However, there’s thing that would redefine the way an Arkham game handles Batman’s character and the game’s story if it changes: Gotham itself. The Arkham series has a very clear tradition of how it depicts Gotham, so shaking up the depiction of the city and its inhabitants is just the right thing to do if Batman Arkham 2020 is a reboot. Ironically, it’s a Marvel game that should serve as inspiration for this DC title. The way New York City is represented in Marvel’s Spider-Man is an excellent model for what a new Gotham could be.
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Breaking Gotham’s Silence
The Arkham games have always come with an explanation for why there are no bystanders in Gotham. In two of the games, Batman explores an asylum or a prison, so it stands to reason that he doesn’t come across everyday people. In the other two, there are story explanations. Arkham Knight saw the city evacuated due to Scarecrow’s schemes, while Arkham Origins involved a snowstorm warning that kept the people of Gotham indoors.
While it makes sense for Gotham to be empty so that the game can focus on the conflict, it comes at a cost. Gotham is intended to be a sprawling metropolis, but a large city does not feel realistic without people to crowd its streets. The city becomes a battleground for Batman and his adversaries, not a living, breathing city. New York City in Marvel’s Spider-Man is a very sharp contrast to that depiction of Gotham because the streets are teeming with New Yorkers. They’re a constant presence in all of Spider-Man’s missions and adventures, and have a lot to say about him too. That’s what makes the city come to life.
Bringing in everyday people to fill the streets of Gotham in the same way would completely change the way that the city is represented. So far, the series has only represented Gotham through the eyes of the Caped Crusader that wants to defend it and the villains that would tear it down. Arkham 2020 might find some exciting new stories to tell if it sometimes looks at Gotham through the eyes of normal people living in Gotham that Batman encounters.
Upping the Stakes
One thing that makes Spider-Man’s populated NYC so compelling is the multitude of ways that it shows how the exploits of Spidey and city-wide crime define life in the city. For example, the player is encouraged to stop crimes constantly while exploring the city as Spider-Man. At a moment’s notice, the player can receive a notice about an assault or a kidnapping or a car theft happening nearby. Life in the city looks dangerous for these people, but there is always the encouraging thought that Spider-Man will help anyone in need.
Of course, there’s no questioning that Gotham is in danger when Batman’s enemies are rampaging all around the city. Still, it’s a very different kind of danger when specific people that Batman meets face to face are threatened by the likes of Scarecrow and the Joker. Spider-Man doesn’t just build Peter Parker’s personality and reputation based on his exploits in the plot. Every little encounter with average people in need shows how important he is to NYC, regardless of how people feel about him.
The exact same thing could be done for the Caped Crusader. It’s not hard to imagine scenarios where Batman has to save citizens being endangered by thugs and escapees of Arkham Asylum, and not just for small, scripted, and singular incidences. However, populating the city also comes with the benefit of letting the game tell stories involving more iconic Batman characters. For instance, the presumed antagonists known as the Court of Owls could threaten a familiar face like Commissioner Gordon, or even someone more personal to Batman, like Alfred Pennyworth. If Batman has protect one of these people while also trying to protect a fully populated Gotham, there’s a great opportunity to heighten the stakes and build a lot of tension for the player.
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Room for Bruce Wayne
On the topic of exploring Batman’s personal relationships through the lens of a populated city, Bruce Wayne in particular would benefit from a populated Gotham. The Arkham series has, predictably, been focused on Batman since there has only been room for him and his enemies. If the game is set in an abandoned city or an asylum, there isn’t much opportunity for Batman to take off the mask and engage with Gotham society and close personal friends as Bruce Wayne. The billionaire playboy aspects of Bruce Wayne are an important balance to the brooding vigilante in Batman, so the next game would benefit from letting Bruce out more.
Marvel’s Spider-Man demonstrated how important it is to see both sides of the superhero. The game is just as much about Peter Parker’s complicated personal connections with people like Mary Jane Watson and Otto Octavius as it is about Spider-Man saving NYC from villainy. Peter Parker’s presence is largely possible because the game takes place in a normal, fully populated city. Peter wouldn’t take off the mask either if he was in hostile territory. If Bruce Wayne is going to have a bigger presence in the next Arkham game, he needs people in Gotham to talk to.
Everyday people are not just set dressing in games like these. Their commentary and interactions with people like Spider-Man and Batman display the complicated relationships the populace has with their self-proclaimed protectors. It also makes the city feel more like a real place. When a setting feels real, a player is all the more compelled to do everything possible to protect it. Marvel’s Spider-Man really succeeded in making a living setting, so maybe Arkham 2020 will do the same to help re-imagine the franchise.
Batman Arkham 2020 might be revealed in August at DC Fandome.
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