What often springs to mind when one thinks of Christmas are the gatherings of family and friends, the exchanging of presents, and the goodwill towards everybody. With Christmas holidays being the busiest period of the retail calendar, some of the most anticipated games of the year are released in the late October to December period in hopes of boosting sales, and occasionally, there’s a game released with the intent to coincide with the season…
Christmas in Gotham! A night when every little Gothamite should be wrapped up in bed, leaving out milk and cookies for Santa. But there’s a different man pattering across the rooftops tonight… And he’s not delivering presents, he’s delivering JUSTICE! To celebrate the season and the end of the year, let’s examine what made the Christmas game (yes it does count) Arkham Origins great and why it has become a tradition for many gamers to replay during the holidays.
A CHRISTMAS EVE TO REMEMBER
Released in 2013 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, Arkham Origins is a prequel to the smash hit Batman: Arkham Asylum by Rocksteady Studios. In Origins, players control Batman during Christmas Eve in his second year of crime fighting. This inexperienced, angsty Batman is relentlessly hunted by eight assassins after Black Mask puts a bounty on his head for fifty million dollars. The assassins only have one night to eliminate the Bat.
The Christmas setting plays a significant part in the story, with the ambience featuring Christmas themes and décor corrupted by the despair felt in Gotham City. For example, Carol of the Bells is hauntingly remixed as Joker’s theme, and eavesdropping conversations between thugs sometimes reward players with cheeky remarks about the season. Amusingly, since this game is set in Gotham proper and not inside a prison, the Christmas setting is used to handwave away why there are no citizens on the street, only criminals. There’s a mega-blizzard, and no one’s allowed outside!
A rogues’ gallery full of well-known and obscure adversaries has gathered for a shot at the Bat, including Deathstroke, Copperhead, Killer Croc, Electrocutioner, Deadshot, Bane, Firefly and Shiva. And if that wasn’t enough, Batman must also contend with the likes of The Penguin, Mad Hatter, Black Mask, a Pre-Riddler Edward Nygma and the Joker.
The story focuses on career-defining relationships and first meetings that constitute the Batman we know and love. Out of the main villain roster, Bane and Joker have the strongest story presence, with their perspectives explored to enhance the plot and foreshadow future events in the Arkham Universe.
BAT IN THE BELFRY
The free-flow combat and stealth are akin to its predecessor, Arkham City. New enemy types include the martial artist, armoured enforcer and venom-infused henchmen who test Batman at every turn. But Batman is prepared with new gadgets to fight crime. The Remote Detonator, Shock Gloves and Remote Claw are worthy additions to Batman’s arsenals.
The Remote Claw is a versatile gadget that is also capable of producing a tightrope for Batman to walk on, letting him get the drop on enemies, or sneak around them from above. It can also tie opponents together or to objects and gargoyles. Much like Christmas, the Remote Claw brings people together! Shock Gloves provide a temporary boost to even the odds, negating enemy shields, electric batons and armour with an electric charge. Finally, the Concussion Detonator is a device that stuns enemies after being thrown, effective for crowd control.
It’s never boring in Gotham, especially with the amount of boss fights in this game. Origins has the most boss battles in an Arkham instalment. Boss fights focus on a particular aspect of Batman and his opponent, ensuring each battle feels unique.
Origins took sharpening players’ skills to another level, with a training mode to practice with combos and equipment, and a grading system. The grading system ranks players based on their performances in stealth and combat encounters during the story and New Game Plus playthroughs. The score calculations and outcome are displayed on the screen after the encounter is completed, providing players with helpful feedback.
EXCLUSIVES AND FIRSTS
Challenge, multiplayer and New Game Plus modes further incentivise players to test their skills. Daring gamers can risk it all on I Am The Night, an ultrahard permadeath experience unique to Origins that is unlocked after finishing the game and New Game Plus. Another Origins exclusive is multiplayer, developed by Splash Damage. Two distinct modes were available: Invisible Predator Online and Hunter, Hunted.
In Invisible Predator Online, players control one of the three elite members of either Bane’s or Joker’s faction, or play as the Dynamic Duo, Batman or Robin. The following conditions must be fulfilled to win the match: Batman and Robin fill the intimidation meter to a hundred per cent by performing takedowns, or faction players eliminate reinforcements to zero. Unlike the factions, Batman and Robin have unlimited respawns, with respawn times increasing after every death. Faction players could play as their faction’s leader, Bane or Joker, depending on their in-game performance.
Hunter, Hunted offered a hardcore option for seven players. Three Bane elite members versus three Joker elite members versus Batman with no respawns or intimidation meter, in a challenging, asymmetrical experience.
DLC was aplenty, starting with Deathstroke as a playable character with additional challenge maps and skin packs. Exclusive to PS3, the Knightfall pack contained five maps, and two skins based on the comic book story that introduced Bane. Bruce Wayne was made playable with two skin options as part of Initiation, a collection of gruelling challenge maps and a campaign that included cutscenes to tell the story of Bruce’s training. Cold, Cold Heart was the last piece of DLC for Origins and was a story expansion featuring Mr. Freeze gatecrashing Wayne Manor on New Year’s Eve. It was well-received by fans and critics.
Arkham Origins is an underrated gem, that’s only enhanced by its Christmas setting, and because of it, citizens can rest easy on Christmas Eve, knowing that the Dark Knight will always be there to keep them safe from the Grinches of Gotham!
