Enemy factions inArkhamgames, much less superhero games in general, can easily fall prey to being mere fodder forBatmanto break and knock unconscious. What buoys factions in the Arkhamverse is how humorous they can be to eavesdrop on asBatmanperches on a gargoyle above or crouches behind cover as they express dissenting opinions and are written to have unprecedented personalities. Enemy conversations are also a way players can gain crucial, foreshadowed insight into anArkhamgame’s plot, such as the number of teases that Joker isn’t always ‘Joker’ inBatman: Arkham City.
Batman: Arkham Asylum’s lone enemy factionsare Arkham Asylum and Blackgate inmates who are all equally carved out of wood (aside from Titan brutes and shrieking lunatics) and consolidated on Arkham Island together as a part of Joker’s Titan scheme.
With themystery of the Arkham Knight’s true identitywholly fueling the story’s intrigue, the seemingly endless sea of red-and-white camouflage that arrived with him inBatman: Arkham Knightwas a disappointing enemy faction bereft of any distinct personality. Now, if Rocksteady truly is followingSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewith a genuine Batman-ledArkhamgame, it hopefully won’t take such a safe route with its villains and their associable enemy factions.
The Arkham Knight’s Militia is the Arkhamverse’s Least Enticing Enemy Faction
The Arkham Knight’s militia is at least partially a forgettable enemy faction due to the Arkham Knight being forgettable himself. Indeed, the Arkham Knight and Scarecrow battling for limelight leads to both antagonists being underbaked and back-burned, especially whenBatman: Arkham Knightprimarily centers players’ attention on Most Wanted side missions littering Gotham City’s island districts.
Even Riddler’s Riddlerbots, while not human, are made compelling as an extension of Edward Nigma’s disinclination to work closely with humans he perceives as being intellectually inferior, preferring to manufacture automatons that can be mindlessly subservient. The militia’s only neat enemy type is arguably the medic who can ‘revive’ defeated mercenaries and zap them with a jolt of electricity.
These electrified enemies can be neutralized by hitting them with the Batclaw or REC gun, as well as by throwing ACE crates at them, hitting them with an enemy’s bat or pipe, or taking them out swiftly with a one-shot environmental interaction. Brutes, however, are an arduous and disappointing downgrade fromTitan brutes appearing inBatman: Arkham AsylumandBatman: Arkham Cityas they’re simply extraordinarily tall men this time around, not hulking degenerates with cool Joker-themed clown paint or Penguin-themed gang apparel.
The Arkham Knight’s militia is at least partially a forgettable enemy faction due to the Arkham Knight being forgettable himself.
TYGER is an Example of Crooked Armed Personnel Done Right in the Arkhamverse
Besides the prevailing tradition of henchmen willing to commit crimes and abide by super-villains’ wishes, TYGER is one of the most extraordinary enemy factions in the Arkhamverse. Moreover, TYGER is what the Arkham Knight’s unnamed militia should’ve strived toward or been an extension of if it was ever going to have the same charm. TYGER wasn’t necessarily an intimidating enemy faction inBatman: Arkham City, but its presence was made prominent with Professor Hugo Strange’s heel planted firmly on Gotham City’s neck while encouraging enemy factions for Two-Face, Joker, and Penguin to war within Arkham City’s super-prison compound.
TYGER being reused as an enemy faction inBatman: Arkham Shadowis logical because TYGER ran Blackgate, whereCamouflaj’s VR-exclusiveArkhamgametakes place almost entirely.
Seeing how TYGER might evolve in a futuristic sci-fi take could be excellent if Rocksteady does commit to a rumoredArkhamspin on theBatman Beyondstoryline. Yet, it would need someone like Professor Strange or Lyle Bolton’s Lock-Up to lead the morally dubious security detail to give it much-needed aura and personality.
Likewise,Batman: Arkham Shadow’s Rats are debatably the best enemy faction in the Arkhamverseas they’re quite sympathetic and misguided with tragic characters such as Harvey Dent and Dick Grayson being heavily involved with them. The one kind of faction Rocksteady will hopefully avoid like the plague, though, is anything that echoes a homogeneous and disinteresting mob.
