Batman™: Arkham Origins Review Summary

Superb boss battles: The boss fights are noted for being immersive, intense, cinematic, and memorable. Players find them to be a high point of the game.

Smooth and satisfying combat: The combat system is widely praised for being smooth, responsive, and enjoyable. Players appreciate the precision, challenge, and fluidity of the combat mechanics, which are described as addictive and impactful.

Christmas atmosphere in Gotham: The game's setting in a snowy, Christmas-themed Gotham City is highlighted for its unique and atmospheric visuals. Players find the ambiance beautiful and immersive.

Engrossing and epic story: The story is frequently described as amazing, engrossing, and genuinely epic. Players appreciate the narrative's depth, detail, and immersive qualities.

Deathstroke boss fight: The encounter with Deathstroke is particularly highlighted as one of the best boss fights in the series. Players appreciate its challenge and phenomenal design.

Game plagued by numerous bugs: The game is reported to have a significant number of bugs, ranging from minor issues to game-breaking glitches. These bugs affect various aspects of the game, including gameplay, combat, and overall performance.

Combat system issues: The combat system is criticized for being glitchy, clunky, and less polished than in previous games. Some players find it too easy, while others note it feels reduced compared to earlier titles.

Lacks Rocksteady polish: The game is often compared unfavorably to the Rocksteady Studios titles, with players noting a lack of innovation and polish. It is sometimes excluded from the Arkham franchise due to these shortcomings.

Open world feels empty: Many players have noted that the open world in the game feels empty and less alive compared to previous titles. This emptiness detracts from the immersive experience.

Movement and controls issues: The movement in the game is criticized for being slow and tedious. Additionally, controls can be janky and difficult to utilize, especially with keyboard and mouse.

Improved combat mechanics: The combat mechanics have been improved, building off the Arkham City style. The FreeFlow combat system is fluid and satisfying, with visceral animations and satisfying combos.

Younger, aggressive Batman: The story focuses on a younger, more aggressive Batman, showcasing his early years and brutal combat style. This portrayal adds a fresh perspective to the character.

Open-world structure and exploration: The game offers an open-world structure with non-linear gameplay and extensive exploration opportunities. Players can enjoy a large map with various missions and activities.

Enhanced detective mode: The detective mode has been improved, involving CSI-style reconstructions and various investigative mechanics. This mode is a significant part of the gameplay.

Efficient traversal mechanics: The game includes efficient traversal mechanics, such as the use of a grappling hook and fast travel points, making navigation easier and more enjoyable.

Frequent bugs and glitches: Players report a wide range of bugs and glitches, including game-breaking issues, graphical bugs, and various technical errors. These issues are prevalent and affect the overall gameplay experience.

Mixed optimization reviews: Opinions on the game's optimization are mixed. Some players find it amazingly optimized, while others report poor optimization and performance issues.

High FPS performance: The game runs smoothly at high FPS, including 60 FPS and 144 FPS. Players appreciate the removal of the 60 FPS limit, allowing for a smoother gaming experience.

Occasional crashes: Some players experience occasional crashes, which can disrupt the gameplay experience. These crashes vary in frequency and severity.

Excellent graphics and optimization: The game is praised for its excellent graphics and optimization, providing a visually appealing and smooth gaming experience on capable systems.

Highly recommended game: The game is frequently recommended by players, with many suggesting it to everyone, especially those who enjoy superhero games.

Worth playing for Arkham fans: Fans of the Arkham series find this game worth playing and consider it a masterpiece. It is highly recommended for those who love the Arkham formula and series.

Recommended for full Arkham experience: Players recommend this game to have the full Batman Arkham experience and suggest playing it first for pacing and story context.

Worth buying on sale: Many players suggest that the game is worth buying, especially when it is on sale, indicating good value for money.

Mandatory for Batman fans: Batman fans consider this game a must-play. It is highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of Batman.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 20.0h.

Story completion: 12.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

The game has a slow start due to repetitive combat and tedious side missions, but it becomes more enjoyable once players reach the challenge maps and engaging boss fights.

Reported time to anchor: 3h.

Friction: Repetitive combat; Tedious side missions; Frustrating boss fights; Multiplayer content no longer available.

Story-First Explorer: Explores the game world and narrative, focusing on the story and character interactions. Motivation: Engaging story and character development. Stance: buy.

Mechanics Analyst: Analyzes and compares gameplay mechanics, graphics, and performance, often providing detailed feedback on these aspects. Motivation: Gameplay mechanics and technical performance. Stance: sale.

Critical Tester: Focuses on identifying and reporting bugs, often providing detailed descriptions of technical problems. Motivation: Identifying and reporting bugs and technical issues. Stance: deep sale.

The game generally runs well on systems with less than 8GB VRAM, despite some minor issues reported.

Windows <8GB VRAM: positive. The game runs smoothly with minor issues such as screen freezes in graphics settings.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for 'Batman: Arkham Origins' on Steam Deck reveals several key issues. Frequent crashes and bugs are the most significant problems, severely impacting gameplay. Stability issues, including crashes and lag, are also prevalent. Many users noted that the game requires 'Proton Experimental' to run smoothly, indicating a need for tinkering. Additionally, there are reports of low-resolution textures and audio problems. Despite these issues, some users had a positive experience, finding the game to run flawlessly with the right settings.

Linux and Proton: Batman: Arkham Origins has a generally positive experience on Linux and Steam Deck, with most users reporting that the game works well with Proton. Some minor bugs and performance issues are noted, but overall, the game is playable with minimal tweaks.

Monetization: The reviews for Batman: Arkham Origins and its DLCs present a mixed picture. While the Mr. Freeze DLC is highly recommended and considered worth the purchase, especially when on sale, there are concerns about the necessity of buying DLCs to fully enjoy the game or achieve 100% completion. Some reviews indicate that the base game might feel incomplete without additional purchases. Additionally, there are mentions of difficulties in obtaining DLCs due to store shutdowns and mixed feelings on the pricing and value of the DLCs. Overall, the sentiment leans towards the DLCs being a worthwhile investment when purchased at a discount, but there are criticisms about the quality and content of some DLCs.

Mod reliance: The analysis of user feedback indicates that while the Arkham Origins Community Patch is frequently recommended for a smoother experience, there is no widespread consensus on specific game-breaking bugs that necessitate the patch. Many users mention preferences for various mods to enhance gameplay, but these are not critical to the game's functionality. The overall sentiment suggests that the game is playable without mods, but some users prefer the enhanced experience provided by community fixes and mods.

External guides: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues related to inventory management, game progression, and technical performance. Users are particularly frustrated with the UI and inventory system, often needing external walkthroughs to progress, and experiencing FPS drops that disrupt gameplay. These issues highlight the need for improved in-game data presentation, better hints and guidance, and technical optimizations.

Mods enhance gameplay: Players recommend several mods to improve the gaming experience, including visual enhancements and gameplay mechanics.

DLC available: The game offers downloadable content (DLC).