The Batman Arkham Trilogy has officially launched on Nintendo Switch, bringing the long-awaited arrival of Rocksteady’s Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight to Nintendo’s current-gen console.
For many Batman fans excited to re-experience these acclaimed titles on a different platform, a noticeable omission from the newly released Switch compilation is 2013’s Batman: Arkham Origins from WB Games Montreal. Although the Arkham prequel has exceedingly been regarded as the black sheep of its series since launch, let’s examine why this highly underrated Batman title deserves a remake, remaster, or simply a second look over a decade later.
Every Other Batman Game Has Been Remastered or Ported
While Arkham Origins was initially released on PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360, and is only playable in the current-gen through backward compatibility, every other prominent Batman: Arkham game has since been remastered or ported to later-gen platforms. It only seems fair that Arkham Origins should get the same treatment with a remaster or remake of its own.
Arkham Origins Sold Millions of Copies (and Would Sell Millions More)
Although Arkham Origins received middling reviews from critics, WB Games Montreal’s prequel demonstrated impressive sales, with estimates of 5 to 7 million copies sold (based on limited available information). With Batman: Arkham being such a valuable brand in the world of gaming, without any new releases since 2016’s Arkham VR, an Arkham Origins remaster or remake could be highly profitable, providing a huge financial incentive for Warner Bros. to remake, remaster, or re-release the game in the current generation.
Batman’s Boss Fight Brilliance
One of the most unsung aspects of Batman: Arkham Origins is the game’s excellent boss battles and set pieces that generated some of the most memorable moments in the entire series. The biggest standout is the Batman vs. Deathstroke fight early in Arkham Origins’ campaign. Still, there were plenty of other memorable boss battles, including Copperhead, Firefly, as well the subversive bout against the Electrocutioner (who could hilariously be defeated with a single hit). It would be amazing to see Batman duking it out with these notable villains (and more) in 4K, 60 frames-per-second via a remaster or remake.
Online Out of Order
Origins featured a unique online multiplayer game mode that pitted henchmen against supervillains and superheroes, unlike the other Arkham games. Unfortunately, Arkham Origins’ online multiplayer has since been deactivated due to server closure, causing a significant portion of the Arkham Origins experience to no longer exist. Worse yet, while the PS3 version remained online through mid-2023, the now-discontinued multiplayer caused many of the game’s trophies to become unobtainable, something that is sure to keep completionists and achievement hunters away. A remaster could remedy this issue, either by reinstating Arkham Origins’ multiplayer mode for the current generation of gaming or by instituting a new trophy list without online-only achievements.
Batman: The Cult (Classic)
It’s undeniable that Arkham Origins is clearly not as great as Asylum, City, or Knight, but few titles can live up to Rocksteady’s series’ standard. Unlike its predecessors, Origins generated mid-70s Metacritic scores across all of its platforms at launch, far below Asylum (92), City (96), and Knight (87). However, the game’s audience scores were noticeably higher than the critical consensus, and attitudes towards Arkham Origins have begun to shift a decade after release, making the 2013 DC superhero title somewhat of a cult classic.
Increasingly, industry writers, content creators, and/or outspoken fans have highlighted the understated aspects of Arkham Origins, and there is a growing awareness that WB Games Montreal’s Batman entry was unfairly maligned at launch.
Ultimately, Origins may not be as great as the rest of the series, but it is abundantly clear that this game remains an essential part of the Batman Arkham mythos and shouldn’t have been excluded from the newly released Switch collection. With impressive sales, along with some of the series’ most memorable moments, a now-defunct online mode, and an undeniable cult classic status among fans, we can only hope that Warner Bros. will give us the chance to reexperience this misunderstood game by releasing the long overdue remaster or remake that Arkham Origins needs and deserves.
