Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal’s Arkhamverse is a groundbreaking setting in modern gaming and especially in superhero titles. Players may prefer one game over another, but it’s undeniable how big the franchise’s impact has been. That continuity seemed to be suspended after that Batman: Arkham Knight, but that is no longer the case. Instead of, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is confirmed as an extension of the Arkhamverse, as well as the characters and stories it creates.
Rocksteady’s decision to continue the Arkhamverse is both a huge undertaking and an incredible opportunity. Gotham Knightsfor example, bears the weight of enduring comparisons with the Batman: Arkham games, even though it’s not part of the Arkhamverse canon. The Arkhamverse is just so iconic now and has shown how to manage an in-game universe through the connected entrances of a franchise.
Batman’s Arkhamverse has groundbreaking iterations of its established characters
One of the main features of Batman Arkham AsylumThe story is that no characters are introduced to the player as if fans don’t know them at all. Batman Arkham Asylum trusts that his fan base is aware of Batman and the gallery of his villains from comic book or animated series source material, and that the characters are already familiar with Batman.
Batman’s interactions with each super villain in Batman Arkham Asylum are special because fans understand that there is a storied history between him and every criminal he has incarcerated. Batman Arkham Asylum begins with players escorting the Joker to the mental hospital, where Killer Croc is found while Arkham’s security moves him inside the facility. This interaction in particular lets players know that there is definitely animosity brewing within the asylum, and establishes that connection with the player before inevitably encountering each antagonist later in the game. Rocksteady’s use of environmental stories illustrates Batman’s relationships with characters without having to mention them explicitly.
For example, the relationship between Batman and Joker is iconic and clearly a cat-and-mouse back and forth action, which is why it didn’t take a cinematic fight to introduce them at the game’s opening. For fans not privy to any of Batman’s villains’ galleries, however, Batman Arkham Asylum‘s psychiatric tape recordings offer a creative glimpse into the backstories of these characters.
Even Batman’s relationships with Barbara Gordon, who currently takes on the Oracle mantle, and Jim Gordon are implicit, but their connections and shared history are clear. Environmental stories like this also infer that Barbara is already confined to a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury caused Joker.
Batman Arkham Asylum is therefore an incredibly competent starting point for its established Arkhamverse, and the interactions between characters only get heavily developed after that, including in the sequels and prequel. Furthermore, the Arkhamverse has the immense privilege of phenomenal acting talent, taking on Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in their roles of Batman and Joker respectively, helping to make each sequel part of a connected universe as well.
The connected Canon of the Arkhamverse is more important than the individual stories
Between each installment in Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal’s Arkhamverse, few titles have stories with the same impactful weight as their gameplay. For example, Batman Arkham Asylum is almost purely atmospheric, Batman: Arkham City takes place in a Gotham-funded, citywide compound run by criminals, and Batman: Arkham Knight is fairly predictable with an uninventive and underhanded twist on a classic storyline.
Batman: Arkham Origins suffers from a prequel item with expectations of what might happen, but at least provided an intriguing origin for the Arkhamverse’s Joker and arguably one of Bane’s better iterations in all of the Batman media. Fortunately, the individual stories of the Arkhamverse games are less important than the connected universe of the continuity as a whole.
Batman: Arkham City establishes several characters new to the franchise such as Hush, Mad Hatter, Ra’s al Ghul, and Penguin, the latter of whom expresses his personal resentment towards Bruce Wayne. These characters are new to the sequel, but also have their own histories within the Arkhamverse, and also all have compelling conclusions that Batman: Arkham Knight ends as the final entry with Batman as the protagonist.
Batman: Arkham City builds a relationship with Mr. Freeze that players can empathize with, so make him appear with an emotionally charged DLC expansion in Batman: Arkham Knight is a treat. It’s ultimately more exciting to see how different characters are rendered or developed from one game or episode to the next, especially after players have shared experiences with them in previous games.
The Arkhamverse’s Riddler is a prime example of how satisfying these relationships are between the player and each super-villain, as the arduous trophies hunt continues across all of Rocksteady’s entries. Finally being able to lock up Riddler is incredibly satisfying after solving all his riddles in between Batman Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham Cityand Batman: Arkham Knight.
There are many examples of satisfaction for players who have enjoyed the Rocksteady trilogy and the WB Games Montreal prequel. That’s why Arkhamverse’s continuity is specially made and seemingly insurmountable in terms of nostalgia in modern gaming.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Expands the Arkhamverse In-Game Universe
Harley Quinn and Penguin are some of the most prolific characters in the Arkhamverse, alongside perhaps some of the Bat Family characters and the Joker, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League continues that trend in the Arkhamverse. Harley will now take on a playable lead role; Harley’s Short DLC Expansion In Batman: Arkham Knight allowed her to play in the Bludhaven Police Department, and she kept in touch with Penguin throughout the process. It would be interesting to see if this DLC is noticed by these characters when they interact in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Unfortunately, Harley’s rhythmic Freeflow combat and clever UI for Psychosis Mode may not be re-introduced in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. However, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League doesn’t have to push its Arkhamverse connections adamantly on players to spark nostalgia, and will hopefully stand out in its own unique way as it offers a completely different gameplay experience.
The Arkhamverse could have ended with… Batman: Arkham Knight‘s Knightfall Protocol conclusion, and it may be difficult for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League to answer fans’ burning questions about when it will take place in the Arkhamverse. Either way, it’ll be exciting to see which storylines continue to be honored and which characters can appear with their own established histories to expand the in-game canon of the Arkhamverse into Metropolis.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is expected to be released in early 2023 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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