What marks greatness is how long it is talked about. How obvious that greatness is. And how fiercely it is defended when something else comes near it. One of the greatest video games in the superhero genre is Batman: Arkham Knight. Due to the success of the previous installments and what the game had to do, the hype for Arkham Knight was the highest type of hype that a superhero game received up until that point. Fans were quick to buy and ultimately enjoy it. Even though there were some shortcomings, the game was highly praised by critics and fans. That was then though. It’s been ten years since Batman: Arkham Knight hit shelves. While countless games have ascended into immortality among the video game genre, Arkham Knight had a great chance to become such a game in at least the superhero video game genre. After ten years, how well has its legacy lasted?
Now, to be fair, not all legacy is good legacy. The game does have some parts that did and still do in a way, make fans point out the flaws. One was the preorder exclusives. It felt as if every company that sells video games had their own preorder exclusive, forcing fans to choose. Only for that exclusive element to come later down the road for all to purchase. Another complaint was the over usage of the Batmobile. It seemed as if the Batmobile took over just to overtake. Some parts called for it but a lot of other parts felt forced. Then there was the Arkham Knight fight. Instead of having a boss fight similar to Deathstroke’s in Arkham Origins or even Mr. Freeze, it was a glorified Predator mission. For all the built up from the Arkham Knight knowing how Batman operates, it did not pay off. And finally, Deathstroke’s inclusion. Instead of repeating his boss fight in Arkham Origins or doing the type of boss fight that a boss fight against Arkham Knight should have been, it was a tank fight that ended with one shot to knock out Deathstroke. Those were game elements that still do make their way into modern conversations. Unfortunately, this side of Batman: Arkham Knight’s legacy is more on the negative side.
From a pure visual standpoint, the game still looks beautiful! At launch, the graphics for Batman: Arkham Knight were one of the best for a game at the time. Even though it was on last gen consoles, even when those consoles didn’t run on any upgraded systems, the game was clean, crisp, and sharp. Every detail on Batman’s suit alone was highly detailed to the point every inch was clear. All the different textures were clear and highly distinguishable. Players were able to clearly see individual rain droplets run down his suit and the Batmobile. But that was for every other character too. Each piece of fabric, metal, Kevlar, cloth was just as distinguishable on them as they were on Batman. Some games, some franchises from then to now, have at times fallen in terms of how well the games look. They’re not as crisp and sharp as they were perhaps a few years ago. But the graphics for Batman: Arkham Knight on a base PS4 looked like they were ahead of their time at the time. Looking back on those graphics now, could make someone wonder why some games’ graphics are not as good as Batman: Arkham Knight’s graphics. It’s a part of Arkham Knight’s legacy that its graphics from ten years no less are the bar for game publishers now.
From the start of the franchise in Batman: Arkham Asylum, one of the greatest elements of the game that fans and critics praised was the fighting system. It was a system that made Batman feel powerful which made the player feel powerful. With each new chapter in the franchise, the system was improved and built on. Then when Batman: Arkham Knight came along, the system became phenomenal. Batman became stronger, faster, more versatile and perhaps the best, more aggressive. The game took everything that came before it, perfected as well as added to it. It’s a system that became one to replicate. When Marvel’s Spider-Man came out, fans were quick to hope that the fighting system in that game was similar to Batman: Arkham Knight’s. When Marvel’s Spider-Man was released, fans were just as quick to compare it to Batman: Arkham Knight’s fighting system. It turned out to be different due to how different each character is. However, for those who did play both, there was a lot of familiarity in terms of flare, cinematography, smoothness, aggressiveness, and speed. It does leave some room to wonder if Insomniac peaked at what Rocksteady did. Insomniac will no doubt use that same style in their upcoming Wolverine game. A few other games have adopted this system. But the perfected version that was used in Batman: Arkham Knight has set the standard for how games could use a fighting system. If they do, it will be compared to Arkham Knight.
And the game itself as a whole has left a legacy. It’s a game that fans still play, still mod, still reference, and still talk about. For some fans, it’s a Halloween tradition to replay the game around the holiday. For others, the version of Batman in this game is the version that they want to be adapted for the DCU. But it’s a game that is continuously gone back to. Why? Because the game just has the gameplay, the story, the side missions, the extra content, and the feel that always calls back players. A few superhero video games have come out since Arkham Knight, but none have really reached the level that this game provided. It gave fans of the genre, but specifically Batman, a lot of what a superhero game should have. Batman: Arkham Knight maybe the superhero game with the most content by far. And since most of it was at least decent, that brings back players and sets the bar of what other superhero games should at least strive far. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was set up to be a superhero game that took steps closer to Batman: Arkham Knight but one of the biggest drawbacks that made fans frustrated was a lack of content. It was beat out by a game that came out ten years ago. Due to the game’s larger stakes, improved systems and added content, Batman: Arkham Knight became the standard. The game that other superhero games are tested against. The game that other superhero games must beat in order to become the best. And since no other superhero game has had the type of success and content Arkham Knight has had, Batman: Arkham Knight’s legacy proves to be strong.
Batman: Arkham Knight was not a game, but an event. It was a game that became a center piece for many. It provided a whole lot and that has trinkled down today. The game continues to be played and played for enjoyment. Perhaps in just a few years in would be played for nostalgia. But its mark has definitely left an impression on Batman fans, gamers and publishers. It set the ground for what a game like this could be. What a game like this SHOULD be. Not much has come close to match it. Batman: Arkham Knight’s legacy is being a game that other publishers take a glance at. What other games are compared to. And more importantly, the passion fans still have for it. It’s a game that has a powerful legacy that will continue to grow.
