Can Batgirl save Arkham Knight?
It’s no secret that Warner Brothers’ Arkham Knight has been an uncompromising success since its release a couple of weeks ago – it has already become the fastest selling game of the year, beating out other top contenders such as Witcher 3 and WB’s own Mortal Kombat X.
But despite the glowing reviews and piles of money, the fan community has been rather vocal in their complaints about what some have called the weakest entry in the series – grievances range from a flawed story with many plot holes, to a freeroam element that dilutes the immersiveness of previous games, to a heavy overreliance on the new Batmobile. Warner Brothers has also been accused of removing fan favourite features – such as the Challenge Maps – to sell them back at a later date as part of a $40 DLC Season Pass.
Yet in spite of these flaws, the core game is still as good as it ever was. And if the teasers for the upcoming Batgirl DLC are any indication, we might be getting the more refined Batman experience we can’t get enough of.
Set in the timeline as a prequel to 2009’s Arkham Asylum, the story sees Babs and Robin (who is still Tim Drake; a curious choice if you’ve played the main campaign of Arkham Knight), teaming up to take on Joker and Harley in an abandoned fairgrounds to rescue Commissioner Gordon.
There’s a lot to like about what Warner Brothers has been presented here. While the DLC itself is being prepared by WB Games Montreal, who were behind 2013’s Arkham Origins, the Batgirl-centric story – titled Batgirl: A Matter Of Family – looks to deliver an experience that requires more strategy and less braun. According to design producer Justin Vasquez: “Our intention was that Batgirl should be less powerful than Batman, but that Batgirl plus hacking could give her opportunities do things that not even Batman can pull off.”
“[It’s] a love letter to the original game that started this incredible franchise,” Vazquez continues, but it remains to be seen if the team can deliver. So far, the same studio has created the other Arkham Episodes that came as pre-order DLC for both Red Hood and Harley Quinn, which have been widely panned for their paper-thin narrative and 10-to-15 minute playtime.
With so many frustrations revolving around Arkham Knight’s release, Warner Brothers and Rocksteady need this first true DLC to be a hit, otherwise we might start seeing all those fast-selling copies padding the pre-owned walls at Gamestop.
Batgirl: A Matter of Family releases on PS4, XBox One and PC on July 21st for $6.99, and July 14th for Season Pass holders.
