections and shared histories are clear. Environmental storytelling such as this also infers that Barbara has already been confined to a wheelchair following a spinal injury that Joker had caused.
Batman: Arkham Asylumis therefore an incredibly competent launching point for its established Arkhamverse, and the interactions between characters is only developed strongly thereafter as well in its sequels and prequel. Further, the Arkhamverse has the immense privilege of phenomenal acting talent, taking onKevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in their roles of Batman and Jokerrespectively, which helped with making each sequel part of a connected universe as well.
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The Arkhamverse’s Connected Canon is More Important Than its Individual Narratives
Between each installment inRocksteady and WB Games Montreal’s Arkhamverse, few titles have narratives with the same impactful weight as their gameplay. For example,Batman: Arkham Asylumis almost purely atmospheric,Batman: Arkham Citytakes place in a Gotham-funded, city-wide compound run by criminals, andBatman: Arkham Knightis fairly predictable with an uninventive and backburned twist on a classic storyline.
Batman: Arkham Originssuffers from being a prequel entry with expectations of what may happen, but at least offered an intriguing origin forthe Arkhamverse’s Jokerand arguably one of the better iterations of Bane in any Batman media. Thankfully, the Arkhamverse games’ individual narratives are less significant than the continuity’s connected universe as a whole.
Batman: Arkham Cityestablishes several characters new to the franchisesuch as Hush, Mad Hatter, Ra’s al Ghul, and Penguin, the latter of whom expresses his personal resentment toward Bruce Wayne. These characters are new to the sequel, but also have their own histories within the Arkhamverse, and also all have engaging conclusions thatBatman: Arkham Knightwraps up as the final entry with Batman as its protagonist.
Batman: Arkham Cityestablishes a relationship with Mr. Freeze that players can empathize with, and thus having him appear with an emotionally charged DLC expansion inBatman: Arkham Knightis a treat. It is ultimately more compelling seeing how differently characters are represented or developed from one game or installment to the next, especially after players share experiences with them in previous games.
The Arkhamverse’s Riddler is a prime example of how satisfying these relationships are between the player and each super-villain, since arduous trophy hunting is perpetuated throughout all of Rocksteady’s entries. Finally being able to incarcerate Riddler is incredibly gratifying after having located and solved all of his riddles betweenBatman: Arkham Asylum,Batman: Arkham City, andBatman: Arkham Knight.
Many instances of gratification are present for players who have enjoyed Rocksteady’s trilogy and WB Games Montreal’s prequel. Therefore, the Arkhamverse continuity is made special and seemingly insurmountable in terms of its nostalgia in modern gaming.
Harley Quinn and Penguin are some of the most prolific characters in the Arkhamverse, besides maybe some of its Bat Family characters and the Joker, andSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguecontinues that trend in the Arkhamverse. Harley will now be taking on a playable protagonist role; Harley’s brief DLC expansion inBatman: Arkham Knightallowed her to be playable in the Bludhaven Police Department, and she kept contact with Penguin throughout it. It would be interesting to see if this DLC is remarked upon by these characters when they interact inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Unfortunately, Harley’s rhythmic Freeflow combat and clever Psychosis Mode UI may not be reprised inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. However,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguedoes not need to adamantly push its Arkhamverse connectionson players in order to elicit nostalgia, and will hopefully stand apart in its own unique way as it boasts a completely different gameplay experience.
The Arkhamverse could have ended withBatman: Arkham Knight’s Knightfall Protocol conclusion, and it may be difficult forSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueto answer fans’ burning questions about when it takes place within the Arkhamverse. Either way, it will be exciting to see which narrative tethers are still being honored and which characters may appear with their own established histories to extend the Arkhamverse’s in-game canon into Metropolis.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueis expected to release in early 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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