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The Batman Arkham franchise is, perhaps, one of the greatest of all time. It continues to be a topic of conversation among gamers. One of the many reasons the series did well was its utilization of the Rogues gallery from the comics and movies.
The series, starting with Arkham Asylum, provided great story beats for Batman to go up against the most notorious villains in Gotham. The game also offered some fantastic boss fights. A boss fight is a key element in an action game. A player's resolve is tested, and they are asked to come up with creative tactics to beat their foe.
Boss fights also serve as punctuation mark to drive home a theme and sell a spectacle, and the Batman Arkham franchise excelled at this.
Top 5 boss fights in the Batman Arkham series
#5 - Electrocutioner - Batman: Arkham Origins
Electrocutioner is, perhaps, the most puzzling entry in the entire list. This boss fight deserves its place amongst the very best in the series purely for what it posits about Batman. The showdown between Batman and Electrocutioner is built up with a lot of hype. It promises a Gladiator-like spectacle.
Every sign points to a classic Batman throwdown filled with all sorts of flashy gadgetry and melee. However, the fight lasts for only a couple of seconds. Batman hits the Electrocutioner with a righteous kick to the face and knocks him out instantaneously.
In terms of gameplay, this is easily the most underwhelming of all boss fights. However, no other fight makes the player go "That's classic Batman."
#4 - Scarecrow- Batman: Arkham Asylum
In terms of challenge, there is not much to be found in the Scarecrow hallucination sequences. However, thematically and visually, this is easily one of the most impressive boss fights. The sequences mostly involve a 2D-like world, where Batman must evade Scarecrow's vision and eventually get the drop on him.
These sequences occur sporadically through Arkham Asylum with some amount of variation each time around. Gameplay-wise, it isn't particularly interesting, but it is an exceptionally well-crafted representation of Batman's fears.
The nature of hallucinations adds a bit of horror to the game. Thanks to fantastic character design and a brilliant score, this scene makes a great case for Scarecrow as one of the best Batman villains.
#3 - Deathstroke
For all the criticism Batman: Arkham Origins got upon release, it has some of the best boss fights in the series, including the one with Deathstroke. Players assumed that The Terminator will be kept for the later stages in the game, but he makes his appearance quite early in Arkham Origins.
Slade Wilson gets the drop on Batman and challenges him to a classic one-on-one. Contary to popular belief, the Arkham franchise doesn't have much in the way of a classic one-on-one brawl, and this boss fight makes up for it in a big way.
While it could have just easily devolved into a button-mashing QTE, the actual fight maintains a lot of control for the player. The fight is exhilirating and showcases two extremely capable men at their physical peak, slogging it out.
#2 - Mr Freeze - Batman: Arkham City
Mr Freeze is one of the most interesting villains in Batman Rogues gallery. His motivations seem quite noble, and he is quite easy to empathize with. The fight is cited as one of the best boss fights in video game history. The fight against Mr Freeze is as mentally challenging as it is physical.
Since Mr Freeze's suit can adjust to the tactics Batman uses, players can only use a takedown sporadically. This is why players are forced to use as many different takedowns to combat Mr Freeze.
While not a traditional throwdown, it is true to both Mr Freeze and Batman.
1 - Joker/Batman - Batman: Arkham Knight
Not exactly a "boss fight" on a purely technical level, the final sequence of Arkham Knight can be construed as one gigantic boss fight. After being dosed with a titanic amount of fear toxin, Batman's final battle takes place within his mind.
Throughout the game, the Joker wrestles with taking hold of Bruce Wayne's psyche. During the last sequence, the player as Joker must fight Batman's attempts to take back control of his mind.
This results in the player, as the Joker, witnessing Batman playing tricks on him. Batman is shown a version of events where Joker is a forgotten name. Gameplay wise, there isn't a lot other than walking and shooting a bunch of mannequins.
However, as is custom with the Arkham series' boss fights, the boss fights serve as a great way to drive home a theme or an idea.
The idea, in this case, is to get Batman to finally figure out what Joker's fears are and use it against him to lock him away for good.
