Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman confronts Scarecrow in an evacuated Gotham City.
Batman: Arkham Knight is an action-adventure game from 2015, created by Rocksteady Studios and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It features the DC Comics hero Batman and serves as the follow-up to *Batman: Arkham Origins* (2013), a direct sequel to *Batman: Arkham City* (2011), and the fourth major chapter in the Batman: Arkham series. The story, written by Sefton Hill, Ian Ball, and Martin Lancaster, draws from the long-running comic book lore. Set nine months after *Arkham City*, the plot follows Batman as he deals with Scarecrow, who has triggered a citywide evacuation of Gotham. Scarecrow, aided by the mysterious Arkham Knight, aims to unite Gotham’s criminals and finally destroy Batman.
The game uses a third-person perspective, focusing on Batman’s hand-to-hand combat, stealth, detective work, and gadgets. Players can freely explore an open-world Gotham City, taking on missions and unlocking new areas by advancing the story or obtaining new gear. Side missions are available for extra content and collectibles. Combat involves chaining attacks against groups of enemies while avoiding damage, and stealth lets Batman hide and use gadgets to silently take down foes. A major new feature is the Batmobile, a drivable vehicle used for travel, puzzles, and combat.
Development started in 2011 after *Arkham City* wrapped up, spanning four years. Rocksteady used its own writers for the main story, working with comic writer Geoff Johns, and replaced Paul Dini, who had written for *Arkham Asylum* and *Arkham City*. Adding the Batmobile forced the team to change how they designed the city, since earlier games had streets too narrow for smooth driving.
*Arkham Knight* launched worldwide on June 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch version came out in December 2023. The PlayStation and Xbox versions got generally positive reviews and were seen as a satisfying end to the series, though critics pointed out problems with the Batmobile’s combat and the need for 100% completion to see the ending. The Windows and Switch versions faced heavy criticism for technical glitches and poor performance, making them unplayable for some; Warner Bros. temporarily pulled the Windows version from sale to fix issues.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Publisher
- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Director
- Sefton Hill
- Producer
- Daniel Bailie · Nathan Burlow
- Designer
- Ian Ball
- Programmer
- Ben Wyatt
- Artist
- David Hego
- Writer
- Martin Lancaster · Sefton Hill · Ian Ball
- Composer
- Nick Arundel · David Buckley
- Series
- Batman: Arkham
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4 · Windows · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Set nine months after the events of Arkham City, the game's main storyline follows Batman as he confronts Scarecrow, who has launched an attack on Gotham City and caused a citywide evacuation. Scarecrow, with the help of the mysterious Arkham Knight, plots to unite all of Gotham's criminals in an attempt to finally destroy Batman. The story was written by Sefton Hill, Ian Ball, and Martin Lancaster, with collaboration by comic book writer Geoff Johns, replacing Paul Dini who had worked on Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The game is inspired by the long-running comic book mythos.
Development on Arkham Knight began in 2011 after completion of Arkham City and took place over four years. The introduction of the Batmobile as a playable vehicle required a change in the team's design methodology, as the previous games' city designs were too narrow and confined to allow smooth travel for the vehicle. The game is presented from a third-person perspective, with a primary focus on Batman's melee combat, stealth abilities, detective skills, and gadgets. Batman can freely move around the open world of Gotham City, interacting with characters and undertaking missions, and unlocking new areas by progressing through the main story or obtaining new equipment.
The game's 'Freeflow' combat system allows for basic attacks, including strikes, counters, and dodging, which can be combined to keep Batman attacking while moving between enemies. Arkham Knight introduces 'Dual Play,' in which players can seamlessly switch control of Batman to one of his allies during certain events: Robin, Nightwing, or Catwoman. The Batmobile is used for transportation, puzzle solving, and combat. Side missions, known as 'Most Wanted' missions, feature prominent characters from the Batman universe, including the Riddler with 243 optional challenges.
Reader's Guide
The PlayStation and Xbox console versions of Arkham Knight received generally favorable reviews and were considered a satisfying conclusion to the franchise, although there was criticism for the Batmobile's combat mechanics and the requirement for 100% completion for the ending. The Windows and Nintendo Switch versions were subject to criticism for technical and performance issues that rendered it unplayable for some users, with Warner Bros. temporarily withdrawing the Windows version from sale to fix issues. At release, the game was the fastest-selling game of 2015 and the fastest-selling game in the Arkham series, reaching over 5 million units sold globally by October 2015. It was also the 6th best-selling game of 2015 in the UK. The game received several accolades, including Best British Game, Best Game, and Best Action-Adventure Game, and was featured in many lists of the best video games of 2015 and of the 2010s. A variety of post-release content was released, including story-based missions, challenge maps, skins for Batman and his allies, different historical Batmobile designs, and racetracks. A continuation of the series, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, was released on February 2, 2024.
Did You Know?
- The Batmobile was introduced as a playable vehicle, requiring a redesign of the city to accommodate it.
- The Windows version was temporarily withdrawn from sale due to technical and performance issues.
- The game features 243 optional Riddler challenges to solve.
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