Batman: Arkham City is Quintuple the Size of Arkham Asylum

If you played Batman: Arkham Asylum you know two things: 1. That game is awesome, and 2. Arkham Asylum is one of the best locales in gaming. Ever. The famous hospital is practically its own character, with vivid and different locations and its own history which only the truly vigilant will completely uncover (and its totally worth it). I don’t really replay games that often, but I replayed Arkham Asylum because the thrill of exploring and discovering collectibles was so much fun (plus, it’s Batman). As such, the news released today by Rocksteady Studios head Sefton Hill that Arkham City will be five times the size of Arkham Asylum has my pants stretched five times as tight.

“In Arkham City, we want to take that attitude to the next level, so we created an experience in which gamers will have a huge amount of navigational freedom, but they will also feel the extreme pressure of the challenges that they face.”

“Players will be able to go anywhere at any time, but we have made sure that players will always have a very clear idea of where they are needed most if they want to just stick to the core narrative path of the game. Explore the streets of Arkham City, and you will find many side missions, secrets, and street brawls, so players won’t find it difficult to get into some trouble if that’s what they are looking for.”

There will certainly be some fans that cry foul at this decision. A big part of Arkham Asylum was the feeling of being trapped and vulnerable, with no chance of help. That’s going to be harder to accomplish with a whole city to play in, but who the hell cares? Gotham is already a messed up place to protect, but a city completely full of violent criminals to deal with means Bat’s going to be seriously stressed out, and it’ll be great to see how he handles it. Also, as someone that loves side missions, I’m very happy that we’ll have the opportunity to go off the rails a bit more.

I think my pants just ripped.