I’ve been revisiting Batman: Arkham Knight, and I’ve forgotten how much I loved the game. I also forgot how much the Batmobile plays a crucial part in the whole game, like immensely. But anyway, I’ve also gone back and replayed the DLC. This game had a lot of it, including 6 Arkham episodes, each featuring a different member of the Bat Family (plus Harley). Let’s take a look at all of them and rank them from least good to good.
Side note: I enjoy all of the Arkham episodes, and I don’t believe any of them can be categorized as “bad.” However, some are just better than others. So, without further ado, here are the Batman: Arkham Knight Arkham episodes ranked.
The Batman: Arkham Knight Arkham Episodes Ranked
6. A Flip of a Coin
5. GCPD Lockdown
4. A Matter of Family
3. Harley Quinn
2. Catwoman’s Revenge
1. Red Hood
6. A Flip of a Coin
No disrespect to Tim Drake, but throughout the Arkham games, he never really interested me. In fairness, the series never really gave him a lot to work with, so it was nice to see a whole Arkham episode dedicated to him.
A Flip of a Coin sees Robin go up against Two-Face in a short but fun episode. His gameplay isn’t experimental or anything like that; he plays very similarly to Batman. But playing as Batman is a ton of fun, so that isn’t a complaint.
The thing that I didn’t enjoy, however, was the story itself. The entire time, Robin is self-doubting himself and wondering if he’s up to the task of filling in Batman’s shoes. Oracle then has to reassure him. That’s kind of the entire story of the episode, which leaves a lot to be desired. Again, fun gameplay, but the story could’ve been better.
5. GCPD Lockdown
From the current Robin to the original one. In GCPD Lockdown, Nightwing has to make sure that Penguin doesn’t escape from police custody.
This episode doesn’t have a ton of story beats; it kind of just focuses on Nightwing’s mission to stop the Penguin. However, playing as Nightwing feels a bit different than playing as Batman or Robin, so it’s fun to have to change up your playstyle. Also, the combination of playing as Nightwing, while talking to Lucius Fox, and also listening to Penguin’s squaking, makes for a fun time.
4. A Matter of Family
Throughout the series, we only ever see Barbara Gordon as the tech specialist, Oracle. So, it was great to see her in her Batgirl days.
We see her (and Robin) go toe-to-toe against The Joker and Harley Quinn as the two heroes race to save Commissioner Gordon and his fellow officers. To make matters worse, The Joker has them holed up in an amusement park, which ups the creepy factor.
We’ve seen the Bat Family save hostages all the time; that’s not anything special. What sets this apart, however, is that Batgirl has to save her own father from the homicidal hands of two of the most dangerous criminals in Gotham. That family connection ups the stakes and makes this story twice as good. Even though, because this episode is a prequel, you know nothing will happen to our heroes, it will still have you on the edge of your seat.
3. Harley Quinn Episode
Harley Quinn has always been shown to be devoted to The Joker. But who is she really? What’s going through her mind? These are the questions that were brought up in the Harley Quinn episode. As she tries to help Poison Ivy escape from police custody, we learn more about her and the way she thinks.
We find out that her original version, Harleen Quinzel, still talks to her and tries to get her to do the right thing. This episode shows us a completely different side of the character, and it would’ve been nice to see more of this in the main story.
Playing as Harley Quinn is also very entertaining, as she has more of a loud, aggressive playstyle, completely different from The Batman. Overall, this episode is amazing, and one of the ones I replayed the most.
2. Catwoman’s Revenge
I know a lot of people don’t like doing The Riddler’s side mission; they find it tedious to have to do all the challenges and collect all the Riddle trophies. Personally, I liked it. I think what makes it more enjoyable for me is that I like The Riddler’s character and his dynamic with Batman. I also like seeing Catwoman’s own dynamic with Batman. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I really enjoyed the episode that featured both of them in the spotlight.
In Catwoman’s Revenge, Catwoman takes revenge on The Riddler for kidnapping her and strapping a bomb to her neck. Catwoman’s witty as ever, and The Riddler is amusingly annoying as always. The banter between the two is exceptional, and I haven’t even begun talking about the gameplay yet. It’s challenging but fun. It’s a bit more difficult than the other episodes, but it isn’t impossible.
Catwoman’s Revenge is one of the best Arkham episodes in the game. My only wish is that it were longer.
1. Red Hood Episode
I said that Harley Quinn’s style is different from Batman’s; that’s true. However, there’s nothing more different than just straight-up shooting your enemies. That’s exactly what Red Hood does in his Arkham episode.
He’s on a hell-bent mission to take down Black Mask, and he will stop at nothing to take down his target, no matter how many henchmen he has to shoot. Red Hood’s style is so vastly different from anyone else we play as in the Arkham series that this episode immediately stands out as the most unique.
Everything works in this episode: the gameplay, the story, the hero and villain, all of it. The Red Hood episode is the best Arkham episode in Batman: Arkham Knight, and I would’ve loved to see a full-fledged Red Hood game from Rocksteady Studios. Maybe we’ll see one in the future, eventually.
Read More
- The 10 Best Skins in Mortal Kombat 1
- The 5 Best Suits From Marvel's Spider-Man 2: Miles Morales Version
- The 5 Best Suits In Marvel's Spider-Man 2: Peter Parker Version
Feature image source