4.5/5 ★ – AngelSntsss's review of Batman: Arkham Origins.

The reskin of City offers far more beneath the surface than I initially realized. Asylum, in 2024, felt unfinished and rushed—ultimately a struggle to complete. City, on the other hand, delivered everything Asylum promised but didn’t quite manage: smooth combat, engaging predator sequences, and a map that was genuinely fun to explore. However, the biggest flaw in both games was their lackluster stories. There was hardly any characterization beyond the basic traits of the iconic characters. The narratives felt thin—just a collection of plot points designed to move us from one location to the next, with little to invest in emotionally. Then there’s Origins, often considered the weakest entry in the trilogy simply because it wasn’t developed by Rocksteady. For a long time, I viewed Origins as the black sheep of the franchise. But replaying it now, I see it differently. This time, it felt epic, emotional, and like a real journey with Batman. Where the other games struggled to flesh out Batman as a character, Origins succeeds in giving him depth. Here, he’s not just a masked vigilante; he has flaws, fears, goals, desires, and emotions. He shows pain, anger, regret, empathy, and even his peculiar sense of humor. For the first time in this series, Batman feels like a fully realized character. But the struggle in Origins comes from where the other games shine. The actual game part, not to shade WB Montreal, but Rocksteady WERE Arkham, the understood the free flow combat, the predator sequences, and the gliding better than anyone, everything in the Rocksteady Games, felt with weight, with force, and with purpose, where so much of Origins gameplay and systems felt like someone copied those same Rocksteady systems without any of their special sauce. The writing in Origins is leaps ahead of anything in Asylum or City, and that’s what made the experience so much more compelling for me. Despite the numerous bugs, the slow gliding, the occasionally confusing map layout, and the inevitable reskinning of City, the game shines when you enter more focused areas, navigating through locations like Penguin’s ship, the hotel, the prison, and the GCPD station became some of my favorite moments in the game and in the franchise because when they didn't have to use assets from City, it's where the team at Montreal could create their own version of Gotham. Origins may not have been a perfect experience in terms of mechanics. Compared to the fluidity of gliding, combat, and stealthing through City, it can feel clunky at times, and yes, there are moments that clearly echo City. But this is the first game in the series that truly explores themes, develops its characters, and gives both Batman and the player a real motivation to keep pushing forward. I found myself caring about this version of Batman, and about Alfred too, in a way I hadn’t before in this franchise. Batman: Arkham Origins may not have the polish of City, or the atmosphere of Asylum, and it may not always feel as smooth or refined. But it stands as a vital chapter in the Arkham saga, one that adds emotional depth and character development that this version of the caped crusader so desperately needed. It may have its flaws—bugs, clunky mechanics, and some recycled elements—but those never overshadow the heart of the experience. Origins is a Batman story with real stakes, and for the first time, the hero feels as human as the city he protects. For those willing to look past its imperfections, it’s a game worth revisiting—one that offers more than just another Batman adventure, but Batman story that explores who truly the caped crusader is.