SPOILERS: Arkham Origins and THAT twist

I want to touch one just one aspect of Arkham Origins right now. I’ve got plenty to say on it, the series, and my love/hate relationship with all three games, but right now, mid-playthrough, something’s struck an immediate chord with me.

Just another warning, there are some fairly big SPOILERS in this article, so don’t read until you’ve at least seen the big reveal in the early-ish stages (which is where I am right now).

I’ve been intrigued by Arkham Origins right from the off. The idea of a fresh developer and a spin-off tale that stepped away from the heavy-handed blows of the first two sounded exciting to me. Best of all, the Christmas Eve spin reminded me of the fantastic Jeph Loeb story from the Haunted Knight collection. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a reimagining of a Christmas Carol in the rather twisted world of Bruce Wayne.

Not that I thought Origins would be anything other than a blockbuster affair, but the link was enough to keep me hooked. On top of all that, the game would be focusing on one of my favourite Batman villains, Black Mask, and a slew of under-appreciated baddies, moving away from yet another Joker story. I love The Joker, but he shouldn’t steal the show every time. Batman has a host of incredible villains, let some others take centre stage.

The first three or so hours of Origins (which I’d hope is only a slice of the full campaign), stays true to that notion. There’s an incredible boss battle with Deathstroke, and some incredible character work between Bruce and Alfred that sets it apart from Asylum and City. There’s also an intriguing mystery as to what Black Mask is really up to.

Only, as that mystery unravels, you start to realise Origins isn’t actually going to be as unique as Warner Brothers had led you to believe. No doubt with the fan’s best intentions at heart, it pulls a surprise to close out the first act. It turns out that Black Mask isn’t in charge of anything at all – it’s been the Joker all along.

Oh.

Again, I have no doubt that this cover-up has all been done with the fans in mind. It’s a brilliantly-executed twist and almost certainly why Creative Director Eric Holmes was positively energetic about the story back at E3. But what are you left with after the big reveal? What you’ve had twice before; another Joker story in another Batman game. I was interested in Origins because it was meant to be the opposite.

Suddenly, Arkham Origins doesn’t feel like a confident game anymore. It’s retreated into familiar territory. I don’t like how this presents the franchise as being so Joker-dependent. He’s one of the greatest characters to ever be conceived, but do we have to have him to make a Batman game memorable? Should every Batman story really just be ‘how long until the Joker gets here’?

 It’s clear that the team wanted to make a Raiden-like twist out of all of this, but it’s left me feeling deflated in the moment. Granted, there’s still plenty of time for it to make amends.

I won’t pass judgement until the very end, of course. I’m still early on and, gameplay wise, I’m actually connecting with Origins more than I ever did the other two.

I just wish I was getting the story that was advertised to me.