Nintendo's latest Direct probably won't go down as one of the publisher's greatest, but it did have plenty of exciting announcements, especially for fans of Super Mario. While the new 2D Super Mario Bros. Wonder was probably the biggest highlight of the presentation, some other notable reveals were the Super Mario RPG remake, a new and mysterious Princess Peach game, a new WarioWare game, and a Detective Pikachu sequel. But aside from all the first-party reveals, there was one big third-party announcement that somehow ended up being one of the biggest highlights of the whole Nintendo Direct, and that was the Batman: Arkham Trilogy.
Set for a Fall 2023 release, the Batman: Arkham Trilogy, as the name implies, collects all three mainline entries of the Batman: Arkham series and all of their respective DLCs and expansions. Though the jury's out on just how well the Batman: Arkham Trilogy will run on the Switch, it's still an exciting announcement nonetheless, and it has the potential to open up more opportunities for the Batman: Arkham franchise on Nintendo consoles in the future. In particular, there's one underrated entry that could thrive on the Switch.
Batman: Arkham Origins Could Thrive on the Nintendo Switch
The definite black sheep of the Arkham franchise, Batman: Arkham Origins was originally released all the way back in October 2013, almost an entire decade ago. Aside from the handheld spin-off Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, Arkham Origins is by far the most underrated game in the series. Made by WB Games Montreal and not series creator Rocksteady, Batman: Arkham Origins did admittedly lack the same level of polish and finesse that its predecessors had, but it was still a great Batman game.
Using the successful formula established and refined by Rocksteady, Batman: Arkham Origins naturally had an incredible combat system, delivering the same level of satisfying, bone-crunching action that both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City had, with some unique abilities of its own thrown in for good measure. Arkham Origins also told a pretty engaging narrative, which again doesn't quite hold up to Rocksteady's first two Arkham entries, but remains a solid Batman Year One-esque story with compelling iterations of iconic characters. Throw in the unique Christmas setting on top of it all, and Batman: Arkham Origins is still a great superhero game, well deserving of a revival alongside its more favorable siblings.
If the Batman: Arkham Trilogy does well on the Nintendo Switch, then that could pave the way for more Batman collaborations in the near future, and Batman: Arkham Origins is the perfect candidate for a remaster or even just a port to the console. Being almost 10 years removed from Arkham Origins' initial release, a modern-day port might be able to put a more positive spin on the game's legacy. When compared to Rocksteady's current efforts with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Batman: Arkham Origins might look great in comparison, and the Nintendo Switch could be the perfect platform to make that resurgence happen.
Batman: Arkham Origins also has one trick up its sleeve Rocksteady's games didn't have, and that's multiplayer. An asymmetrical mode that now feels ahead of its time, Batman: Arkham Origins' multiplayer pits Batman and Robin against a team of criminals armed with ranged weapons. It wasn't perfect, but the mode was a nice little addition that helped Arkham Origins to stand out, and if that mode was revived in a hypothetical Nintendo Switch port, then the game would stand an even greater chance of receiving a more positive reception in the modern day.
Batman: Arkham Trilogy will launch on Nintendo Switch in Fall 2023.
