Ranking The BATMAN: ARKHAM Franchise From Worst To Best

It all began with that smash hit back in 2009 known as Batman: Arkham Asylum which exploded into a major franchise with two sequels, a prequel, and an animated tie-in movie. I find myself fortunate to have experienced the hype and release of these games and now with the new game from WB Games Montreal said to be a reboot, I believe it’s time I take a look back at all the entries of the Arkham games I mentioned and rank them from worst to best.

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Now let’s establish a few things first: I will only be talking about the main entries in the universe as well as the animated movie as a bonus. If I were to talk about everything in the Arkham universe, well this article would become an overly long novel. I never played Arkham Origins: Blackgate so that won’t be popping up here and…well Arkham Underworld is a hot mess so I’m skipping it.

I also want to state that this is just my opinion, if you have any agreements or disagreements, feel free to kindly say so. ONTO THE RANKINGS!

5. BATMAN: ASSAULT ON ARKHAM

“Mate… you just out-crazied The Joker!” ~Captain Boomerang

When characters like Deadshot, Harley, and Deathstroke began to appear in the Arkham franchise, many fans have wanted a spin-off game about the Suicide Squad but an animated movie definitely was a good compromise, especially when it turned out THIS good. Set between the events of Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, we see Task Force X given the mission of infiltrating Arkham Asylum and breaking out the Riddler for Amanda Waller.

From the moment it starts, they nail the atmosphere and the characters. The simple set up and almost grindhouse style introduction to the members of the Squad is enough to get me hyped everytime. Neal McDonough voices Deadshot and he is by far my favorite version of the character: he nails that calm and calculated side of the character but also perfectly emulates that emotion that the character keeps hidden. All the voice actors do a great job but McDonough is definitely the stand out.

The animation is beautiful, the character designs are great, the action is a lot of fun, and it has some great easter eggs for fans. So why is it the worst of the Arkham franchise? Well, unfortunately it really falls apart in the last act when the mission goes awry and causes the release of many villains. While it certainly looks cool and provides some cool action, it also creates conflict with what is established in Arkham Asylum when it is said that they’ve never had a breakout like this before. The biggest plothole is when Bane’s character shows up which directly conflicts with the revelation of the first game. It is a shame too because Assault On Arkham started off so well but ended up biting more than it can chew.

4. BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM

“Welcome to the Madhouse, Batman! I set up a trap and you sprang it gloriously! Now let’s get this party started.” ~The Joker

Ah, the one that started it all. When I first played this back in 2009, I was so addicted to it that the moment I beat the game, I started a brand new save file and played through again! Not many games hook me that hard and coming back to it over ten years later? It nearly hooked me again!

From the Metroidvania-styled Arkham Island to the explore, the dark and claustrophobic interiors, the many villains, the twists and turns, Arkham Asylum is still an amazing classic in my mind…but that doesn’t mean it’s aged perfectly. I’ll be honest, the combat system is a bit clunky compared to future games, sometimes the backtracking can be annoying, the upgrades are minimal, and the boss fights are not that impressive. My favorite boss by far is against Killer Croc in his lair but once you’ve experienced the terror the first time, the boss becomes predictable the next playthrough.

This game had by far the best visual style for the interface; I know that’s an odd thing to comment on but I personally found the black and white comic book style artwork for the menus, bonus features, and user interface to be the most appealing compared to the more bland Bat-Computer interface of the sequels. I hope WB Games brings this back for the reboot.

The story is still fantastic: the contained story on Arkham Island gives this tension and suspense that still makes me feel like I’m actually exploring an ancient asylum and helps me feel like I AM the Batman. The twists and turns are great, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are golden in their roles and I just love this game and I always look forward to playing it every year.

3. BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT

“This is how it happened. This…is how the Batman died.” ~Jim Gordon

I had a hard time choosing between this and the next entry for this spot but after giving it some thought, I had to put Knight at number three. Let me start by saying that I still really love this game but I can’t deny that I was disappointed by it when it first came out.

Starting with the good: the combat is at its best here. It flows perfectly, the controls feel fluid, it’s faster, it’s powerful, it makes you truly feel like this is the ultimate Batman combat simulator. I also am one of the few individuals that LIKED how much the Batmobile was used in this game since I figured, well if this is the last game, might as well go all out with it. The gameplay for the Batmobile itself I found to be tons of fun, I loved taking on the many challenges with it, getting all the upgrades, and dealing with all the puzzles.

Visually? This game is a masterpiece. Even in 2020, this game looks so good that I am shocked that this was a 2015 release. Everything from the character models to the details in the city, I loved the way this game looked. It just gets me excited to see what they can do in the future with characters like Superman or Wonder Woman!

Combined with the DLC, I found all the side missions and extra story chapters to be a lot of fun. These were my favorite parts of the game, just exploring Gotham and taking on the likes of Firefly, Professor Pyg, Mr. Freeze,…and a TERRIFYING version of Man-Bat! Sometimes they could feel repetitive but overall, I had a ton of fun with the side quests.

So what did I NOT like about this game? Remember I said I liked the side quests? Well, that’s because I really did not like the story for this game. Now, the sub-plot featuring The Joker inside Batman’s mind was AMAZING but the main story featuring the actual Arkham Knight himself? A total mess. The Arkham Knight is one of the most weak, annoying, and unsatisfying villains I have ever seen with one of the most predictable twists that I honestly was hoping it was all a trick by Scarecrow. Instead, it’s just a lame twist that I predicted from the first time I saw the Arkham Knight in marketing. I won’t spoil it here but…yeah, it’s obvious as to who he is.

Combine that with an admittedly decent Scarecrow who had a cliche villain plot and the story just felt so….meh, by the end of it. Especially when the BEST and most emotional twist turns out to be fake. I will probably do a whole article dedicated to why I can’t stand the Arkham Knight as a villain but for now, let’s move on.

The Bat-Family are criminally underused, especially after the marketing made it sound like you could play as both Robin and Nightwing with their own exclusive missions a la Grand Theft Auto V but instead, you’re just given some neat side-quests where you can temporarily play as them before swapping back to Batman or you have great but short story missions for them.

And the bosses….WOW! They got lazy with these boss fights: most of them are literally just punching and dodging or they are quick time events. Nothing unique except for two okay predator sequences where you have to take out different people infected with Joker’s blood. And don’t even get me started on that Deathstroke boss…

I despise everything involving the Riddler in this game…his character is annoying in all the worst ways with the constant broadcasts becoming a grating noise to the ears, his riddles and challenges are so easy that they end up becoming boring, his final boss fight is just as idiotic as the others, and everything involving this character has become a tedious joke throughout the series. I really hope the reboot does something new with him or chooses a new villain to provide Batman with challenges.

The map is lame. Some parts of it are fun to explore but overall, I felt that the map had no charm or personality to it. Miagani Island and Founders Island look almost identical while Bleake manages to have the most character of them all but all three are not that fun to explore unless you have the Batmobile.

Overall, Arkham Knight is a still a GREAT game but there is this bitter taste it leaves in my mouth every time I play it. I love it but it was definitely not the ultimate Batman simulator that I was hoping for and with provides a pretty sour ending to such a great series. I still come back to it every year and enjoy it but it definitely not my favorite.

2. Batman: Arkham City

“Shut it down? By the end of tonight, I will be a hero. Just like you… Batman.” ~Hugo Strange

Some sequels are more iconic than their predecessors: MegaMan II, Castlevania III, and you can definitely add Arkham City to that list because for the most part, Arkham City does everything that a sequel should do. How is the gameplay? It’s great (not as great as Knight but still great). The story is thrilling and engaging (almost) all the way through, the cast of villains is huge with plenty memorable moments, and even the boss fights manage to be fun!

The standout boss fight is without a doubt, the battle against Mr. Freeze: even to this day, defeating him can be difficult. I also loved Mr. Freeze as a whole: his design, the voice, his involvement in the story, he was by far the best villain in the game and I definitely wish I could have a game where I play as him.

The second campaign where you play as Catwoman is not extensive but it provides enough of a break from Batman’s gameplay and proves to be a lot of fun if not a little repetitive if you are going for 100% completion. Her fight against Two-Face was the other standout boss fight that I still struggle with to this day.

Arkham City, while not as atmospheric as Arkham Island, is a great map to explore with many fun side quests, unique locations, and provides a great feeling of tension and isolation that Knight simply could not pull off.

The story in this one is great with Hugo Strange providing a very interesting plot with Joker as a bonus yet again to make things worse for the Caped Crusader. However, I’d be lying if I did find myself bored with one section of the story and that was everything involving the League of Assassins and Ra’s Al Ghul towards the middle of the story. I don’t really know why but every time, that part of the story always makes me want to fall asleep but the moment it’s over, it goes back to being great.

The main twist as to who is working with Hugo Strange feels like a waste of potential as well but the rest of the ending featuring The Joker makes up for it. Especially when that part of the story provides its own twist that I did not see coming and I loved it! Now I love it even more because of all the subtle hints throughout the main story that I never noticed the first time.

Other than my few complaints, Arkham City rightfully deserves its spot as the best sequel in the franchise and while it is personally not my all time favorite, I can definitely see why it is for many others. Speaking of…

1. Batman: Arkham Origins

“Eight assassins after your head, what are you going to do?” ~Alfred Pennyworth

I am very much aware of how in the minority I am with this opinion but…I love this game to death. So let me just get the common complaints people have out of the way.

1. The Glitches: I’ve heard people go all out about the glitches but back when I first played on the Wii U (I upgraded to the Xbox 360 later), I only experienced one game breaking glitch that I managed to fix with a quick reset and a couple texture pop ins. Other than that, I was fortunate to run into very few glitches before the patches.
2. Not Kevin Conroy & Mark Hamill: I personally find this complaint to be just silly because I really enjoyed what Roger Craig Smith brought to the table as a younger Batman that feels both unique but I can also imagine being a young Conroy. Same for Troy Baker as The Joker who straight up sounds just like Hamill at times! Both these actors nail it.
3. It’s just a rehash of City. Another one I find to be silly because this was not the first time a game did this kind of work for a sequel/prequel. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask uses nothing but tweaked assets from Ocarina of Time with only a few new things added. WB Games Montreal had to work with minimal time, a budget, and had to use the same engine as Arkham City and I think they did pretty well with what they had.

This game by far has my favorite setting of the series with the Gotham City on Christmas Eve: the snowy rooftops, the Christmas decorations, the monochromatic color scheme, I think it all just works perfectly to give this almost CHILL atmosphere that I love…I’ll see myself out for that pun.

This Batman has by far my favorite suit of the series, so much so that I always find myself swapping to this suit whenever I have the chance in Arkham Knight. It feels like the perfect armored Batman that The Dark Knight movies tried to pull off but never could.

THE BOSS FIGHTS! Even in City, the boss fights were never the best thing about the games but this time? I think WB Games Montreal were determined to fix the mistakes of Rocksteady by giving us fights like Killer Croc, Copperhead, Firefly, and the fan favorite stand out, DEATHSTROKE! This is how you make a Deathstroke fight, Rocksteady! Not that…crap in Arkham Knight! I urge that you play this game just for the boss fights, you will not regret it.

If there was one thing from Origins I was happy returned in Knight, it was the more detailed detective work that helps you unfold new twists in the plot or solve fun mysteries as side quests. This is the closest thing to feeling like The World’s Greatest Detective we ever get in the franchise and I love it!

As for the story, I love the simple set up: there’s a bounty on Batman’s head and he’s trying to put the assassins away before Christmas morning. It provides this great tension and timing to the game that just keeps elevating throughout the campaign and with each twist and turn, Batman grows as a character and I love it! This game is the only one where it manages to keep getting better and better as it cranks up the action and twists. It has a great climax and provides the best ending bosses in the series!

This is the first time we ever got any kind of emotional moments between Batman and Alfred and it hits home when the two finally come to a head. This and Arkham Knight pretty much solidified Martin Jarvis as my favorite version of Alfred of all time!

Gameplay? Sure it’s very similar to City but the few new mechanics combined with an even faster combat system was satisfying to me. This was the first time the counter button never glitched out on me making me lose my combo counter so I found myself enjoying this more. I think it as City but slightly improved but that’s just me.

I only played the multiplayer for a brief period but I remembered it being broken, glitchy, weird, and…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun with it.

Overall, Arkham Origins is a game that I feel is often overlooked in this series and I urge those who have a way to play it (since WB Games Montreal refuses it remaster it), please do and give it another shot. It is a great prequel that provides a fun adventure that I think would be a great start for those who haven’t played any other game.

Despite my individuals flaws with each entry of the franchise, I can still go back and marathon the whole series and still love it. It’s an amazing journey to play from Arkham Asylum and work my way up to Arkham Knight that makes me remember my first times playing through and having just as much fun. With the reboot on the way, I am excited since the Arkham series gave me a beginning, a middle, and an end to Batman’s journey so continuing it will seem odd in my opinion. I can’t wait to experience what WB Games Montreal have in store for us in the future.

You’re all SO SWEET for making it this far and I hope you all enjoyed this review! I write about anything geek related, especially comic book related stuff so if you want to stay up to date with all the reviews, news breakdowns, and lists I do, make sure to follow this blog or follow me on Twitter @MelodyMacReady ! Love you all!

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