Catwoman’s Time to Shine: A New Arkham Game is Due

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For a while now, it’s been rocky for DC games, but the recent news of Wonder Woman game’s cancellation and Monolith’s closure has definitely hit hard. It’s obvious that DC and Warner Bros. need a solid strategy more than ever, and with Rocksteady apparently returning to the Batman universe, it looks like they might be leaning on Batman and the Arkham games as a fallback. A new Arkham game starring Batman could potentially lure players back in, and the upcoming Meta Quest 3-exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow from Camouflaj demonstrates that the Arkham franchise remains deep and enduring.

As a gamer, I can’t help but feel that creating another Batman-centric Arkham game might be DC’s quickest fix for the creative dilemma seemingly caused by Warner Bros.’ lack of direction. But let’s not limit our imagination! There are countless possibilities for an Arkhamverse game that could delve deeper and offer a fresh take.

If, hypothetically, a future Arkham game were to star Catwoman as the playable character, it wouldn’t have to start from scratch when it comes to storytelling. After all, her DLC in Batman: Arkham City has already laid a solid foundation for a game focused on her perspective. It could expand upon that narrative in intriguing ways, giving us a chance to experience the world of Gotham City through Catwoman’s eyes.

Catwoman is More Than Worth Her Saucer of Milk in Batman’s Arkhamverse

In the games Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate and Batman: Arkham Knight, Selina Kyle was portrayed as an evasive and enigmatic character, and in some instances, she appeared to be in distress. However, her most substantial role was in Batman: Arkham City, where she attempted to steal from a heavily fortified TYGER vault. Depending on the player’s choices at critical moments, she either kept her ill-gotten riches or sacrificed them to rescue Batman. Ultimately, she sought revenge on Two-Face. Despite having limited playable appearances throughout Batman: Arkham Asylum’s sequel, her role was significant. It would be fitting for Rocksteady Studios to replicate this DLC format for a full-length game, given Selina Kyle’s impact in the series.

In the game “Batman: Arkham City,” the dynamic between Batman and Catwoman mirrors that of Leon Kennedy and Ada Wong in “Resident Evil 4.” However, unlike Ada’s story in “Resident Evil 4” which is told through a separate DLC (Downloadable Content), it isn’t seamlessly integrated into the main game.

Catwoman’s most notable trait is her unpredictability; whether she’d ultimately aid in saving the day or align with the criminal side of the law remains uncertain, but consistently, her personal morals do not impede her actions on a regular basis. For example, Selina Kyle’s material aspirations led her to collaborate with The Riddler and subsequently become ensnared in his Pinkney Orphanage trap in “Batman: Arkham Knight”. Developing a game where she works with various super-villains while pursuing her own objectives would be an excellent opportunity to highlight different villains from the Arkhamverse.

Indeed, it’s the inclusion of playable chapters featuring Catwoman that introduces Poison Ivy into Batman: Arkham City, even though Pamela Isley’s role may seem limited in scope. Additionally, her optional encounters with apprehended characters like Calendar Man and Penguin, as well as an optional boss battle against Two-Face at the Pinkney Institute museum, underscore her familiarity with Batman’s rogues gallery and shared history with them all. Consequently, a game centered around Catwoman could potentially present various adversaries from Batman’s roster for her to confront.

The Arkhamverse Could Be One Big Ball of Yarn for Catwoman

Arkham Knight and even during Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, there’s no clear record of what Catwoman has been up to, a game focused on her could delve into that unexplored period without constraints.

In a world where every chapter of the Arkhamverse isn’t off-limits, it’d be quite fascinating to explore. My favorite moment, their first encounter, was beautifully portrayed in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. If a game were to focus on Catwoman and her dealings with Batman, it should happen post-Blackgate, but a standalone Catwoman title could delve into her origins as a budding cat burglar, unfolding events before she became the confident, skilled antihero capable of squaring off against the Dark Knight. This could serve as an origin story for her character, setting the stage for future encounters with Batman.

Catwoman possesses a unique ‘Detective Mode’ that is seen through an orange-pink tinted lens in the game Batman: Arkham City. She also carries a modest collection of gadgets, such as a whip, caltrops, and bolas, ensuring she’d never find herself unprepared.

One intriguing aspect of playing as Catwoman is that she can freely roam throughout Arkham City, allowing players to glimpse at her former apartment before the transformation into a super-prison enclosure (Old Gotham). This freedom granted Catwoman a dynamic traversal system requiring precise timing as players watched her deftly climb buildings and other surfaces. Regrettably, Rocksteady didn’t utilize this mechanism extensively beyond Catwoman’s predator AR challenges in Knight, leaving room for speculation that a dedicated Catwoman game could provide an ideal opportunity to reintroduce it.

It’s intriguing to consider how the gear of Catwoman could change in a game specifically or largely focused on her character. A game centered around Catwoman might offer her enigmatic trophies to find, as Riddler has generously supplied her with pink ones for collection in City. Regardless, Selina Kyle presents plenty of potential for development within the Arkhamverse.

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2025-03-11 00:42