Remembering Batman: Arkham Asylum, An Icon That Came Out 15 Years Ago On This Day

It’s been a while since I’ve replayed the icon that Batman: Arkham Asylum is even to this day in 2024, which is a whopping 15 years from the game’s release. As a matter of fact, it’s been a while since I played any capable superhero game that’s come out fresh, so you know the eminence of a title like this right out the gate as I’m putting together this piece, and reminiscing what Rocksteady — the developer — was capable of back in the day.

Sure, there is Marvel’s Spider-Man, but the gritty, balls-to-the-wall approach that I’m particularly looking for is an itch not many games are capable of scratching. So trust me when I say that you if you’ve somehow managed to skip out on this title, there are a million different reasons you should go ahead and pick it up right now. For starters, Batman: Arkham Asylum’s combat is a class apart, not to mention its overall atmosphere. 

Let’s gauge how the gameplay fares up in this action thriller, as I take you on a trip down memory lane. 

Terrific Gameplay That Makes It The Perfect Batman Game

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Batman: Arkham Asylum is not just its unique way of piecing together a character that’s so well-put and amazingly designed, but how it tells the story of an authentic Batman. Heck, this game pays so much attention to detail, that you’ll observe Batman’s suit showing signs of wear and tear as you progress through the mainline campaign. By the end of it, you’ll see how it’s mostly busted up. 

It aches me to my core how many of the AAA games released in recent times play and feel worse than Batman: Arkham Asylum—a game that came out more than one and a half decades ago.”

So as far as the atmosphere is concerned, no other Batman title nails it quite like Asylum. Even though there are Batman: Arkham City, Arkham Origins, and Arkham Knight succeeding it, none of them have been able to replicate that dark, grueling tone of the title at hand. 

Batman Arkham Asylum: A superhero classic worth playing even today
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That’s one of the primordial reasons right there Arkham Asylum is so loved to date. I mean, come on. So many instances in this title that scream Rocksteady putting genuine love and effort into it, and that’s something rarely found in the day and age of the gaming industry today. An utterly distinct game over screen? Check. A sequence where the title makes you believe your PC has crashed hard? Check. 

Arkham Asylum Spawned The Greatest Superhero Game Franchise 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again—not even Insomniac’s Spider-Man tops what the Batman: Arkham series has managed to achieve, save for the technology leap and advancements on that front because, let’s face it, this is a fairly dated trilogy we’re talking about, compared to a series that’s in tune with the times and the best hardware tech of today. 

Playing Arkham Asylum again after all these years still best Batman game
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That comparison aside for a minute, therefore, Batman: Arkham Asylum gave us Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight in its wake, with all of these titles offering their own unique touch to the overall experience, whether that comes in the form of the gameplay, or the story. You’re still not going to find any of these lacking in some aspect, though which is something of a commonplace element these days in the gaming sphere, unfortunately. 

Arkham Asylum bows to its successors as far as the combat is concerned, although this is nothing short of an accomplishment by Rocksteady.” 

Cheers To The Good Days

WB, in its pursuit of transitioning its biggest franchises to the live service format, thought it fit to continue the Batman: Arkham franchise with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. This is a third-person, open-world shooter, with none of the charm of the previous games, and all of the jank of live service bogus. Suffice to say that it hasn’t quite stuck so far, despite coming out about 7 months ago. 

Next, a Meta Quest 3 exclusive title, called Batman: Arkham Shadow will be released in October. Instead of turning back to the series’ roots, WB marched ahead in the VR direction, which feels like a misstep entirely. I’m not saying that this game is going to turn out bad—I have no idea how the final product is going to be, but what I do know is that it’s not console-specific.

In any case, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to Rocksteady for giving me, and probably many others, one of the best games I’ve ever played. Talk about tight, linear action with particular villains. No microtransactions, no Battle Passes, no nothing. Pure fun, entertainment, and action.