The Caped Crusader has had a long history in the video game world, first appearing in pixelated form in 1986, and going on to star in over 40 separate titles over the years. Despite the sheer number of games under the license's utility belt, it took two decades for a Batman game to be considered truly great. Releasing in 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum blew expectations out of the water, offering an authentic Batman story that managed to capture the dark and gothic tone of the franchise's best pieces of media, along with some incredibly tight melee combat mechanics. Following its success, a sequel was released, somehow managing to improve upon the original in vital ways. However, the same isn't often said about Rocksteady's third and final entry, Batman: Arkham Knight.
Though Arkham Knight was still met with very positive reviews, some critics and fans had a few issues with the game, the vast majority of them stemming from the game's inclusion of the Batmobile. For a long while after the game's release, Arkham Knight's Batmobile was the point of much controversy, but looking back at the game today, the Batmobile actually seems to have a few good ideas.
An Integral Aspect of the Character
The Batmobile is an integral part of the Batman character. When it comes to creating a new Batman story, whether that's in comic form, TV, movies, or video games, there are certain elements that fans have come to expect. A utility belt full of gadgets, some grounded hand-to-hand fights, at least a few appearances from the hero's iconic rogues' gallery, and some iteration of the Dark Knight's main mode of transport are all aspects that fans simply expect to see in a modern Batman story.
Every iteration of Batman has their own unique Batmobile, and just like the Batsuit itself, it's become an incredibly important icon for that specific version of the character. When fans think of Adam West's Batman, they'll likely also remember the character's slick saloon-type Batmobile, with its red trim and bat logos. When fans think of Michael Keaton's Batman, that iconic disproportional Batmobile almost certainly comes to mind, right alongside the suit's instantly recognizable yellow logo. Even in the most character-focused Batman stories, like Matt Reeves' The Batman, the Batmobile still makes an obligatory appearance.
With the Batmobile being such an important element of the character, it's no wonder that Rocksteady wanted to include a playable version for their final outing with the character. Though the actual mechanics and context behind Arkham Knight's Batmobile aren't remembered too fondly, its visual design is undeniably impressive, complimenting the more heavily armored version of Batman that's present in the game.
Breaking Up the Gameplay
One of the biggest criticisms of Arkham Knight's Batmobile upon release was that it took up way too much screen-time. For many, it seemed as though for every on-foot mission, there'd be another two Batmobile sections that followed it. When returning to Arkham Knight today, it's easy to see how the Batmobile could begin to outstay its welcome very quickly, but it does serve a fairly important gameplay role.
The inclusion of the Batmobile in Arkham Knight helps to keep the gameplay varied, and attempts to keep the game's pacing even. Though it certainly isn't perfect, providing Batmobile sections after a long on-foot mission does often help to break up Arkham Knight's gameplay, keeping the player from getting tired of the game's incredible Freeflow combat system by forcing them to participate in a totally different type of gameplay. While Rocksteady may have gone a little overboard with this, adding in too many tank sections and restricting a good portion of the boss fights and set-pieces to Batmobile-only gameplay, the general idea of breaking up the gameplay with completely different mechanics is a good idea.
On a similar note, the Batmobile also adds some gameplay variation during the Riddler's side quest. Though, again, it wasn't executed well in most cases, forcing the player to use the Batmobile to solve some environmental puzzles and participate in races does offer some variety to the standard Arkham gameplay.
The Batmobile Feels Satisfying to Control
It may take some time for a player to get used to it, but once the controls click, the Batmobile becomes a very responsive, satisfying vehicle to control, at least for the most part. Swapping between the Batmobile's tank mode and driving mode feels quick and satisfying, and drifting around corners feels suitably weighty but fast. It's clear that a lot of development time went on making the Batmobile feel responsive and gratifying to control, and that effort did not go to waste.
Arkham Knight features some incredibly fluid and detailed animations, and the Batmobile's are no different. The multitude of varied animations for getting into the Batmobile, often depending on what direction a player is entering from, helps to keep the vehicle, and the game, feel realistic, and the ability to launch out of the Batmobile at full speed is pure wish-fulfillment for many Batman fans.
With the addition of Arkham Knight's DLC packs, a slew of Batmobile skins were added to the game, along with some race tracks that were themed to past Batman movies and TV shows. Though the skins only offer cosmetic changes, for a Batman fan, it's undeniably fun to drive some of the most iconic on-screen Batmobiles, and their inclusion in the game is certainly a reason to give Arkham Knight's Batmobile another shot.
Batman: Arkham Knight is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
