Batman: Arkham Origins is a prequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, taking place around a year after Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman. The main antagonist is the drug lord Black Mask, who hires eight formidable criminals, such as Bane or Firefly, to assassinate Batman. Throughout the plot, Batman must also deal with the Joker for the first time. It was also a long time before Arkham City was constructed. Thus Batman can tour the entire city; the new city section is roughly the same size as the general area. However, the changing location makes little difference because there are no civilians to be discovered due to a curfew. Batman may use the Batwing to go quickly (no active flying required) and to access his Batcave.
The core gameplay remains intact from Arkham City. Batman still moves across the open city in plot missions and visits more linear places, including multiple boss fights. The fights employ the series’ signature free-flow approach, in which Batman fights many foes and quickly shifts between them while amassing a combo counter. The ability to react to the enemy, such as using a counter-attack or specific skills/gadgets to counter the enemies’ separate assaults, is a crucial component of these confrontations. When those foes have firearms, melee combat is out of the question, and Batman must resort to stealth. Then he sits atop gargoyles, studies the situation, and selects one enemy at a time. Here, Batman can employ his gadgets to distract/kill foes and the detective vision to see through walls. Defeating adversaries grants experience points, and activating skills/gadgets grants even more, which can be used to enhance gadgets or improve Batman’s powers.
There is a lot to accomplish during the open world periods. Aside from fighting more adversaries, there are side objectives to complete, such as stopping the sniper Deadbeat or completing Enigma riddles, which usually entail hitting switches and employing devices. Riddler’s photo challenges have been deleted. However, crime scene investigations with a detective view have been expanded to include short movies that can be searched for clues.
Aside from the main story, there is a challenge option (beating enemy waves for a high score) and a new multiplayer mode for eight players divided into three parties: two gangster groups (three players each) and Batman and Robin, who all fight each other. At the same time, the gangsters play like a typical third-person shooter; Batman and Robin must rely on stealth mechanics from single-player mode. Warner Bros. Games Montreal created the single-player portion, and Splash Damage Ltd created the multiplayer parteathstroke Challenge Pack is included in the Windows version released on Steam.
