The Reviews For BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT Are In

If this is in fact the last Rocksteady-developed Batman game, the series will end on a high note. Arkham Knight is the biggest Batman game yet, not just in map size, but in the wide range of different types of gameplay, and its collection of characters. The addition of tank combat thematically clashes with everything Batman stands for, but it is fun, and having access to the Batmobile for the first time gives us a new world of possibilities for interacting with Gotham City. Arkham Knight is an outstanding game on almost every level.

9.2/10

What Batman: Arkham Knight does well, however, it does really well. Gotham is a dazzling playground where neon lights pierce through the rain and mist; all it takes is a single glimpse to tell you that this is a city in need. Moreover, many individual elements are so carefully constructed, and presented with such flair, that appreciation is the only reasonable reaction. Yet most of these elements--excellent acting, wonderful animations, moody soundtrack--are ones that Batman: Arkham City also excelled in, making Arkham Knight's missteps all the more noticeable. Rather than escape the pull of the games that spawned it, The Bat's newest adventure refines the fundamentals; it is a safe but satisfying return to the world's most tormented megalopolis.

7/10

At the end of it all, Batman: Arkham Knight delivers a great sense of closure for this series. Rocksteady leaves a few plot threads dangling to tease and taunt us, but the grim tale that started all the way back in Arkham Asylum is done. I walked away from Arkham Knight shocked, satisfied, and in dire need of someone to discuss the story with. Rocksteady built a special experience that dazzles with its cleverness, intelligence, and ability to shift from kick-ass Batman moments to emotional gut punches to scenes stripped straight from some of Batman's greatest comic book stories. Lock yourself away, avoid social media and friends, and finish this game. You won't want this one spoiled for you.

9.5/10

Considering how good the rest of the game is, I'd say they don't take away from it at all. Batman: Arkham Knight is not only the best Batman game ever made, but a game that will be remembered as exemplary. Obviously being a fan of the license is going to help no end - the Arkham trilogy as a whole is as important and impactful as its filming equivalent - and how this will ever be topped in terms of donning the cowl and being Gotham's protector is anyone's guess. But even those who don't frequent themselves with Bruce Wayne and his many adventures will still walk away feeling they've experienced something special.

It's epic; it's grand; it's addictive; it's ridiculously good-looking and it's going to be remembered for a long time to come. A masterpiece.

10/10

While the experience can feel overfamiliar due to base mechanics and game systems you've known before, presentation and story are such you can still marvel. Those new mechanics quickly come to fit naturally in with everything you've know before. It is as much a different game from City as that title was from Asylum. You'll have reasons to love those titles and favourite moments to talk about from each. It's no different with Arkham Knight. The intimacy's still there. It's just wrapped in a much larger, yet equally compelling, game world.

9/10

Rocksteady has said this is its last Batman game and I'm praying to the New Gods that they're on the level. After Arkham Knight, trying to find more meat on the Batman bone would define futility. After Arkham Knight, Batman has been perfected — and the end result is the best game of this console generation.

10/10

I had issues with Arkham Knight, but the truth is I finished it. I powered my way through the critical path, but I also 100 percent completed many of the additional missions. The Riddler trophies were the only missions or collectibles I simply ignored. Rocksteady absolutely nailed the feeling of being Batman and Arkham Knight only increases the scope of the original games. Yes, I got annoyed, but the moment-to-moment play of Batman: Arkham Knight is still amazing. If you've saved the Asylum and cleaned up the City, it's worth finishing the Knight off.

4/5

If Aslyum showed us what was possible, and City was a good sequel that didn’t quite reach the same levels, then Knight is the crowning glory. It’s exciting, beautiful, haunting, dramatic, and compelling. It leaves you breathless, begging for more. This is the best game I’ve played this year so far, and it gets the mind racing as to what Rocksteady can do next. Occasional difficulty spikes near the end require a little patience, and although it’s often optional, there are lots of Batmobile combat encounters which you’ll either love or loathe. But if you give yourself to it, and if you love the characters, it’ll blow you away. And, Christ… I never thought I’d say this, but Arkham Asylum has just been bettered.

10/10

From an engagement perspective, and one built from my love of single-player games, it’s impossible to fault the entire package here, even with my Batmobile teething issues. It’s the best-looking game across all three platforms (yes, even over The Witcher 3), but more importantly it just delivers in every aspect you could hope for. It’s challenging and engaging, expansive and enticing. Its game-world is wholly realised and gorgeous to look at, but above all else, it tells such an incredible story in so many new and unique ways, it’s impossible to ignore. Batman: Arkham Knight is a Batman experience no self-respecting fan should miss, and if Batman’s not your thing, then make it your thing. You won’t regret it. Trust me.

10/10

If this is Rocksteady’s Batman swansong, which we have every reason to believe it is, the studio is making a point on its way out: it’s saying that it’s not just Christopher Nolan that can make a superhero entertainment dark and relatable, it’s saying that not only Marvel can construct properties with limitless appeal, it’s saying that superheroes aren’t what they used to be. They’ve changed, adapted for the dark days we live in. Batman struggles during the Arkham Knight – he’s finally held accountable for his ‘above the law’ attitude – and Rocksteady has masterfully and knowingly deconstructed the man behind the mask with such aplomb, even Alan Moore might give a begrudging nod of approval. This is the best superhero fantasy we’ve ever enacted, and we’re so sad it’s over.

9/10

In the explosive finale to the Arkham series, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect. The Scarecrow returns to unite an impressive roster of super villains, including Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, to destroy The Dark Knight forever. Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady's uniquely designed version of the Batmobile, which is drivable for the first time in the franchise. The addition of this legendary vehicle, combined with the acclaimed gameplay of the Batman Arkham series, offers gamers the ultimate and complete Batman experience as they tear through the streets and soar across the skyline of the entirety of Gotham City. Be The Batman.