The iconic Batman: Arkham Trilogy has finally descended onto the Nintendo Switch, much to the delight of superhero fans who want to take their caped crusading on the go. Rocksteady Studios' celebrated trio has set the bar high for superhero games, offering a dark and gripping exploration into the life of the Dark Knight. Notwithstanding the anticipation, the experience of playing these masterpieces on a portable console varies across each installment, reflecting both technical triumphs and shortcomings.
The Xbox 360 and PS3 era's groundbreaker, Batman: Arkham Asylum, made its debut in 2009 and has held up reasonably well on the Switch. The graphics have been scaled back, and a 30fps frame rate is targeted, ensuring a mostly smooth transition to the smaller screen. There are some graphical stutters and texture pop-ins, but nothing that significantly detracts from the engaging gameplay and the dark, atmospheric depiction of Gotham's most notorious psychiatric hospital.
Batman: Arkham City is where things take a positive turn. Performance-wise, this expansive open-world title stunned with its transition to the Switch, despite the occasional texture flaws and frame rate drops. The experience of gliding over Arkham's skyline and engaging in the game's improved combat and exploration is preserved, granting players the full Dark Knight adventure. This port allows for immersion into its richly detailed world with fewer caveats, the minor graphical anomalies hardly dampening the fun.
However, the heroic tale takes a nosedive with Batman: Arkham Knight, the final piece of the trilogy, which unfortunately showcases one of the more disappointing ports to ever land on the Switch. Given its demands on even the most robust gaming PCs and consoles upon its release in 2015, its struggle on the Switch isn't utterly unexpected, yet the game suffers from performance issues so severe that it can become almost unplayable, from stuttering gameplay to unexpected crashes.
This third entry is particularly puzzling, as it seems to have been fitted into the Switch lineup with more enthusiasm than pragmatism. Including Arkham Knight in its current state does a disservice to the otherwise well-constructed package, leading one to wish for the inclusion of the underappreciated Batman: Arkham Origins in its stead or the option to purchase Asylum and City separately.
Regardless of the technical mishaps of Arkham Knight, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City still stand as towering achievements. Both games weave high-octane action with detective elements and top-tier voice acting that have helped to redefine superhero games as a genre. The combat system, featuring intuitive parries and dodges, is as satisfying as ever, letting you truly embody Batman with stealth or direct confrontation, depending on your approach.
Arkham Asylum, though smaller in scale than its successors, is a focused and exhilarating journey through a nightmarish version of the infamous institution. The story, borrowing elements from the legendary Batman: The Animated Series, doesn't spare any excitement or depth as players encounter some of Batman's most iconic adversaries.
On the other side of the coin, Arkham City expands upon this foundation, allowing players to take to the skies and fully embrace the role of Gotham's guardian. With side quests galore featuring a who's who of Batman's rogues' gallery and the inclusion of all previously released DLC, Arkham City presents an immense and richly toughened landscape that competes with modern AAA titles in scope and quality. The narrative, although vast, occasionally becomes diluted due to the sheer number of distractions, but the gameplay exceptionally holds up.
In a bittersweet conclusion, though, Batman: Arkham Knight stands out as the less favorable title on the Switch. The issues with the Batmobile's overemphasis and the less engaging tank battles highlight the disparity in the trilogy. Arkham Knight still offers robust combat mechanics and a formidable presentation, attributes overshadowed by the execution within this port.
Launching the Batman Arkham Trilogy on the Nintendo Switch is a commendable feat, but it's not without compromise. Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City deservedly earn their acclaim, carrying themselves with grace on the new platform. But for Batman: Arkham Knight, the phrase 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should' rings particularly true—an ill-fit for the hardware that unfortunately detracts from the entire package. While this release might lack the delicate enhancements these games merit, Batman enthusiasts who can look past these flaws will still find countless hours of enjoyment, albeit with a tinge of frustration for what could have been an unblemished transition of an otherwise legendary trilogy.
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