Next Batman Game: Will Rocksteady Keep the Arkham Horror Legacy Alive?

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Batman’s lore and the backdrop of Gotham City have consistently conveyed a chilling, grim ambiance through their themes. Unlike Marvel, DC tends to be less whimsical, but Batman stands out for delving into deeply somber and sometimes disturbing subject matter, even though he is known as the World’s Greatest Detective and a do-gooder. In fact, this darkness allows Batman stories to explore mature, intense, or unsettling aspects that aren’t typically found in Superman tales. It’s due to this captivating atmosphere that Rocksteady‘s Batman: Arkham Asylum has become one of the most revered portrayals of the character and his mythology.

In the game “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” set entirely on Arkham Island, significantly established Rocksteady’s unique style in the DC universe. However, “Batman: Arkham City” and “Batman: Arkham Knight” would follow with their own distinct atmospheres in Old Gotham’s Arkham City and Gotham City. Yet, a common theme that runs through each of Rocksteady’s “Arkhamverse” games is the element of horror. If Rocksteady is indeed working on a new “Arkham” game, this chilling aspect should undoubtedly be preserved and continued.

Rocksteady’s Batman Trilogy is a Treasure Trove of Great Horror

In contrast to popular belief, Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy doesn’t fall under the horror genre, but each game in the series effectively incorporates some truly chilling moments. Here are a few of the most striking or enduring instances:

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Batman: Arkham Asylum

  • Multiple unique, hallucinatory Scarecrow sequences.
  • Killer Croc’s jump-scare behind a locked door.
  • Arkham Asylum’s so-called “lunatics” shrieking and lunging at Batman from hiding places.
  • Killer Croc’s anxiety-inducing, pursuit-heavy ‘boss fight’ lair set piece.
  • Tame body horror regarding Titan brutes and Joker’s radical boss fight transformation.

Batman: Arkham City

  • Scarecrow’s hidden boat lair housing a patient jump-scare.
  • The Cyrus Pinkney Natural History Institute’s dinosaur animatronic jump-scare and a sudden attack from Penguin’s live shark, Tiny.
  • Eerie, macabre imagery such as in Hush’s makeshift lair.
  • Killer Croc’s jump-scare Easter egg in the sewers.

Batman: Arkham Knight

  • The first-person prologue sequence playing as GCPD’s Officer Owens at Pauli’s Diner during a spell of Scarecrow’s fear toxin affecting the diners within.
  • Batman’s jump-scare while playing as Jim Gordon at the Panessa movie studios, which follows the jump-scare reveal that Batman is now seeing physical manifestations of Joker.
  • Man-Bat’s iconic jump-scare when players are grappling after they’ve gone to the Pinkney Orphanage and met with Catwoman in Riddler’s Most Wanted side quest.
  • Joker’s jump-scare imitating Man-Bat’s.
  • Killer Croc’s jump-scare debut in the ruins of Iron Heights during the “Beneath the Surface” Season of Infamy DLC.
  • Gruesome murders and surgical operations performed by the abhorrent Professor Pyg.
  • Joker’s jump-scare at the Batmobile window while Batman is recovering from being outside in the Cloudburst’s city-wide fear toxin plume.
  • Batman’s multiple hallucinatory jump-scares in the first-person Joker sequence when the Clown Prince of Crime has nearly subsumed Bruce Wayne’s psyche.
  • Batman: Arkham Knight’s “A Matter of Family” Arkham Episode DLC has a grapple-related jump-scare at Seagate Amusement Park with a big fish-like animatronic painted to look like Joker and baring human-like teeth—“a bad joke.”
  • Batman: Arkham Knight’s “GCPD Lockdown” Arkham Episode DLC has a nostalgic jump-scare with Tiny bashing the glass of an aquarium.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a Reminder of How Scary Batman Can Be

The video game “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” explores the terrifying side of Batman, especially when he’s hidden in the shadows and ruthlessly eliminating criminals. However, this isn’t your typical Batman – he’s a purple-eyed clone created by Brainiac, and he has no qualms about taking lives. This concept of ‘Demon Bat’ that was hinted at in the ending of “Batman: Arkham Knight” is fully realized here, culminating in a boss fight against this dark version of Batman. Additionally, Scarecrow’s fear toxin is used to create a sequence reminiscent of a horror game, much like before.

As a devoted fan, I believe Scarecrow could be the most sensible and effortless means to instill horror in an Arkham game. However, future installments wouldn’t have to solely depend on him, as demonstrated by the numerous creative instances of genuine terror the series has displayed without Dr. Jonathan Crane’s toxins. At times, a seemingly innocuous body of water can become chilling when a shark leaps from it unexpectedly.

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2025-04-07 15:38