Batman: Arkham Knight - 10 Things It Must Learn From Origins
9. Batman Is Still A Detective
Never fully explored in the Rocksteady releases, it took WB Montréal to really explore Batman as he is - The World's Greatest Detective. Though not a truly magnificent addition to the Arkham-formula, the prequel's use of crime scene investigation techniques really helped cement the feeling as though the player was taking on the role of the Caped Crusader. In both Asylum and City, Detective Mode merely served as a 'follow the trail' mechanic in a non-combative role, and when used in stealth situations it easily became a crutch for players to lean on. Quite horrifically, some players even went through the entirety of Asylum with it always on - completely demeaning the vibrancy of Arkham Island's environment. WB Montréal didn't amend this problem either, but it's certainly something Rocksteady should be looking to fix. What we've seen from Knight so far has been largely combat focussed, and whilst it's fair to say many gamers are chomping at the bit to get behind the wheel of the Batmobile there is a massive danger that Rocksteady overlook the other areas in which Batman is truly made. The Dark Knight's detective aspect was already marginalised in the previous two Rocksteady entries, so it would be a massive shame to see the advances made by Montréal dismissed in the finale to the Arkham trilogy.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
