In general,Batman: Arkham Knight’s Arkham Episode DLCs are a bit lackluster. “GCPD Lockdown,” “A Flip of a Coin,” and Red Hood’s Story Pack star Dick Grayson’s Nightwing, Tim Drake’s Robin, and Jason Todd’s Red Hood, respectively, but these Episodes are disappointingly fleeting and hardly memorable, even if they do have fun moments, such as aLong HalloweenHoliday killer Easter egg.
That said, “A Matter of Family” is the most substantial of the Episodes withBatgirl finally becoming playable in a pre-Arkham Asylumchapter, while Harley Quinn’s Story Pack allows her to become playable for the first (but not last) time in the franchise with a fascinating Psychosis Mode UI and inventive gadgets.
The oddest of these Episodes, however, isBatman: Arkham Knight’s “Catwoman’s Revenge,” wherein Catwoman infiltrates Riddler’s Riddlerbot factory—an illuminating glimpse of just how Edward Nigma was able to manufacture a seemingly endless horde of automatons. In a franchise that debatably reaches its zenith mechanically, Catwoman’s DLC Episode features a notorious encounter that is gimmicky and peels back the layers of freeflow combat to have players rely on basics, evasion, and a liberal pinch of RNG.
Catwoman’s Riddler Factory Combat Challenge is a Test of Patience and RNG
The encounter in question regards a lift platform with floor panels that become increasingly electrified asCatwoman defends herself against a finite mob of Riddlerbots. On one hand, this challenge can be ridiculously aggravating for a number of reasons:
This culminates in a challenge that isn’t fully dependent on RNG but can feel like it due to a lack of control over Catwoman’s animations and having to time movements in accordance with the environmental hazards that corral them awkwardly into the middle of the stage. Of course, contact with an electrified panel or an electrified Riddlerbot doesn’t result in an instant failure and only accumulates damage over time. Thus, any damage players can spare at the beginning of the encounter is a boon since it’ll give Catwoman a longer leash and an excusable margin for error.
How Rocksteady Turns a New Leaf with Freeflow Combat in ‘Catwoman’s Revenge’
On the other hand, completing this encounter and learning its gimmick is arguably one of the more rewarding combat challenges because of its novelty. It’s neat to finally be tasked with a combat challenge where the player’s vast moveset is stifled, especially in a game as advanced and fluid asKnight, which doesn’t possess any truly grueling or difficult combat challenges itself aside from theIceberg Lounge’s egregious “Requiem for a Killer” trophy. Likewise,Batman: Arkham City’s “Joker’s Carnival” combat challenge is unique with players cashing in combo meter scores for more time on the clock, and yet players are not inhibited by a treacherous arena that is far worse to contend with than its enemies.
Dual Play is one ofBatman: Arkham Knight’s most terrific featuresbut, beyond the rarity of character swapping, it’s merely an extension of regular freeflow mechanics with two distinct movesets.
Rather, no combat encounter in the entire series is like the one inRiddler’s Riddlerbot factory—for better or for worse, depending on who’s asked—and that goes a long way in making Catwoman’s DLC extraordinary. Players certainly can use all of Catwoman’s gadgets in the last stretch of her Arkham Episode DLC, but having to restrain oneself and deny what they’d normally or instinctively resort to in combat makes this perilous encounter a rarity that is cherishable and gratifying once mastered.
