Batman Arkham Asylum; a simple game released in August 2009, decided to change the world of superhero games forever with its compelling story and satisfying gameplay that you can’t get enough of. The game was so loved that the developers followed it with 2 more games (Arkham City and Arkham Knight) thus creating one of the most popular trilogies in gaming history. These games really captured the dark and gloomy essence of Gotham City and truly let players become The Dark Knight. Addicting game play and a city all yours to conquer, truly an empire that stands to this day, never defeated.
Arkham Asylum :
Set within the confines of an Asylum (who would’ve guessed), a claustrophobic nightmare with an eerie feeling always lingering. The game starts with Batman escorting the Joker into the Arkham Asylum; only to realise he was lured into a trap. This unfolds a sequence of events where Joker releases all villains in the asylum in an attempt to kill Batman and spread their chaos after escaping. He also conducted the Titan formula, which genetically modifies normal humans into monsters. What makes this game so fulfilling is the well-designed and accurate villains that you’d find in DC and Batman comics like Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and even the one and only Riddler, what a nightmare indeed.As Batman fights to reclaim the Asylum, the game throws all kinds of obstacles at the player, whether it’s combat, stealth or hard puzzles, the game truly captures what it feels like to be Batman. Extra points for it being nostalgic and all players being biased towards this amazing first game to a legendary sequence.
Arkham City:
After what people believed that a game couldn’t get any better, Batman Arkham City came in 2011; expanding Arkham Asylum into something 10x better. Set inside a lawless section of Gotham that's been sealed off as a giant open-air prison, the game throws Batman into a brutal landscape ruled by warring factions led by villains like Penguin, Two-Face, Hugo Strange, Clayface and again the stupid Riddler, brings me trauma every time I see his name.
Same with Arkham Asylum, lore-accurate villains were introduced that were present in comics and old TV series. With the Joker’s health failing after the Titan formula disaster, and Strange planning the mysterious “Protocol 10,” the stakes are higher than ever filled with plot twists and emotional rides that leave the player in such disbelief, for he has won physically but shattered emotionally. SPOILER ALERT!!!! Joker wasn’t able to take the cure and he did unfortunately die, a sad ending to us all.
Arkham Knight:
People thought that was it. The sequence ended, everything was in place, but then Rocksteady released what would be the most detailed and advanced game for its time. Batman Arkham Knight was released in 2015, jumping straight into action. Scarecrow releases a toxin and threatens to unleash what is more like a cloud bomb through the entirety of Gotham City, engulfing it in this toxin, which makes people hallucinate their worst fear. A new villain arrives that seems to know everything and I mean everything about Batman, called the Arkham Knight (game title mentioned). Throughout the story, the player is haunted by he who is always one step ahead and the Joker. I know what you're thinking: the Joker died, so how is he a main villain in Arkham Knight? Well, Batman was exposed to an amount of the toxin and was now hallucinating about the Joker, haunted by his mistakes and thinking he broke his one and only rule of no killing. This game was the pinnacle of gaming at that time with insane graphics and advanced AI and enemies. It was the perfect representation of The Dark Knight and made players happy to this day.
Conclusion (opinion):
The Arkham trilogy redefined superhero games, letting players truly become Batman. From the tight horror of Arkham Asylum to the open chaos of Arkham City and the emotional finale of Arkham Knight, the series delivered an unforgettable journey through Gotham’s darkest nights and a series that will last centuries.BY : Youssef Ayman