Soapbox features allow our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random things they’ve been chewing on. Todaycore Batfan Gavin weighs in on whether the Switch can handle this much Arkham…
Fair warning, DC fans. I’m the quintessential ’80s kid for whom Keaton, the Burton Batmobile, and Elfman are the archetypes, the ultimate markers by which all other caped crusaders, cars, and composers are measured. I can’t say where I stand on the Batman fan scale — I’m not a comic book guy, so that probably puts me at a maximum 5/10 in some people’s books — but I own the Lego Batmobile, the Burton movies in 4K, the animated series on Bluray, and A killer joke. Phew, yes, I’m one of them they people.
Metal Gear fans may disagree, but the upcoming arrival of the Arkham games to the Switch was one of the biggest announcements of Nintendo’s June 2023 Direct for me. Not only do they represent the pinnacle of Batman’s long career in interactive entertainment, but they’d make great video games even when you’d remove the Dark Knight’s power fantasy element and the much-missed vocal talents of Kevin Conroy. I never played the third entry very well, but the first two are all time; in terms of superhero video games, it just doesn’t get any better.
However, that third entry in Rocksteady’s celebrated Batman Arkham trilogy gives me pause. Moments into the direct reveal trailer (see below), it was obvious this was Arkham and with a big grin I wondered if it was just Asylum or maybe Arkham City was coming. City launched on the Wii U after all, so the Switch should be able to handle it. Maybe a Return to Arkham port with the first two—
‘EXPERIENCE THE AWARD WINNING TRILOGY’ flashed on the screen. Really?! No nonsense ‘Cloud version’? Full, working, custom Switch port for all three!?
It’s exactly what I wished for, but granted Arkham Knightthe scope and reputation it gained in 2015, concerns began to rise in my mind. That ominous ‘GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE NOT FINAL’ message didn’t help in the end.
For those who don’t remember Arkham Knight’s less-than-stable launch, the PC version of the game dominated the dreaded ‘discourse’ in mid-2015. Widely regarded as an ambitious and interesting ending to the series, the Batmobile parts and overall bloated feel drew mild criticism. However, the technical difficulties with the Windows version were so severe that Warner Bros. removed from sale for several months.
Performance on consoles was, in fact, quite impressive, but the PC debacle is my lasting memory of Arkham Knight. Even so, the fact remains that the third game was made specifically for the Xbox One and PS4, not their predecessors, and a game of that open-world style and scope is exactly the kind of thing that quickly stretches the Switch’s seven-year-old+ mobile chipset to breaking points. It would take a very brave and daring team to tackle this particular arch.
So who dealt with the Arkham Knight then? As revealed by the logo at the end of the trailer — just above the gameplay footage disclaimer — it’s Turn Me Up, an LA-based studio that’s in good form in the Switch port field. The team covered It Takes Two, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, Borderlands Legendary Collection, Journey to the Savage Planet — all very good performances on Nintendo’s handheld hybrid. Reading that list of merits gives me hope.
Rocksteady itself is busy with many delayed Suicide Squad on other platforms. I haven’t followed its progress too closely (I’m a 5/10 Batfan), but from a distance it seems to demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of what made the Arkham games so popular: the appeal of Batman. I have no interest in roaming Gotham as Deadshot or the rest of the squad, but maybe that’s just me. The most exciting news I’ve heard about that game is that Kevin Conroy’s Batman is in it. As with Sony’s recent Spider-Man hits, it appeals to a more casual fanbase—you know, just-read-the-kill-jokes fans — that the Arkham games have done such a fantastic job of conquering. If this Switch port solidly showcases the brilliance of these games, the package has the potential to be one of the best on the system.
That’s quite an ‘if’ though. On Turn Me Up website you can find the following commentary on Arkham Trilogy:
Leaving our fingerprints on such a beloved franchise and bringing it faithfully to the Switch was truly a privilege.
This is for Kevin.
This team seems to have the right attitude and technical talent to pull off a smaller Batmiracle, based on its past merits. This collection really is the news that Switch-owning Dark Knight fans have been dreaming of, and I can’t wait to jump into the Burtonmobile (which is part of the included DLC) and play Arkham Knight properly for the first time.
Fingers crossed that Turn Me Up is up to the challenge, because it’s going to take a team of Switch-port superheroes if we’re going to get the Batman we need.
Do you think Batman Arkham Knight can do well on Switch? Let us know your hopes and fears below.
