The Batman Arkham games might just be some of the greatest superhero games to date, with Batman: Arkham City being a favorite among fans. While these games are masterpieces, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate a lesser-loved and often forgotten Arkham Title – Batman: Arkham Origins.
Batman: Arkham Origins was released back in 2013 on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii-U, and PC and was developed by WB Games Montreal. Now, the original Arkham games were developed by Rocksteady, so having a different developer worried some fans, and rightfully so. The Arkham games were pieces of art, and fans wanted more of the goods to be delivered.
Arkham Origins was met with mixed feedback upon release and since then, has been forgotten by fans or has been completely ignored by developers when looking at remasters on current-gen systems… yep, I’m looking at you Return to Arkham! That’s a damn shame because Arkham Origins is my absolute favorite in the entire series, and I stand by that! Here’s why I love it…
First off, I was fine with different developers here. Sure, I was worried, but once I dove into the game, my worries were put to rest. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent anything here in terms of gameplay, but why fix something if it isn’t broken? I felt it did a commendable job of upholding Rocksteady’s groundbreaking gameplay. In particular, I loved the little differences with detective vision and being able to fully recreate crime scenes. I thought that was such a “Batman” piece of tech; it just made sense for the game. At the time and nowadays, it’s still satisfying getting combos, countering attacks, and gliding through the city. It all feels like classic Arkham Batman! I must also add that I loved being able to go back to the BatCave whenever I wanted via fast travel. It made me feel like I was returning to my secret hideout; I loved it!
Also, I can’t forget the multiplayer side of things here. Although I never played it myself, this was a huge selling point for this game and was actually loved and enjoyed by many. It reportedly had balanced fighting mechanics and some unique characters, often being considered the strongest part of this game as a package.
Arkham Origins had some of the coolest boss fights in the series, from hand-to-hand combat with Deathstroke, taking on Copper Head, or even humiliating the Electrocutioner.
A main complaint amongst the fans was that Origins didn’t feature the brilliant talent of the late Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker, respectively. Instead, the game features Roger Craig Smith as Batman and Troy Baker as Joker, and I quite honestly have to say… they nailed it. The reasoning behind Smith and Baker in the game was to make the characters sound familiar but younger, as this is a prequel story. I believe they succeeded here. When playing, you can tell it’s not Hamill or Conroy, but that’s ok, as it still sounds familiar and makes sense as far as the timeline goes. The difference in voice actors feels logical as it sounds like the originals, just different, and that’s fine! I believe that was the intended purpose.
This game looks beautiful on both PS3 and PC, where I play today. There’s something oddly cozy knowing it’s Christmas in Gotham while you’re roaming and fighting criminals. But let’s talk about cutscenes…. WOW! The cutscenes here felt like such a cinematic step up from the other Arkham games. Showing stunning imagery, cozy Christmas vibes, and some of the coolest character interactions between Batman and villains/thugs. Honestly, if they made a movie in this style, I’d happily watch it! The cutscene cinematics really drew me in and captivated me, holding my attention.
Story-wise – it’s good. Not the most original, but certainly not bad either! There are some twists and turns, and as a whole, this story is well-paced and very fun, to say the least. I don’t ever recall being bored in this game or feeling like I am doing the same thing over and over, so in my book, that’s a win! The coolest part of the story is the concept of eight assassins gunning for you in one night, with some pretty cool villains, which can be found in an in-depth villain intro video here. The stakes are high in this game, and I’m here for it.
Lastly, what’s an origin story without a young Batman? Batman here is still quite new to being the Caped Crusader and, of course, is quick to anger and has more of a temper. He’s not the calm and collected Batman we saw in Asylum and City… or even in Knight. In fact, he’s very hot-headed, and still learning. There is a great moment earlier in the game where he knocks out a villain wearing a Christmas hat and then interrogates him from a clock tower, eventually dropping him off it. Not fatally, mind you! But the point still stands – seeing a hot-head Batman is so badass. It’s satisfying and, honestly, maybe my favorite type of Batman. He’s human, after all.
I can’t help it! I adore Arkham Origins! To anyone STILL disagreeing, at least we can agree that it is still leaps and bounds better than Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League…
