The Most Underrated Batman: Arkham Game Still Desperately Needs a Remaster

In 2009, Rocksteady blew the roof off the gaming industry with the studio’s incredibly well-made Batman adventure, Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. It was a Batman adventure for the ages based on the graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by famed comic book writer Grant Morrison. Batman must plunge into the black heart of madness as Joker takes control of the eponymous asylum. It’s a grueling and dark story where Batman must face the criminals and villains on their terms in this sinister facility, many of whom have likely been on the receiving end of Batman’s fist shortly before their incarceration. With this mature story comes a game with elevated combat mechanics and a revolutionary, fluid combat system that would go on to inspire many future game makers. Unmistakably, Arkham Asylum made its mark, setting the stage for high-quality licensed games in the years to come.

The undeniable popularity of Arkham Asylum spawned a sequel with 2011’s Batman: Arkham City. This game took what Asylum started and expanded Batman’s playground across a chunk of Gotham City designated as Arkham City, hence the title. The game would enhance what fans loved about the original’s mechanics and couple that with a gripping story to boot. It would go on to win several awards, including Game of the Year. Rocksteady capped out their award-winning Arkham trilogy with Batman: Arkham Knight, putting players behind the wheel of the legendary Batmobile. The first two games received modern remasters, making them playable on current-gen hardware alongside Arkham Knight. But unfortunately, there’s one Arkham game that is still languishing on outdated console hardware: Batman: Arkham Origins.

The Forgotten Arkham Game

Between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Warner Bros. Interactive and Rocksteady put WB Games Montreal in the driver’s seat of this metaphorical Batmobile, giving them the opportunity to take what Rocksteady had done with Asylum and City and craft a prequel game set in the same universe. Thus, Batman: Arkham Origins was born. Origins has long been relegated as the “lesser” Arkham title, not nearly as revered as its Rocksteady-developed siblings. But I’d argue that it’s really quite the contrary. In fact, Arkham Origins is the maverick of the series, and superior because of it. Neither Kevin Conroy nor Mark Hamill portrayed Batman and Joker (respectively) in this prequel. Instead, video game voice acting veterans Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker embodied the celebrated superhero/supervillain duo. In this Batman tale set on Christmas Eve, the brooding hero must settle a bounty placed on his head by the Black Mask, who later reveals himself to be Joker in disguise. The game sets the stage for the strange relationship Batman and the Joker share while navigating toward very different visions for Gotham City.

Arkham Origins not only offers an exciting Batman story with twists, turns, and grit, but it also dares to be different from the other Arkham games by introducing new gameplay mechanics. Arkham Origins equipped Batman with a “detective vision” mode that allowed players to investigate crime scenes in the first-person perspective in order to find clues and recreate the crimes based on the evidence. Arkham Origins also nearly doubled the map size of Arkham City and provided fast travel functionality via the Batwing. New gadgets were added to expand Batman’s arsenal. A multiplayer mode was even included, featuring 3v3v2 play where two players played as the dynamic duo (Batman & Robin) while the other 6 played as rival Bane and Joker gangs. Most importantly, Arkham Origins elevated the boss fights beyond mob brawls and oversized opponents. The game is famous for its intense 1-on-1 duels that featured multiple stages and tested players’ skills with each of Batman’s abilities. Notably, the Deathstroke duel is a true highlight among fans.

Origins Deserves to be Remastered for Native Play on Modern Consoles

Arkham Origins is hardly a footnote in the Arkham series. Yet the Arkham “Trilogy” is often the frame of reference when any discussion emerges concerning the Arkhamverse, implying that the Rocksteady games are the only titles of any consequence. To this day, you can purchase Arkham trilogy compilations on storefronts where Arkham Origins is seemingly excluded. The tragedy of this is that Origins competently provided a grand beginning for the hero within this universe. The game set a truly twisted foundation for Joker’s obsession with the Dark Knight, creating a defining moment for the young hero as he solidifies his resolve to never take a life. Watching the narrative play out is a real spectacle as noteworthy as any Batman film. And it’s absolutely capable of standing side-by-side with the Paul Dini-written Rocksteady games from a narrative perspective.

Unfortunately, Arkham Origins has continued to be ignored by WB Interactive. Despite remastering the other titles in the series, Arkham Origins languishes on the PS3/Xbox 360-era platform. While Xbox Series X/S players can, indeed, play the game with backwards compatibility, PlayStation players must subscribe to the highest PS Plus tier in order to stream the PS3 version on the PS5. Even still, the game is only available at 30 fps in its original 720p resolution on consoles, no matter how you play. With PC, that’s a different story. But the game really deserves a modern upscaling that Batman and gaming fans alike would be thrilled to receive.

The Timing Would Be Perfect for Batman’s Gaming Future

Warner Bros. Games has undergone a tumultuous period in the past couple of years. Ironically enough, Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League contributed to that turmoil with its critically and commercially panned release. Positioned as a third-person shooter with online features and a heavy focus on co-op play, Suicide Squad was a heavy departure from the epic single-player, detective and action-focused Batman games that Rocksteady was known for. The game was ultimately saddled with live-service and repetitive grinding elements that displeased many, causing the game to perform terribly. Just last year, a report emerged from Bloomberg revealing that WB is aiming to refocus on proven success with titles like Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, and unmistakably, Batman. Rocksteady is reportedly once again working on a single-player Batman title in an effort to recapture the gold standard the studio once set for superhero games.

With that said, WB Games (or more accurately now, Paramount Games Studio) must recognize the draw to Batman as a gaming property. With the advent of a new game on the horizon, an Arkham Origins remaster would be a perfect primer for the Dark Knight’s grand entrance back into the triple-A gaming spotlight. If the new title is set in the Arkham universe, Origins could offer new players a chance to experience the beginning of the Arkhamverse. It’s really a no-brainer, and a remaster would be a low-cost effort for a potentially decent ROI. At the end of the day, WB/Paramount has the unique opportunity to give one of Batman’s most underrated adventures the recognition it deserves. And there’s no better way to set the stage for the upcoming Rocksteady game than by revisiting the night that helped define Batman’s journey in the Arkhamverse.