Batman: Arkham Trilogy (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.3 Update

Batman: Arkham Trilogy is a series of action-adventure video games based on the DC Comics character Batman, developed by Rocksteady Studios and WB Games Montréal, and published originally by Eidos Interactive and currently by Warner Bros. Games. The franchise consists of four main installments and an upcoming spin-off, along with four smaller titles for mobile devices, a virtual reality game, tie-in comic books, and an animated film. The continuity established by the games is often referred to as the Arkhamverse.

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM

Batman: Arkham Asylum, the first game in the series, was written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini and developed by Rocksteady. The game takes place entirely on Arkham Island, which houses the eponymous Arkham Asylum, home of some of Batman’s most notorious foes. In the main storyline, Batman must once again stop his archenemy, the Joker, who has instigated an elaborate plot to seize control of Arkham and trap Batman on the island, while threatening Gotham City with hidden bombs. While fighting through the Asylum’s inmates and attempting to restore order, Batman learns that the Joker has gained possession of a large quantity of Titan, an experimental chemical based on Venom, the drug used by Bane to enhance his powers, and must destroy it before the Joker can use it for his nefarious schemes. Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin respectively voice Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn in the game, reprising their roles from the DC Animated Universe.

After its initial release, Arkham Asylum received downloadable content (DLC) that added new maps to the game’s challenge mode, as well as the Joker as a playable character (albeit only on the PlayStation 3 and Return to Arkham versions).

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to Arkham Asylum and features a bigger cast of characters and a story again written by Paul Dini, along with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill. Set 18 months after Arkham Asylum, the game sees Bruce Wayne incarcerated within Arkham City, a new super-prison based in the decaying urban slums of Gotham City, established by former Arkham Asylum warden and current Gotham mayor Quincy Sharp. While contending with various inmates taking advantage of Arkham City’s lawlessness, Batman must uncover the secret behind a sinister scheme, code-named “Protocol 10”, orchestrated by the facility’s warden, Hugo Strange. At the same time, the Joker is slowly dying due to the unstable properties of the Titan formula in his blood and infects Batman with the same disease to force him to find a cure. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their respective roles as Batman and the Joker.

Arkham City introduces side missions to the series, each focusing on different villains whose schemes Batman must thwart. It also features DLC that adds Catwoman as a playable character, along with her campaign that runs parallel with the main story. In addition to Batman and Catwoman, the game’s challenge mode also features Nightwing and Robin as playable characters. Another DLC, titled Harley Quinn’s Revenge, adds a second campaign, set after the main story, in which Robin must rescue Batman after he is captured by a vengeful Harley Quinn in Arkham City.

BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT

Batman: Arkham Knight is the sequel to Arkham City and the biggest installment in the series. Intended to be the final Batman: Arkham game, it was developed once again by Rocksteady, and released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on June 23, 2015. Set nine months after the events of Arkham City, the game sees the return of the villain Scarecrow, who forces a citywide evacuation in Gotham and unites several of Batman’s greatest villains in an attempt to destroy the Dark Knight once and for all. Scarecrow is aided by the mysterious Arkham Knight, who has a personal vendetta against Batman and seems to know all of his secrets. Although aided by several allies, Batman’s quest to stop the villains is hindered by the Joker, who, despite his death in Arkham City, lives on as a hallucination in Batman’s mind and is slowly taking over his body. Arkham Knight is set in Uptown Gotham, which is located west of City and Origins’ Old and New Gotham, and comprises three main islands: Bleake Island, Miagani Island, and Founders’ Island. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively.

DLC released for the game includes four side missions centered around the villains Killer Croc, Ra’s al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, and Mad Hatter; short story-driven missions set both before and after the main story, focusing on characters other than Batman, such as Batgirl, Red Hood, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman; additional challenge maps; and skins for both the playable characters and the Batmobile (which makes its debut in the series as a driveable vehicle).