Batman: Arkham Knight has been out for a little less than a month, and the gamer world flooded with reviews, gameplay footage, complaints about the PC version, and controversy about the over zealous batmobile.
But, overall, the game was received with a lot of positivity, and with good reason. It’s a fun game to play, with unique features that sets it apart from other games on the market. Definitely a fun game that was worth the price. And now that it has been nearly a month, WB Games is starting to release DLC for the game.
Six months worth of DLC, to be exact. And if one purchased the Arkham Knight season pass then one can download all the DLC early and with no additional charges. However, DLC is tricky, because sometimes it can add some amazing new features to a game, like the awesome Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Or it can be disastrously pointless like Elder Scroll: Oblivion‘s Horse Armor.
The first DLC for Arkham Knight is an original prequel story called Batgirl: A Matter of Family. It’s an original prequel story that sees Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and Robin fighting the Joker in an abandon amusement park. The clown prince of crime has kidnapped Commissioner Gordon on Valentine’s Day and wants Batgirl and Robin to try to save him. The Joker’s end goal is to kill the two sidekicks so Batman won’t be distracted by them anymore. Isn’t he considerate?
The game is a lot of fun, Batgirl controls great. She’s a like a smaller, faster Batman, but with more hacking abilities. For example, she can hack certain panels that can scare criminals, and then do fear take downs on them. The setting of being in an abandon amusement park is a perfect setting. The ability to “dual play” with Robin adds a fun element to the mix. And if you played Arkham Knight and hated using the Batmobile, well you’re in luck. There is no Batmobile here. In fact the game is actually very much back to basics. Stealth, combat, and puzzles are the focus; giving us some of the best versions of those game elements. And just like the Arkham Knight, the game looks gorgeous.
The Joker and Harley Quinn are brief villains, but they do a good job adding humor, and their own brand of crazy to the mix. Harley is in her original outfit, and Joker is sporting a very fun new top hat. You have to fight both of them at the end, as well as an army of their clown themed goons.
It’s definitely a lot of fun, but if there was something to complain about then it would be that the game is just too short. You can complete it in about an hour. Maybe an hour and a half if you want to explore everything. And there aren’t any Riddler trophies, so the replay factor is minimal. There is an island to explore afterwards, but there isn’t a lot to do except for find balloons and fight more bad guys. Which is a shame, because could have been more to throw in to extend it. Mini bosses, more devious puzzles, a detective element, and maybe a tad more of a challenging experience.
Perhaps the next game should be all about Batgirl… Or Robin… Or maybe a Batman game all about the sidekicks. Could be a lot of fun. Get on that WB Games!
But, back to the matter at hand, overall it’s a great purchase. If you did get the season pass then you probably already downloaded it, but if you don’t then go ahead and download it. You won’t regret it. The DLC releases for everyone, on July 21st.