More than rhythmic freeflow combat and cape-gliding traversal, theArkhamseries ofBatmangames has always had an inspired suite of gadgets at its core. BesidesBatman: Arkham Shadow, everyArkhamgame has taken place over the course of a single night and thus necessitated the use of a tighter inventory or improvisational tools as Batman is faced with unique obstacles. Still,gadgets such as the Batclaw, Cryptographic Sequencer, Explosive Gel, and Batarangsare mainstays that Batman always has equipped in his utility belt by the end of each game.
Appropriately so,Batman: Arkham Knightpushed the envelope on gadgets to accommodate for how much more high-tech the series had suddenly become. This is apparent inBatman: Arkham Knight’s Battle Mode-ready Batmobile and V8.03 Batsuit alone, even only nine months after the events ofBatman: Arkham City. It is unknown how much time may pass now betweenSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League—which is set five years afterKnight—and Rocksteady’s reportedly upcomingBatmangame. But, if rumors are true, it will be fascinating to see what arsenal of futuristic gadgets players may have at their disposal if Rocksteady is indeed developing an Arkhamverse-adaptedBatman Beyondgame.
Bruce Wayne’s Trusty Gadgets Should Feel Outdated in a Batman Beyond Game
Batman’s gadgets are obviously advanced in terms of real-life modern-day standards and yet they’ve arguably never been wildly science-fiction-inspired or unfathomable beyond the technology in the cowl lenses that allow him toactivate Detective Mode to view skeletons and see through structures, summarily analyze blood samples and chemical residue, or rewind and fast-forward an augmented-reality simulation of a crime scene via contextual environmental evidence.
Otherwise, more or less everything Batman is somehow able to stash away and retrieve from his utility belt would likely need to be abandoned in aBatman Beyondretelling that would presumably take place decades into the Arkhamverse’s future. Batman’s Cryptographic Sequencer should be hilariously antiquated by the time Terry McGinnis dons a Batsuit, for example. To be fair,Batman: Arkham Knightdoes have some cutting-edge technology, including a Remote Hacking Device and a Voice Synthesizer. That said,if the Arkhamverse is going to define its next era in Neo-Gothamit’ll need an even larger overhaul.
What a Batman Beyond Game’s Gadgets Could Look Like
Interestingly, Terry McGinnis’ Batman gadgets aren’t all that high-tech or unrealistic for 2039, and this gives Rocksteady an opportunity to stretch its imagination regarding what tools players gradually obtain throughout the course of the game. Batarangs and a Batclaw are sure to be reprised, but it would be riveting to see how Detective Mode may have evolved.
Batman’s V8.03 Batsuitbeing designed with a titanium-dipped tri-weave so he can absorb impacts and take out multiple foes in quick succession means Terry’s Batsuit, as sleek and understated as the black-and-red, capeless bodysuit should be, will hopefully exhibit far greater capabilities. Jet thrusters in theBatman Beyondsuit’s boots mean players would theoretically be capable of flight, for instance, and seemingly fundamentally change how players traverse if they won’t be relying solely on cape- or wingsuit-gliding and grapnel-boosting.
This Batsuit does traditionally have underarm glider wings, though—as seen inBatman: Arkham City’s astonishingly faithful and exceptional ‘Batman Beyond Batman’ skin—and could likely sustain the Arkhamverse’s most iconic traversal mechanic, but with jet thrusters there’d be no meaningful reason to grapnel-boost or create momentum with dive-bombs in the same capacity and thus gameplay would undeniably be a mere shade of what it used to be. Still, this new era, if legitimate, could be a treasure trove of nostalgia with Bruce Wayne’s old gadgets displayed in the Batcave for players to reminisce about.
