Ranking Every Batcave in the Batman: Arkham Series

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In the world of Batman media, batcaves play a crucial role, but they’re not a consistent feature in the Arkham games. Unlike Batman who often resides in his vast underground hideouts or is seen patrolling Gotham City or even attending social events disguised as Bruce Wayne, the Arkham series primarily focuses on games where players live one intense night as Batman.

In the Arkham series of games, it’s made clear that Batman can’t just vanish to his Batcave whenever needed due to the critical nature of the situations unfolding and the gradual acquisition of gadgets throughout gameplay, with Protocol 10 looming. However, Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Asylum show that revisiting the Batcave can be extremely beneficial. Despite this, every game in the Arkhamverse so far includes a Batcave or a similar location, some of which even surpass others in quality.

S-Tier Arkhamverse Batcaves

  • Batman: Arkham Origins

Interestingly enough, the Batcaves found in ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ and ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’, situated respectively under Wayne Manor and Metropolis, are the sole conventional Batcaves within the Arkhamverse.

In the game Batman: Arkham Origins, Alfred Pennyworth is the only character aside from Batman: Arkham Knight where he appears, mainly through communication on Batman’s gauntlet and briefly at Wayne Manor right before it blows up. In this game, Origins, Alfred spends most of his time idle in the Batcave. Players have the opportunity to converse with him extensively for numerous lines of dialogue, as well as receive XP from his “Alfred Wisdom” insights.

As a gamer, I’d say: The Batcave offers some powerful narrative scenes between me (Batman) and Alfred, and it’s great that it does because those moments really simmer, like when we argue about my duty as Batman or when I save Alfred after Bane destroys the Batcave. Furthermore, there’s a crime scene board with string connections – something reminiscent of what they used in ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’ in the Pigsty. While players might not give it a second thought, this board subtly hints at the presence and importance of a character called ‘Red Hood’, even before he is fully introduced or implied in the story as the Joker.

Having a specific room for Batsuit changes in the game is not only entertaining but also functional, and having a training area for Bruce allows players to engage with the “Origins” challenge mode without exiting the story campaign or accessing it from the main menu directly. In essence, the Batcave in “Origins” serves as both a crucial narrative element and an interactive hub, making it challenging to understate its importance.

A-Tier Arkhamverse Batcaves

  • Batman: Arkham Shadow

In the midst of his operations, Shadow‘s improvised Batcave serves as a transitional sanctuary for players as they transition between personas – Batman during the night and Irving “Matches” Malone in daylight hours. This humble hideout is equipped with charming essentials such as: a Batcomputer where Bruce communicates with Alfred, Barbara (who transforms into Oracle during Batman: Arkham Shadow‘s narrative), a combat and predator challenge menu, a feature to revisit earlier explored sections of Gotham City in search of elusive Rat King collectibles, and an answering machine that stores occasional voicemail messages for listening.

Behind the Batcomputer, a massive statue is positioned ominously, later pulled down by the Batclaw. This statue hints at Azrael and the Order of St. Dumas, as do numerous ancient rune collectibles players decode to reconstruct audio logs from Cyrus Pinkney during his research on Blackgate Island. The cave, deeply intertwined with Blackgate’s history, is a significant part of this particular Batcave whether Batman chooses to acknowledge it explicitly or not. This historical richness sets this Batcave apart, even if its uniqueness stems from the prison’s lore rather than the cave itself.

B-Tier Arkhamverse Batcaves

  • Batman: Arkham Asylum

In comparison to Shadow’s hidden bases, Batman: Arkham Asylum’s Batcave is one of many strategic retreats, accessible for a limited number of tasks. Although it scores points as the initial Batcave seen in the series, its location beneath Arkham Asylum and unique design add charm. However, the Batcave’s overall importance is relatively low since players only visit it on two occasions: firstly to acquire the Batclaw, and later to create an antidote, upgrade the Batclaw to the Ultra Batclaw, and protect against Poison Ivy’s Titan-contaminated plants that invade the Batcave, damaging the Batcomputer.

One striking feature in this Batcave is a Batwing suspended by chains, covered with a tarp. When players revisit the Batcave for a second time, after the Batwing has been called upon to deliver a drop pod holding the Line Launcher, the chains are left hanging loose because the Batwing is no longer there – this shows that it was indeed the very same Batwing.

C-Tier Arkhamverse Batcaves

  • Batman: Arkham Knight
  • Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

In reality, the watchtower in Batman: Arkham Knight isn’t Batcave but serves as an adequate hideout, equipped with an outstanding Batcomputer. Activation of a hidden scanner causes bookshelves to rise from the floor, revealing the Batcomputer and shuttering the clock and walls, plunging the room into darkness save for the soft light emanating from a projected screen. Notably, this watchtower belongs to Barbara rather than Bruce Wayne, as indicated by her personal touches in its regular tower form. Comfortable seating, a picture of her with Tim Drake, and an activated Remote Hacking Device showcase displaying a Batsuit, the tower reflects both Barbara’s homey touch and serves as a poignant reminder of her past hardships.

In the heart of this gaming world, I stumbled upon a revelation: My own daughter is somehow connected to none other than the enigmatic figure known as Batman! And just when I thought the chase for Azrael’s successor had reached its end, it turns out the “Heir to the Cowl” Most Wanted quest has finally been wrapped up.

The penthouse of Wayne International Plaza, belonging to Knight, isn’t a Batcave per se, but it shares some similarities, being home to a replica of Batman’s V7.43 Batsuit and a collection of gadgets. Just as the game Batman: Arkham Shadow would imitate 15 years later, Knight’s penthouse also features an answering machine with messages from notable figures such as Vicki Vale, Lex Luthor (a significant DC mythology reference at the time), and Kate Kane.

In the game ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’, Hush’s sudden side mission takes place at Wayne International Plaza’s penthouse, leaving players with limited compelling motives to explore. Although the clock tower and the penthouse are packed with character, they serve as places for Oracle or Lucius Fox to work or access gear, making them less interactive and traditional compared to other ‘Batcaves’ in the Arkhamverse. It’s challenging to equate these locations with the true Batcaves from the series because of this difference.

In the game “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,” the Batcave, while being one of two main Batcaves within the franchise, doesn’t quite measure up to most versions seen in the series. On the plus side, exploring a well-crafted Batcave in this game is a delight, especially considering that the Arkham games never managed to create a complete Batcave for Batman, either due to his early crime-fighting days or the need to use makeshift backup Batcaves.

This cave stands out as the most comic-book like among all, resembling a genuine Batcave with massive bat emblems and advanced technology. This suggests Bruce Wayne has probably spent considerable time here since the events of Knight, making it his new main Batcave following the burning down of Wayne Manor. It’s plausible to find such an intricate and colossal cave beneath Metropolis given that Batman is part of the Suicide Squad’s Justice League, and he is highly esteemed and memorialized in Metropolis – a city where the League’s headquarters, the Hall of Justice, resides, and where the Batman Experience exhibit showcases his tale from Batman: Arkham Asylum onwards.

It’s equally thrilling to witness a holographic scene where Bruce demonstrates more love and kindness towards his Bat-family than ever before in the series up until that point, followed quickly by the Batcave preparing for a formidable showdown against a Batman clone/fear toxin victim, the Demon Bat, who has been infected by Brainiac.

In this Batcave, there’s a playful reference to the augmented reality challenges from the Arkham series of games. This also includes an option to make the simulation more lethal when activated.

Although the cave is vast and seemingly empty, points should be deducted for the careless storage of Batman’s villain memorabilia. Despite its neatness, Mad Hatter’s pop-up picture book, Deathstroke’s staff, and Scarecrow’s mask (which is more a representation of his face rather than an actual piece of him) seem out of place and lack explanation. The cave doesn’t offer much interaction before it transitions into a Demon Bat sequence, but it stands out as one of the few Suicide Squad missions with a story connection to the Arkham lore. A future Batman game may potentially utilize this Batcave as a reference point.

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2025-04-06 04:35