Batman: Arkham City is, by almost every measure, a landmark in superhero gaming! Rocksteady’s follow-up to the acclaimed Arkham Asylum delivered on several fronts.
However, for all its brilliance, Arkham City made a series of design and business decisions that frustrated fans at launch and set troubling precedents. Keep in mind, these are not minor nitpicks but real flaws that prevented a great game from becoming truly perfect.
5. The Pre-Order Bonus
Credits: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Credits: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Credits: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
At launch, Arkham City was one of the most aggressively fragmented games in terms of pre-order content. Much of this content was available through different retailers. It was not just cosmetic suits but playable characters and gameplay maps.
Fans were forced to either research obsessively or spend money across multiple retailers to get everything. It set a troubling precedent not only for Rocksteady but for the entire gaming industry.
4. The Riddler
The Riddler was overdone and underdelivered in Arkham City | Credits: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
The Riddler returned in the sequel with a dramatically expanded presence. However, for many, it was for the worse. Arkham City ballooned to 440 Riddler trophies and riddles combined, including a separate Catwoman collection.
Apart from the humongous quantity, there was little character development. For fans hoping to see Edward Nygma step up as a genuine threat, it was a total letdown. This setup carried over into Arkham Knight as well.
3. The Map
The Arkham City map is bigger, not better | Credits: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Arkham Asylum’s tightly crafted island map led to Arkham City’s sprawling open prison district. This was marketed as one of the sequel’s biggest strengths. However, the larger scale came at a cost.
Arkham City is littered with buildings and alleyways that exist purely to fill space. There are corridors players fly over to reach the next objective without a second thought. The large restricted area around Wonder Tower, which sits in the centre of the map, was also a major problem. It constantly forced players to detour around it.
2. The Villains Roster
Most villains are not characters, just roadblocks | Credits: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
It’s true that Arkham City assembled one of the most impressive villain rosters in gaming history. The problem, however, is that most of them are not really in the story; they are in the way of it!
Only three characters truly matter: Mr. Freeze, Hugo Strange, and The Joker. Poison Ivy is a footnote in Catwoman’s arc. Everyone else is there to delay you on your way to the next story beat. It is more fan-service than storytelling!
1. The DLC
The DLC was a wasted opportunity in Arkham City | Credits: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Arkham City’s sole story expansion, Harley Quinn’s Revenge, was a brief epilogue rather than a meaningful continuation of the main game’s events. Meanwhile, the majority of DLC releases were challenge map packs for Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman.
Characters like Nightwing and Robin deserved proper integration into the story! Instead, they were locked to challenge map arenas with no narrative context. The challenge maps themselves were restrictive. They didn’t reward players for the creative freedom that made Arkham City’s core gameplay so satisfying.
FlawCategoryPre-Order Bonus ProblemMonetisationThe Riddler Was OverdoneGame DesignThe Map Is Bigger, Not BetterOpen World DesignMost Villains Are Just RoadblocksNarrativeThe DLC Was a Wasted OpportunityPost-Launch Content
Is Batman: Arkham City still worth playing despite its flaws?
Absolutely, Arkham City remains one of the greatest superhero games ever made and is essential playing for any Batman fan. The flaws discussed here are notable precisely because the game gets so much else right.
How many Riddler trophies are there in Batman: Arkham City?
There are 440 Riddler trophies and riddles in total across Batman and Catwoman’s combined collectibles. This is nearly double the roughly 240 collectibles in Arkham Asylum!
Is Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC worth playing?
Harley Quinn’s Revenge is a decent but brief epilogue, completable in under 90 minutes. It is worth a playthrough for fans, but its brevity is a genuine disappointment given the strength of the main game’s story.
Do you have other flaws in mind that dulled Arkham City’s experience for you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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