Top 10 Batman Arkham Series Moments!

#10: Welcome to the Madhouse

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“Batman: Arkham Asylum” (2009) What better way to start this list than with the moment that started the whole franchise? Once again, Batman has foiled The Joker and brought him back to Arkham. As Batman follows the guards while they escort Joker, we get an extensive tour of most of the Asylum… and a sign of what’s to come. When the tour ends, something is troubling the Crusader… and he is right to worry. Turns out Joker’s capture was all a trap – with Harley Quinn running security, the inmates are let loose and the Clown has full control of the Asylum. After the first of many inmate brawlings, it’s clear that we’re in for a long night.

“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015) Arkham Knight features villains both familiar and new to the games –including the debut of the beastly Man-Bat. After a heart-stopping first encounter, Batman hunts for the creature, and identifies it as a mutated Dr. Kirk Langstrom. When we find the Doctor’s lab, it isn’t pretty – a video of the monster’s origin is found… along with the body of Langstrom’s wife. After concocting an antidote, it’s all a matter of tracking the beast and administering the cure. The poor doctor grieves, but one well-hidden easter egg suggests that his wife may still be alive.

#8: The old Fake Joker gag

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“Batman: Arkham City” (2011) A gag so nice, he pulled it off twice. Ever since the incident at the Asylum, Joker hasn’t been looking so hot. Desperate for Batman’s help, the Clown uses a body double to fool the Bat and force him into an offer he can’t refuse. Later, it seems as though Joker’s been “cured” …but a few cryptic clues suggest otherwise. In a clever plot twist, we find out that Joker is still dying, and the “cured” Clown is actually Clayface -ready for one last brutal boss fight. While subtle, the clues leading up to this moment are right in front of us, challenging us as actual detectives.

#7: Playing as Catwoman

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“Batman: Arkham City” (2011) While our Dark Knight’s the central playable character, the DLC and Game of the Year edition of Arkham City offered us another –very welcomed- character. When the Bat’s away, Catwoman will play –with extremely agile combat, and her own array of gadgets such as her trusty whip. While Batman is trying to take down Arkham City, Catwoman is on a mission of her own – sneaking around the city to find her missing loot. However, when the Bat lands in trouble, the Cat has to decide – save him, or leave him. Even if you choose to leave, you won’t have much of a choice; she’s not THAT evil.

“Batman: Arkham Origins” (2013) Twas the night before Christmas, and all throughout Gotham, eight deadly assassins have come to take the Dark Knight out… one of them being Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. While looking for answers, Batman is interrupted by Slade, who challenges the Caped Crusader to a one-on-one combat match to the death. While Bats is no slouch, he’s still fairly new to the game at this point, so he has to keep on his toes to stand a chance against the faster and more experienced assassin. Deathstroke would re-appear in Knight –in a less exciting tank boss battle, but his Origins struggle really highlights Batman’s development as a fighter in his earliest days.

#5: Ra’s al Ghul’s boss battle

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“Batman: Arkham City” (2011) Mister Freeze can make the cure for what’s ailing Batman and Joker, but it needs a certain enzyme from the blood of Ra’s al Ghul. Unfortunately, the only way Bats can even approach Ra’s is to pass the “Demon Trial” -by drinking a strange concoction and surviving an intense and twisted hallucinational landscape. After completing the trials, Batman confronts Ra’s… but getting his blood is easier said than done – he’s still under the influence of the drink, and now must fight Ra’s in a fantasized desert battleground. The mind is a dangerous thing, especially when it creates fighting arenas like this; highlighting just how creative the environments and boss battles could become.

#4: The Joker Hallucinations

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“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015) Even in death, The Joker continues to haunt Batman. The departed clown has tainted five victims with his poisoned blood, including Batman himself, slowly mutating them into little Joker clones. The Dark Knight gets the worst of it though – exposure to Scarecrow’s new fear toxin causes him to have illusions of the Joker alive and well. Now the ghastly clown won’t leave him alone – he heckles him, he shows him haunting memories, and he even serenades him. The whole thing turns into a mental tug-of-war for control of the Bat… but in the end, the Crusader kicks this ghost to the curb with the one thing Joker IS afraid of – being forgotten.

“Batman: Arkham City” (2011) Batman’s number is almost up, and the only one who can save him is his coldest adversary – Mister Freeze. Freeze successfully creates the cure… but rather than hand it over, he has something else in mind. With no time to negotiate, Batman has no other choice but to take him out. Facing him head on is out of the question, so this will ultimately challenge the Bat’s stealthy measures – keeping out of Freeze’s sight, he sneaks around and strikes from the shadows. Of course our Caped Crusader comes out on top, but let’s not forget – all Freeze really wants is to find his beloved wife, so we could at least help him out.

“Batman: Arkham Asylum” (2009) & “Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015) Scarecrow can bring the bravest of men to their knees with his fear toxin; unfortunately, Batman gets more than his fair share of the gas in both Asylum and Knight. During the former, he faces three horrifying visions before ending up in the Nightmare World – a land where Scarecrow is large and in charge, and Bats must discretely take him out to return to reality. During Arkham Knight, after just one gaseous encounter, the WORLD becomes one inescapable nightmare, and in the PS4 exclusive DLC, Batman can once again take on the Scarecrow’s nightmares in a series of challenges.

#1: Death of The Joker

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“Batman: Arkham City” (2011) We all know that Batman could never kill The Joker… but could the clown kill himself? Joker’s absurd stunt in the finale Arkham Asylum leaves him on borrowed time, and he needs Batsy’s help to save his life. In the finale, it’s already too late… the cure is accidentally destroyed and the Clown’s time is up. After one last shocking confession from Bats, Joker departs from this world just as we’d expect – with one last laugh. With his oldest enemy gone, Batman makes this his burden to carry –both physically and mentally. While some will celebrate Joker’s demise, others won’t let this go, and this whole experience will haunt our Dark Knight for years.