Let’s get back to talking about the 2009 action adventure hit Batman: Arkham Asylum, published by Warner Bros. (Square Enix in Japan) and developed by Rocksteady Studios. With the game garnering universal praise, it’s been said that no other superhero game had ever been developed with such utmost quality. By the time Arkham City was released last year, a few other superhero games emerged (Spiderman: Edge of Time, Infamous, etc.) but none able to meet the standards Arkham Asylum had set years back. Good news for the Bat’s fans; the only superhero game that surpassed the quality of Arkham Asylum is hinting at an imaginably more ambitious sequel.

Besides being absolutely overwhelmed with Arkham City, I was mostly excited being able to play as Catwoman. Everything about her was entirely awesome. There were however, still a few things I had wanted to see in Arkham City, but Rocksteady thought otherwise. Let’s take a look on what I had in mind:

Batmobile: One of Batman’s vehicles of choice is the Batmobile. Arkham Asylum only allowed us to see the Dark Knight’s monstrous car, so I thought perhaps the sequel might allow us to actually drive it. However, I was disappointed it wasn’t the case. It could’ve been a treat driving around Arkham City while being chased by its rampart citizens. The use of the grappling gun gets a little repetitive at times, no matter how cool it is. So why not a fun, high-speed chase?

Batcave: Throughout the game, Batman was on the street beating up thugs, stopping crime and saving lives. Still, I thought it was cool if Batman periodically returned to his secret cave for a nap or a bowl of soup. Why couldn’t the Batcave serve as the game’s hub world, where Batman messed around with his high-tech supercomputer and solve some mysterious puzzles that way? Most of the time during the game, Batman looked wounded and his suit was all torn up. Perhaps a shower and a fresh new suit would make things a little more relaxing. Arkham Asylum allows us to visit a secret Batcave at Dead Man’s Point, but visiting the Bat’s main headquarters would’ve been awesome.

Lucius Fox: It’s probably Morgan Freeman who has made me more interested with this Batman’s weapons provider, but he was never present in both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. We hear some good deal of Batman Alfred over the phone, but a few calls from Lucius Fox would expand the connection between Batman and his trusted companions. Perhaps in one or two cases where Batman needs to consult with him, as he did with Oracle. It would’ve been great if Fox at least made a cameo appearance to introduce a new gadget or something.

We all understand that it’s not possible to include more than 30 characters and have them all playing major roles during the game. But beside how the story is being portrayed, it’s important to add variations in gameplay before we start complaining about its repetitiveness. Even though there were quite a few new gadgets such as remote electrical charge and a signal disruptor debuting in Arkham City, the gameplay somewhat remained the same. So other than getting our hands on more new gadgets in the upcoming sequel, it’d be a boon being able to do more activities than before.

Now, let’s take a good look into what we’ve played so far, and where this majestic story’s direction might potentially go [SPOILER ALART]:

Hush’s Plan: While exploring the cold streets of Arkham City, you probably came across a murder victim who was not only killed, but had his face stolen. After looking for clues for multiple murders relating to the case, the evidence all pointed to Bruce Wayne as the murderer. Players eventually figure out that the killer is actually Thomas Elliot (a.k.a Hush), Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend who has been collecting human parts to alter his appearance into an exact replica of the former’s.

Unlike Bruce, Elliot’s upbringing was difficult. Elliot’s parents were cruel and neglectful. In an attempt to inherit his parents’ wealth, Elliot attempted to kill both of them by cutting their car’s break lines. His father was killed, though Elliot’s mother was saved by Thomas Wayne. Thus, Elliot ended his friendship and began a long-term resentment for Bruce. Training as a surgeon, Elliot had only one desire: to destroy Bruce Wayne. Hush doesn’t provide any more information, and vanishes into the night.

The League of Assassins Return: When playing through Arkham City, the player is made to believe that the game is centered on the Joker and Hugo Strange. However, during the final battle between Strange and Batman, Ra’s Al Ghul appears and murders Strange. It is then we find out that Ra’s used Strange and his obsession with Batman led to the organizing of Protocol Ten, a plan that would gather all the criminals in Gotham into one place then start an apparent mass murder. This was merely a test to see if it would be successful and then attempt to manipulate the procedure around the world in order to ‘cleanse the planet of evil’. Quincy Sharpe was also a peon in this grand plan, but Strange was the one controlling his actions; he was then betrayed when he ceased being useful.

While Batman stopped the plan from coming to fruition, the League of Assassins will most likely retaliate with the apparent death of Talia al Ghul. Although Ra’s was last seen being impaled, another dip into the Lazarus Pit should fix him up.

The Return of the Scarecrow: The dark and twisted nightmares created by Jonathan Crane, or better known as the Scarecrow, was greatly admired by critics and gamers as one of the best events in Arkham Asylum. These Fear Gas-induced sequences allowed the player to traverse scattered supernatural environments in an attempt to break through reality and was one of the most memorable experiences of the entire game. Despite Crane’s dreadful tactics, Batman was victorious in the end.

His last appearance in Arkham Asylum was he was dragged into the sewers and apparently eaten by Killer Croc. When you complete the game on its hardest difficulty, you are able to see an extra cutscene that shows Crane’s hand emerging from the water and gripping a container of the Titan formula. Crane doesn’t physically make an appearance within Arkham City, but his presence lingers in the form of dialogue from other characters and a hidden boat next to the Steel Mill. After decoding the hidden lock, the password being “CITYOFTERROR”, you can access to what seems to be a makeshift lab that holds a dead body tied to a chair (most likely a test subject), crates filled with cockroaches, and a memo on the crates stating it was addressed to Dr. Jonathan Crane for medical research.

So what exactly was Scarecrow doing with the Titan formula? Perhaps it’s a new variation of the deadly fear toxin? The dead body definitely shows that Crane was experimenting with something new and dangerous. Later in the game, you encounter Azrael, if you collect all the map fragments, who tells you of “The Prophecy” that Batman is the “warrior who will close the gates of Hell, you are the one who will save this day, and in doing so, events will occur that you cannot stop, from the ashes of Arkham the fires will rage and Gotham will burn, and you, you will burn too”. Also included on the frequencies are decoded messages that state:

500.00/900.00 YOUWILLPAYFORWHATYOUHAVEDONETOME
700.00/500.00 IWILLRETURNBATMAN
200.00/500.00 FEARWILLTEARGOTHAMCITYTOSHREDS

It is heavily conveyed that Scarecrow will return and take his revenge on the Dark Knight by filling the streets of Gotham with a refined version of the fear gas and watching as the city tears itself apart. Sounds like anything familiar?

However, when the game clearly wasn’t enough; we were fed with the recent release of the Arkham City DLC, The Revenge of Harley Quinn. It is apparent that Quinn wants more than ever to make the Dark Knight suffer for not saving her love, Joker. Despite having a no-killing policy, Harley almost succeeded in pushing Batman further, but failed in the end. This doesn’t mean that she will quit, and perhaps losing her only connection to the Joker has given Harley no reason to live other than making Batman suffer.

With all these dynamics, I’m highly anticipating what Rocksteady has in store in whatever sequel there is to Arkham City. We have already witnessed a game that exceeds the appeal not only within the superhero genre, but a complete, action-packed game. If it was for any other developer, we might not be too hopeful. The Batman franchise has already made its presence known, and we’re hoping it stays that way for a long time.

Special thanks to Adam for helping me out finishing this article and David for the proofread.