What Arkham Origins Did Better Than Rocksteady’s Batman

Rocksteady may have created some of the greatest comic book video games with its Batman: Arkham trilogy, but there are things WB Games Montréal’s Batman: Arkham Origins did better. While it received mixed reviews upon its release, Arkham Origins is still a unique entry in the Batman: Arkham franchise that excelled in areas Rocksteady’s games didn’t, such as when it came to boss battles, and portraying the Dark Knight’s detective elements. The game may have disappointed some fans in part because it was a prequel that didn’t build upon Arkham City’s shocking conclusion, but it was still able to contribute something valuable to the universe Rocksteady created, telling the story of Batman’s first meeting with the Joker in a brilliantly-realized Christmas-set Gotham.

Taking place early on in Batman’s career, Arkham Origins drew upon the likes of Year One, The Long Halloween, and Legends of the Dark Knight to tell its story. Bruce Wayne is yet to encounter the supervillains who would come to define his crimefighting career, and that makes the emergence of the Joker and Bane early a truly interesting prospect. Roger Craig-Smith stepped in to replace Kevin Conroy as Batman in Arkham Origins, portraying the younger Dark Knight with a sense of angsty bewilderment as the night keeps throwing more and more outlandish things at him to tackle. This isn’t the seasoned pro seen in Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham games, and there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had in seeing Batman tentatively build many of the established relationships seen later in the series, such as with Jim Gordon.

WB Games Montréal was also able to do all of this in a way that didn’t appear contrived, with the premise of Black Mask sending eight of the DC universe’s deadliest assassins after Batman all at once providing plenty of opportunities to introduce new villains and allies. In the former’s case, these confrontations were made even better by the subtle innovations the studio brought to the Batman: Arkham formula, with Origins’ boss battles being a stark improvement over the ones from Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Throw in an expanded “New Gotham” area to explore, a fully interactable Batcave and a compelling story DLC inspired by Batman: The Animated Series’ “Heart of Ice” episode, and you’re left with a package that is more than capable of standing alongside the core Batman: Arkham trilogy.

Arkham Origins’ Story Is Secretly The Series’ Best

Batman: Arkham Origins possesses arguably the best story in the Batman: Arkham series, with the spotlight being transfixed on the first meeting between the Joker and Batman. WB Games Montréal was able to create a foreboding atmosphere from the very opening, providing the sense that Batman may be out of his depth in a Gotham that contains man-eating crocodiles, world-famous assassins and unpredictable madmen caked in clown makeup. That palpable sense of unease drives Batman: Arkham Origins’ Christmas-themed story from start to end, and is made increasingly more apparent once Batman begins to trace the Joker’s steps in a bid to uncover his new adversary’s true motive.

Montréal took a great deal of inspiration from the Legends of the Dark Knight series in defining its own interpretation of Batman’s early years, but another formidable comic from the ’90s that also informed its story was Knightfall. Bane is transformed from the hulking Batman and Robin-esque brute of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City into the ruthless tactician he was in his breakout comic, and ends up providing several of Batman: Arkham Origins’ best moments as a result.

It’s more than just the villains who define Batman though, and Arkham Origins thankfully has some great interactions between the Dark Knight and his closest allies. Alfred Pennyworth is by far the most friendly presence in the game, always being on comms in the Batcave to assist the player throughout the night, but Jim Gordon also gets chances to shine. This version of Gordon is still on his way to ridding the G.C.P.D. of its corrupt elements, but he’s also mixed on the subject of Batman. The two forge an uneasy alliance in Arkham Origins that gradually shows the beginnings of the friendship fans are familiar with, and it too ends up being a highlight of the game’s story.

Arkham Origins’ Boss Battles Beat Arkham City’s

Even though the game itself is great, Batman: Arkham Asylum’s boss battles weren’t compelling, with most involving the player throwing batarangs and dodging repeatedly in order to succeed. Arkham City made several improvements with boss battles though, with the confrontation between Batman and Mister Freeze in the old G.C.P.D. building forcing players to incorporate all of Batman’s move-set to win. Even so, while the confrontation with Freeze was enjoyable, not every boss encounter in Arkham City was as successful, with Bane’s confrontation once again involving the old ‘batarang and dodge’ maneuver from Arkham Asylum, and other fights involving simple stealth takedowns and not much else.

In this regard, Batman: Arkham Origins fared much better, having multiple gripping boss encounters that forced players to stay on their toes. WB Games Montréal was able to incorporate the series’ freeflow mechanics into each boss encounter while managing to make each one feel distinct. The battle with Deathstroke on the Final Offer, for instance, requires a lot of attention for the player to successfully counter his many different attacks, while Bane forces players to keep their distance and strike at opportune moments, lest they wish to reenact Batman’s infamous back-break in-game.

Each encounter presents a new challenge in a way that feels conducive not just to Batman: Arkham’s combat, but to the character’s mythology too. All of the bosses have move-sets that reflect their abilities and the less powerful foes are easier to deal with. In that way, WB Games Montréal was able to find the right balance between empowering the player and ensuring there was a sufficient enough challenge with each battle, which in turn reflected the studio’s depiction of Batman as a less seasoned crimefighter unaccustomed to supervillains.

Arkham Origins Treated Batman Like A Detective

One of the absolute best things about Batman: Arkham Origins is that it brought the character’s detective elements to the fore, giving players access to more crime scene investigations and even a fully explorable Batcave to return to in between missions. Batman as a detective was an element that was lacking in Rocksteady’s series. While there was certainly mystery in Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight, the process of actually crime-solving wasn’t nearly as fleshed out as it was compared to Batman’s more action-oriented elements.

The same could also be said of Arkham Origins, but the key difference between that entry and the other Batman: Arkham titles is that it put players in direct control of its investigative sequences. Whereas before the player was essentially a passive observer occasionally holding a button to scan a victim’s face and follow some footprints, Arkham Origins provided multiple opportunities to bring the evidence together to try and determine what may have happened. It’s nowhere near as developed as something like Rockstar Games’ L.A. Noire, but it was a welcome addition that ultimately made WB Games Montréal’s depiction of Batman feel more comprehensive than other entries in the Batman: Arkham series.

Despite being ignored in the Batman: Return to Arkham remasters, Batman: Arkham Origins brought some valuable contributions to the series and improved upon certain aspects of Rocksteady’s own Batman: Arkham games. Although not as polished as Rocksteady’s entries, the innovations WB Games Montréal brought to boss battles, detective gameplay and the open-world itself are all worthy of merit. None of it would’ve been possible without the foundations laid by Rocksteady, but Arkham Origins deserves recognition for its great story and absorbing gameplay.

About The Author

Ewan Paterson
(75 Articles Published)

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Ewan is a Gaming Features Editor for Screen Rant and may in fact have way too many interests. His love for comic books, video games and Dad Movies also instilled in him a love for writing, which he’s been doing since he was about 16. Originally from Liverpool, Ewan made the move to Newcastle in 2014 to study History at Northumbria University (which he loved), and has stayed there ever since. You may have heard/seen him on YouTube a bunch as well.

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