The gadgetsBatmanwields in the Arkhamverse continuity all have a unique purpose in either combat, stealth, traversal, or puzzle-solving. Obtained in a particular order throughout each respective installment, there is often a rhyme or reason to the progress of gadget acquisition that affects what areas will be unlocked for exploration or what upgrade skills will be made available. For simplicity’s sake, gadgets vanish ontoBatman’s person and are retrieved in an instant from thin air. Similarly, there’s seemingly no limit to how much equipment Batman can equip, even if he does remark to Alfred Pennyworth that he once considered a bigger belt and rejected the idea as it would slow him down.
Batman: Arkham Knight’s Disruptor being collapsible is a nice touch since it could reasonably latch onto his belt somewhere, but gadgets such as the Line Launcher, Remote Electrical Charge gun, andBatman: Arkham Origins’ Remote Claware too large to be stashed away believably.
No game is inherently made better by being hyperrealistic and every gadget needing to be physically represented on Batman’s belt wouldn’t necessarily make the experience better—it could potentially make it worse, in fact, with not every tool at the player’s disposal made readily available. That said, creating restrictive builds out of the World’s Greatest Detective’s eclectic equipment might make for a fairlynovel Batman game after over 15 years of the sameArkhamformula.
A Batman RPG Letting Players Equip Their Batsuit Loadout Could Have Endless Potential
Among countless possible design implementations,an RPG-esqueBatmangamecould allow players to select a number of gadgets from the Batcave that they’ll take with them.Arkhamgames famously pace progression through their story campaigns via the gadgets players obtain. Meanwhile, a customizable selection of gadgets would require fewer Metroidvania-esque progression systems since players may not have one or more key items needed to access different areas and consequently render personalized builds invalid.
This could let gadget assortments mimic a ‘build’ that players assign to themselves and also make for an immersive Batman experience where not every tool in the Caped Crusader’s arsenal might fit on his utility belt.
If nothing else, a build system might be refreshing and emphasize gadgetry in nearly every scenario, such as whether players prefer their Dark Knight to sneak around like a shadowy wraith and pick enemies apart one by one or wade openly into mobs of henchmen. Plus, if an RPGBatmangame was toabscond from rhythmic freeflow combat as WB Games Montreal’sGotham Knightsdid, it would be interesting to see how a new or alternate combat system could be complemented by a carefully curated selection of gadgets.
Why Future Batman Games are Unlikely to Rupture the Age-Old Status Quo
It would probably make sense to leave any RPG inspirations to a new, non-Arkhamgame as the Arkhamverse’s reputation intrinsically adheres to action-adventure gameplay. Of course, Rocksteady and Warner Bros. have now deeply contested what an Arkhamverse game should look like viaSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Rocksteady’s latest was long overdue with multiple teases and direct allusions to various Task Force X goings-on inArkhammedia and, while aSuicide Squadgame might never have been able to conform to theBatmangames’ gameplay, it seems like any potential hesitations were not unreasonable.
Indeed, the rough reception toSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s live-service shooter designmay likely catalyze a hard pivot back to theArkhamgames’ formula for the purposes of damage control. Rocksteady redesigning itsArkhamformula for a modern era wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, though, and substituting action-adventure features for RPG ones is an avenue that could have tremendous opportunities in gameplay if committed to.
