Batman: Arkham Knight's Third Act Should've Ended with Arkham Asylum

gamerant.com:

Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham franchise, along with WB Games Montreal’s Batman: Arkham Origins, will always be heralded as some of the best superhero games of all time. Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight all achieve different characteristics in gameplay and narrative that uphold them as some of the best action-adventure titles set in DC and Batman’s mythology. Interestingly, «Arkham» is the common denominator in each installment and establishes Rocksteady’s Batman universe.

However, the same atmosphere and aesthetic is not necessarily perpetuated throughout Batman: Arkham Asylum’s sequels. Batman: Arkham Knight, for example, concludes with a lackluster plot twist that would have had far more impact if certain narrative choices were etched into the franchise’s earliest moments. If Batman: Arkham Knight’s third act took players back to Arkham Island with actual exploration and gameplay, it would have cohesively wrapped up Rocksteady’s trilogy. It would've been the ideal ending for a franchise that, at least loosely, centered its narrative around the psychiatric institution.

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Batman: Arkham Asylum established a definitive, broody tone in its art direction with gothic architecture under an enormous moon. This makes sense, as Rocksteady’s first installment, Batman: Arkham Asylum, uniquely allows players to explore Arkham Island and the insane asylum’s many faculties. Batman: Arkham Asylum aptly depicts the horrific institution that Batman delivers his illustrious nemeses to. Unfortunately, the title of «Arkham» becomes more of a universe signifier than a narrative thread that stretches between each installment.

Batman: Arkham City