Batman: Arkham Knight was meant to be the grand finale of the Batman: Arkham franchise, though the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will continue the franchise in 2023. So to finish the original series with a bang, Rocksteady Studios made it into the biggest of the first four games with the most side quests.
Very view games manage to make every side quest perfect and Arkham Knight is not one of them. Sometimes the missions in Arkham Knight feel more like the developers went for quantity over quality; so for every mission that feels like an interactive Batman comic, others feel like unwanted detours.
Lamb To The Slaughter
Including a more obscure villain like Deacon Blackfire was a good touch, but it is done through an awkwardly introduced side-mission. Out of seemingly nowhere, Jack Ryder is captured by Blackfire and his cult, forcing Batman to save his life.
It’s a very brief combat mission that can be beaten within a few minutes. It doesn’t much to the story or character development and provides little to no challenge. Fans likely would have preferred one of Arkham‘s cut villains like Zsasz or Prometheus.
Riddler’s Revenge
At this point, it’s become infamous that Riddler was egregiously overused in Batman: Arkham Knight. The tedious trophy collecting and riddle-solving were already bad enough but having him constantly pester the player turned this side mission into a chore.
Solving every single puzzle in his mission results in having to fight Riddler in a large robotic suit. It was not worth the massive grind, especially since the boss fight ends as quickly as it begins.
Gotham On Fire
Put out a fire, chase Firefly through Gotham, and then punch him for a bit. Rinse and repeat those same exact actions three times and Batman automatically brings Firefly to the GCPD. That is the entirety of this side mission.
Encountering Firefly is fun at first but it becomes boring when it is just repeating the same action every time. There isn’t even really a boss fight with Firefly so it just wastes the inclusion of this character.
A Friend In Need
After all the setup in Batman: Arkham City, fans expected Hush to be a big threat in Arkham Knight. Instead, he is limited to a memorable but very short mission in which Batman saves Lucius Fox who Hush takes as a hostage.
This side mission features a great dual performance from Kevin Conroy as one of the best Batman voice actors as well as the sinister Hush, and the mission does have a few exciting moments. Still, the story lasts fifteen minutes at the most which make all the build-up from Arkham City feel squandered.
The Militia
Though it can be monotonous, “The Militia” sidequest is actually several different sidequests that allow the player to swap up if it becomes too boring. Disarming explosives, shutting down checkpoints, and bringing down APCs are all things players have to do.
Where it really falls apart is the final boss. All of the Militia sidequests culminate with a fight against Deathstroke in a weaker clone of the Arkham Knight fight in the Cloudburst. It is one of the most disappointing boss fights of the Arkham games.
The Line Of Duty
The “Line of Duty” mission is one that sadly comes off as repetitive since it boils down to repeatedly saving firefighters from different criminals across the city. However, it does get points for changing things up from pure combat missions to predator encounters, which brings more variety.
As a bonus, learning about how Firefly is connected to these firefighters leads to an interesting mystery and connection to Firefly, even if he doesn’t ultimately play a very exciting role in the Arkham Knight.
Heir To The Cowl
Batman testing Azrael to see if he’s worthy of becoming the new Batman is interesting. It even features multiple endings based on what Azrael chooses to do once he is assigned to kill Batman.
Unfortunately, that’s also where the story ends. It feels like only half of a side quest and it would have been a strong first half but as is, it ends on a disappointingly abrupt note no matter what the player chooses.
Two-Faced Bandit
Two-Face makes his return to the Arkham franchise and once again showcases one of Troy Baker’s best DC roles. Because of his high-quality voice actor, Two-Face is performed well with plenty of great dialogue as he talks to his henchmen and Batman. That is the main reason his missions were as well-received as they were.
It’s also with “Two-Faced Bandit” that Arkham Knight introduces new forms of Predator Challenges that make it stand out from other missions. Unfortunately, it suffers from the repetition of the Firefly mission where it’s the same exact mission three times just in different banks.
Shadow War
Putting much more emphasis on the story, “Shadow War” has Nyssa Ratko battling her father Ra’s Al Ghul and his loyalists in a war between sects of the League Of Assassins. It harks back to the League Of Assassins mission from Arkham City while also introducing new elements and puzzles.
How it all comes together, in the end, is the best part with the player choosing to either save Ra’s Al Ghul or let him die. It plays on the player’s personal morality and how they feel Ra’s Al Ghul’s story should end. Both provide interesting endings to the mission as well as a tense final encounter.
Wonderland
There are several celebrity voice actors in the Arkham games. One of the celebrity voices that have recurred the most is Peter MacNicol as The Mad Hatter. His story has Batman saving police officers that have been kidnapped and hidden across the city.
At first, it appears to be just repeating the same thing over and over but then it takes a turn into the surreal. It honors previous games while providing a boss fight unlike any other more straightforward encounters in the game.
Creature Of The Night
Many unsuspecting gamers have had the memorable experience of first meeting Man-Bat in Arkham Knight through a randomized jumpscare. That combined with his darkly tragic origin and short but sweet encounters leads to him being one of the scariest villains in Arkham Knight.
Though the encounters are usually the same thing over and over, it is balanced out with investigating Kirk Langstrom’s lab and a surprisingly sad ending. Plus the mission can open back up if the player returns to the game post-ending on October 31st.
Gunrunner
It’s worth playing the “Gunrunner” side mission just to see the interactions with Dick Grayson AKA Nightwing. He and Batman have an enjoyable rapport that helps show off their estranged but loving relationship.
On top of that is Nolan North’s voice role as the Penguin, who is always a delight. It doesn’t go on for too long nor does it feel like it’s rushed and it ends with a surprisingly touching scene between the two heroes.
Beneath The Surface
Though Man-Bat is scarier, Killer Croc delivers on the horror as well with his DLC mission aboard Iron Heights. This mission goes back to the style of the original Batman: Arkham Asylum with Batman traversing through an isolated prison with the exception of roaming the city for Iron Heights’ staff.
There’s an explanation as to why Killer Croc looks so different, and Nightwing returns, stealing the show yet again. The boss fight is not as memorable as the Arkham Asylum encounter, but it still offers an exciting climactic battle for the mission.
The Perfect Crime
Bringing Batman back to his roots as a detective, “The Perfect Crime” has Batman scanning bodies to uncover a serial killer in Gotham. This results in a terrifying introduction to Professor Pyg who is as disturbing as he is a challenge to defeat due to his Dollatrons.
This memorable mission is another example of how Rocksteady Studios really understand the many layers of horror inherent to Batman’s rogues gallery. They could make a survival horror set in the world of Batman and it likely would work.
In From The Cold
Much like in Arkham City, Mr. Freeze stands out in the large array of villains in Arkham Knight. His mission also has the most variety to it; there are Predator encounters, racing missions, and a tank mission to keep things fresh.
Since Arkham Knight was originally meant to be the series finale, “In From The Cold” gives Mr. Freeze and his wife Nora a conclusion to their story. It may be bittersweet, but it’s a fitting end.
