TheBatman Arkhamseries really has left a mark on the genre. AfterArkham Asylumreleased back in 2009, it changed how we look and play superhero games. Even by today’s standards, the game and its sequels still hold up as the entire series is one of the bestsuperhero games of all time.
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But what developers Rocksteady do especially well is show the players the changes that Bruce Wayne is going through. All ofBatman’senemies impact his growth from the first game to the last. Let’s see Batman’s evolution in the games and how these changes have impacted him as a hero.
10Wiser
This goes without saying, he’s been fighting crime in Gotham for quite some time now so it would make sense that he picked up a thing or two. Even though inArkham Asylumplayers meet him during his twelfth year crime-fighting, he’s still rough around the edges.
It’s not the bestBatmangame, butit put Bruce through many tests that played into the dark, eerie tone of the game. It placed the seeds for where he was going as a character both mentally and physically.
9More Prepared
FromArkham AsylumtoArkham Knighthe learns about his enemies over time regardless of what aspect of him they go after. After the psychological events he faced inAsylum,preparing for anything now seems to be a priority. One of the most prominent enemies in his rouges gallery is Ra’s al Ghul who is a pretty unique bad guy.
He can fight Bruce Wayne on both fronts. InArkham Cityhe pushes Wayne mentally, forcing him to make tough decisions. Of course, Bruce resists Ra’s al Ghul thanks in no small part to his experience dealing with the man that helped him to prepare for the encounter.
8More Determined
By the time we hitArkham Knight,he’s the ultimate crime fighter. After spending years on the streets of Gotham at night fighting evil, he’s definitely honed his skills.
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He’s now a nigh unstoppable force. However, while it’s evident that no matter how hard he tries to protect the city, he still gets overwhelmed, but what separates him from the rest, is how he comes back all while still being a man.
7Growth
This is probably the most evident form of progression since it can be seen on the surface. The third game is a product of everything that came before it.The games borrow a lot from various different comics and it is very evident inKnightsince it uses elements of a pretty iconic comic bookstory arc.
What happened to the second Robin, Jason Todd, plays into the storyline of the third game and that’s from the same comic book. And even though those events don’t transpire in the game, they still exist in theArkham Universeand that clearly gets a reaction from Bruce when he reflects on it.
6Not As Stubborn
Now when we see Bruce for the first time inArkham Asylum,he’s been doing this for a while, and he’s a seasoned superhero. However, in the first game, he behaves recklessly and still think he’s invincible. So it makes sense for things to be happening to him over the course of the series to “humble” him.
While inKnighthe actually starts listing to his allies and taking their advice, something he does in the previous games. It humanizes him and makes him more down to earth, which does help in future games.
5Knows His Limits
The reason whyArkham City isconsidered the best superhero game with an impressive ratingis because of how it treats Batman.Rather than pushing himself, Bruce understands what he needs to do and he treats the incidents of the game as any typical issue in Gotham.
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This allows him to be tamer, more dialed down, and just more reserved. This patience is present inKnightbecause he knows and understands his enemies now.
4Calmer
As the years go on, Bruce Wayne becomes much more mature in his ways, especially when going up against villains that can harm him mentally. He needs his senses, and the differences inScarecrow missions in the first game and final game play an important role in how he reacts to things.
He learns to deal with the hallucinogenic effects that bring about past traumas. InArkham Knight,it does play a role in his survival.
3A Lot More To Lose
By the timeKnightcomes around, Bruce has the “Bat-Family,” consisting of Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl.With the stakes quite high in the third game, those relationships add complexity and connect with the overall plot, especially since theArkham Knightis connected directly to the “Bat-Family.”
So Bruce Wayne having these relationships shows how much he’s willing to put on the line. These same relationships do help him in the last game especially when it ties Robin to all of it.
2Not As Alone
In the first game, the story is about him and his villains and how those relationships grow. With the introduction of Catwoman in the second game, it shows that he works better with help.
This goes over into the third game when the cast gets bigger. Building allies throughout his career kind of shows that Bruce Wayne is willing to accept help, even though his whole approach to being Batman is being alone
1Has More Regret
By the time the events ofKnighthappen, his past literally comes for him. The Arkham Knight plays a role in his past mistakes. He acts as a kind of a manifestation of the failures of Bruce Wayne. The Knight is his worst nightmare,by being a step ahead of him and also hiding his identity.
He’s everything Bruce Wayne and Batman is, and that adds more problems. Plus with Arkham Knight knowing almost everything about Wayne, it forces him to use everything he has learned over and apply it.
