Spoilers for the series follow

I have thus far finished the main quests of the Batman Arkham series. The games are enjoyable, although they can be quite linear and the encounters are not challenging enough for me to actually have to use all the tricks in my arsenal. Despite that, everything comes together to create a whole that—all things considered—is an exciting adventure.

That is, at this point, all I want in a video game. There are different types of games, of course, and there are games that focus more on the mechanics or a specific gimmick. There are games also that focus on the competition, such as online shooter games and MOBA games. But in terms of a singleplayer experience, I want to be enthralled from beginning to end via a combination of the gameplay, the story, the graphics, the set pieces. To feel that, after everything I’ve gone through, I could say: What an adventure!

The crux of the games center on a theme: Batman’s madness. Up until the very end when a manifestation of the Joker prods at Batman’s psyche, we are reminded that Batman is no different from the insane people that he tosses in prison. He only happens to be a beneficial one. This is central also to Todd’s transformation: He realizes that Batman and the Joker are trapped in what Joker called “their little game.” Growing up in poverty has showed Todd the power of vicious cycles, and just as the richer only get richer and the poor only get poorer, he saw that the Joker continued to kill and the Batman continued to throw him in Arkham Asylum, to no end.

My problem with the theme of the series is that this madness does not get its comeuppance. It is portrayed as noble and not problematized enough. To be sure, Batman as such (the persona) is destroyed because ultimately his failure to obtain lasting justice allows Scarecrow to unmask him. Had he killed Scarecrow among all the other villains he had defeated in the past, he would not be in the situation he found himself in. However, the point of the ending was not so much his failure to create lasting peace in Gotham but the strength of his will. I think this confuses themes that could have been better emphasized.

The Joker is, ultimately, correct: Batman is no different from any of his enemies. The only difference is that his particular brand of madness involves putting away people who have harmed others. However, like all types of insanity, Batman perpetuates the conditions for his madness by allowing his enemies to live and strike again. Given the length of time Batman has been engaged in his “little game,” all the deaths and suffering his enemies have caused, despite the pauses when Batman captured them and before they escaped prison, amount to a net loss for Gotham.

The Arkham Knight could have forced him to have a reckoning with this reality. But he doesn’t. Jason Todd had a very personal vendetta that did not align with his realizations that made him want to pursue the Joker alone. I also found the boss fight with the Arkham Knight to be very underwhelming. I would have much rather preferred to have a sparring match with him, during which he had an emotional confrontation with Batman. That didn’t happen. I would have preferred this even if Batman still wins him over (as he does now). At least there would be some kind of catharsis. Seeing Jason free Batman later was not enough. And the Batmobile fight was more annoying than exciting.

Despite the flaws of the narrative, I greatly enjoyed the gameplay, and I was riveted by the story up until the end when the momentum seemingly fizzled out. Thankfully, this was at the very end, up until the Arkham Knight resolution and everything after it. I loved traversing Gotham, which was beautiful and varied and large. I loved going through the different side missions, which were always interesting in their own ways. There is something in the game for everyone, no matter how they wish to play, including those who enjoy using the Batmobile (which, from the looks of it, are very few).

I was surprised to learn that this game came out 10 years ago. The graphics are still very beautiful, and the style makes it timeless. Moreover, the city is big but not so big that there are immense open spaces where nothing happens and exists only to be traversed. Every few meters there is something to be done. After playing and moving on (I am now playing God of War, the new series) I found myself missing Gotham, wanting to visit, wanting to do more things in it. Even wanting to simply see it.

I think that although video games have been around for a few decades now, the medium remains in its infancy. Although we call them “video games,” they are not strictly games anymore. They are more like “interactive media” that encompass within them a great variety of works, integrated into a whole. All of these things must work together at the highest possible level to create a masterwork, which Rocksteady has done here. I’m happy to have revisited this series.