Infinite Rabbit Holes Chief Creative Officer Alex Lieu breaks down how The Arkham Asylum: Panic In Gotham City, can incorporate so many Batman rogues. Batman has one of the strongest rogues galleries in comic books, with countless creative antagonists working throughout Gotham. Big blockbusters have primarily focused on his major adversaries like the Joker and Riddler, while animated series like Harley Quinn and Batman: The Animated Series have featured rogues who have yet to make their big screen debut.
Screen Rant spoke with the creators of The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic In Gotham City about building out Gotham. Lieu revealed why they wanted to tie the game into Arkham. He also explained how they can incorporate villains like the Joker along with lesser-known Batman rogues into The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic In Gotham City. Check out Lieu’s full quote below:
Alex Lieu: The reason why we wanted the Arkham Files is that almost every Batman villain has either touched or been in and out of the revolving door [of Arkham] including Harley’s. So that allowed us to… not knowing necessarily how many of these that we’re going to make, although we have two other complete stories and designs.
There are all these great characters in the Batman fiction, that in a movie, they’re kind of hard to [include]. Every movie has to make a billion dollars now and if you don’t know the characters it’s kind of hard. If you’re making a new Batman movie, how are you not doing the Joker and the Riddler and Catwoman and all those people. But in the fiction there [are] amazing characters with a lot of depth.
That allows us to give you characters you know, characters that you are familiar with, they kind of jump in and out of the box, but they have a lot of texture. Because we’re storytellers, we’re showing some of the backstory that’s part of the canon of the universe to the people who may not know it or to let fans go, “Oh, I remember that. That was an interesting character.”
Incorporating Lesser Known Batman Rogues Into The Arkham Asylum Files
The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic In Gotham City brilliantly weaves together the stories of some of the most popular Batman rogues, including the Joker and Harley Quinn, with the smaller villains who are at the heart of the mystery players are trying to solve. Harley Quinn is the heart of the narrative, now back at Arkham, but as a doctor once again instead of an inmate. Players work directly with Harley Quinn, now Harleen Quinzel, to discover who is orchestrating the city-wide crime spree, from graffiti to bank heists to murder.
Related: Why Batman: The Animated Series Perfectly Nailed The Dark Knight
Batman is one of the most popular villains in the world, and while the comics feature countless rogues, movies and television shows mostly focus on his most infamous adversaries. The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic In Gotham City is perfect for any Batman fans, whether they are comic experts, those who love The Batman, or those who grew up with Batman: The Animated Series, because it allows the players to become a part of the story. Players will be able to become detectives in their own right, solving puzzles to discover which of Batman’s rogues are terrorizing Gotham.
However, by working with Harley Quinn, The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic In Gotham City approaches them from a new perspective. Not only will it introduce some of the less famous rogues, but it digs into their origins, showing what led them to become inmates in Arkham. By incorporating Batman villains from throughout the Caped Crusader’s lore The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic In Gotham City brings Gotham to life with an authenticity and richness that make it feel even more real for the players.
