10 Ways Rocksteady Should Have Made Batman: Arkham Knight

4. Have A Definitive Ending

What's the ending to Arkham Knight? Is it when Bruce and Gordon take down Scarecrow? When the Knightfall Protocol shows Wayne Manor going sky-high, or when the little addendum scene implies that either Bruce, Azrael or someone else is using Scarecrow's toxin to rule the streets through fear alone?

That's the problem; we don't know. As is the case with the Arkham series being as popular as it is, Rocksteady were likely asked to leave a handful of options wide open for other studios to pick up, as and when they see fit. The problem comes with AK not feeling completely finished, no matter how additional scenes you trigger.

Instead, Rocksteady went down the Dark Knight Rises route of teasing his death and the everlasting peace of Gotham, but didn't nail it to the wall for fear of ending the Arkham series indefinitely. Scott Snyder's Endgame arc had Batman and Joker wipe each other out, only for a final panel to hint in the most subtle way that there could've been a way for Bruce to survive. It worked as the respectful closing of that story's final chapter, whilst nodding to the audience, "But he's out there somewhere... probably."

By contrast, Arkham Knight's various endings had no confidence behind them, emblematic of trying to satisfy everyone and missing the mark entirely. Oh, but it might have had something to do with the fact they had Season Pass content to sell...