Nintendo’s latest Direct probably won’t go down as one of the publisher’s greatest, but it did have plenty of exciting announcements, especially for fans ofSuper Mario. Whilethe new 2DSuper Mario Bros. Wonderwas probably the biggest highlight of the presentation, some other notable reveals were theSuper Mario RPGremake, a new and mysterious Princess Peach game, a newWarioWaregame, and aDetective Pikachusequel. But aside from all the first-party reveals, there was one big third-party announcement that somehow ended up being one of the biggest highlights of the whole Nintendo Direct, and that was theBatman: Arkham Trilogy.
Set for a Fall 2023 release, theBatman: Arkham Trilogy, as the name implies, collects all three mainline entries of theBatman: Arkhamseries and all of their respective DLCs and expansions. Though the jury’s out on justhow well theBatman: Arkham Trilogywill run on the Switch, it’s still an exciting announcement nonetheless, and it has the potential to open up more opportunities for theBatman: Arkhamfranchise on Nintendo consoles in the future. In particular, there’s one underrated entry that could thrive on the Switch.
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Batman: Arkham Origins Could Thrive on the Nintendo Switch
The definiteblack sheep of theArkhamfranchise,Batman: Arkham Originswas originally released all the way back in October 2013, almost an entire decade ago. Aside from the handheld spin-offBatman: Arkham Origins Blackgate,Arkham Originsis by far the most underrated game in the series. Made by WB Games Montreal and not series creator Rocksteady,Batman: Arkham Originsdid admittedly lack the same level of polish and finesse that its predecessors had, but it was still a great Batman game.
Using the successful formula established and refined by Rocksteady,Batman: Arkham Originsnaturally had an incredible combat system, delivering the same level of satisfying, bone-crunching action that bothArkham AsylumandArkham Cityhad, with some unique abilities of its own thrown in for good measure.Arkham Originsalso told a pretty engaging narrative, which again doesn’t quite hold up toRocksteady’s first twoArkhamentries, but remains a solidBatman Year One-esque story with compelling iterations of iconic characters. Throw in the unique Christmas setting on top of it all, andBatman: Arkham Originsis still a great superhero game, well deserving of a revival alongside its more favorable siblings.
If theBatman: Arkham Trilogydoes well on the Nintendo Switch, then that could pave the way for more Batman collaborations in the near future, andBatman: Arkham Originsis the perfect candidate for a remaster or even just a port to the console. Being almost 10 years removed fromArkham Origins' initial release, a modern-day port might be able to put a more positive spin on the game’s legacy. When compared to Rocksteady’s current efforts withSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,Batman: Arkham Originsmight look great in comparison, and the Nintendo Switch could be the perfect platform to make that resurgence happen.
Batman: Arkham Originsalso has one trick up its sleeve Rocksteady’s games didn’t have, and that’s multiplayer. An asymmetrical mode that now feels ahead of its time,Batman: Arkham Origins' multiplayerpits Batman and Robin against a team of criminals armed with ranged weapons. It wasn’t perfect, but the mode was a nice little addition that helpedArkham Originsto stand out, and if that mode was revived in a hypothetical Nintendo Switch port, then the game would stand an even greater chance of receiving a more positive reception in the modern day.
Batman: Arkham Trilogywill launch on Nintendo Switch in Fall 2023.
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