165-628: Batman: Arkham Knight is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment . Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman , it is the successor to the 2013 video game Batman: Arkham Origins , a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham City (2011) and the fourth main installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by Sefton Hill, Ian Ball, and Martin Lancaster, Arkham Knight
330-627: A fantasy " setting. Tutankham , debuted by Konami in January 1982, was an action-adventure released for arcades . It combined maze, shoot 'em up, puzzle-solving and adventure elements, with a 1983 review by Computer and Video Games magazine calling it "the first game that effectively combined the elements of an adventure game with frenetic shoot 'em up gameplay." It inspired the similar Time Bandit (1983). Action Quest , released in May 1982, blended puzzle elements of adventure games into
495-583: A fourth wall -breaking story about Harley thinking of the artists that could illustrate her in her own comic book series. The rest of the series details Harley Quinn's adventures in Coney Island with her supporting cast. In Harley Quinn #25, Palmiotti and Conner reunited Harley Quinn with the Joker; the story depicts Harley Quinn returning to Gotham City to confront the Joker and end their relationship. With Harley Quinn's longtime friend Poison Ivy being
660-446: A joystick -controlled, arcade-style action game, which surprised reviewers at the time. While noting some similarities to Adventure , IGN argues that The Legend of Zelda (1986) by Nintendo "helped to establish a new subgenre of action-adventure", becoming a success due to how it combined elements from different genres to create a compelling hybrid, including exploration, adventure-style inventory puzzles , an action component,
825-567: A landlord in Coney Island , where she shares an apartment building with a supporting cast of " sideshow freaks". Considered to be the most defining writers to work on the character since Dini and Timm, Palmiotti and Conner reinvented Harley Quinn as an antihero who has left her controlling relationship with the Joker behind. In contrast to Harley Quinn's depiction in Glass' Suicide Squad , Palmiotti and Conner wrote Harley Quinn with
990-571: A monetary system , and simplified RPG-style level building without the experience points . The Legend of Zelda series was the most prolific action-adventure game franchise through to the 2000s. Roe R. Adams also cited the arcade-style side-scrolling fantasy games Castlevania (1986), Trojan (1986) and Wizards & Warriors (1987) as early examples of action-adventure games. Games like Brain Breaker (1985), Xanadu (1985), Metroid (1986) and Vampire Killer (1986) combined
1155-767: A subgenre of open world action-adventure video games in the third-person perspective . They are characterized by their likeness to the Grand Theft Auto series in either gameplay or overall design. In these types of open world games, players may find and use a variety of vehicles and weapons while roaming freely in an open world setting. Metroidvania is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania ; such games are sometimes referred to as "search action", and are generally based on two-dimensional platformers. They emphasize both exploration and puzzle-solving with traditional platform gameplay. Survival horror games emphasize "inventory management" and making sure
1320-436: A "little Yiddish sound", since Dini made the character Jewish , another aspect of the character borrowed from Sorkin; Dini described her voice for the character as having "a snappy blonde but also kind of a bad girl": "a little bit of Adelaide from Guys and Dolls , a little bit of Judy Holliday ", and "a lot of Arleen", stating that it sounded "very close" to Sorkin's voice. Dini had several names in mind while naming
1485-573: A bad girl character, and the best bad girl character in the DCU is Harley Quinn". Adam Glass, 2011 As part of the New 52 reboot in September 2011, Harley Quinn was reintroduced by Adam Glass as a prominent member of the supervillain team Task Force X in the relaunched Suicide Squad series. The character was heavily redesigned to fit the tone of the book, and was inspired by Harley's designs in
1650-442: A character who is "as serious a threat as possible to Batman". Nevertheless, months after "Joker's Favor", Harley made a second appearance on the show in the episode "The Laughing Fish" and became the Joker's love interest. Harley Quinn gained popularity with fans of The Animated Series , with the character being featured more on the show and eventually starring in her own episodes, such as 1993 's "Harley and Ivy", which introduced
1815-437: A charge and tackle attack only used by larger enemies in previous games; precision-timed dodging, and a batarang can instantly defeat some charging enemies. The system adds the ability to combine attacks on prone enemies without interrupting a combo streak. Batman can counter enemy attacks, and throw them into other enemies for increased damage. Batman is also capable of disarming enemies wielding items like baseball bats, and using
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#17327795533341980-545: A choice of what to say. The NPC gives a scripted response to the player, and the game offers the player several new ways to respond. Due to the action-adventure subgenre's broad and inclusive nature, it causes some players to have difficulty finishing a particular game. Companies have devised ways to give the player help, such as offering clues or allowing the player to skip puzzles to compensate for this lack of ability. Brett Weiss cites Atari 's Superman (1979) as an action-adventure game, with Retro Gamer crediting it as
2145-448: A complex text parser and no free-moving character. While they share general gameplay dynamics, action-adventures vary widely in the design of their viewpoints, including bird's eye , side-scrolling, first-person, third-person , over-the-shoulder, or even a 3/4 isometric view . Many action-adventure games simulate a conversation through a conversation tree . When the player encounters a non-player character , they are allowed to select
2310-469: A consultant on the plot. Development of Arkham Knight began in 2011 after completion of work on Arkham City , and took four years to finish. It was publicly revealed in March 2014, following leaked marketing material at the end of February, with series creators Rocksteady Studios returning to develop the game, following the development of 2013's Batman: Arkham Origins by WB Games Montréal . Arkham Knight
2475-451: A fan of the character after having read Mad Love . Kesel chose Terry Dodson as the artist for the series, whose art Kesel thought complemented the character's cartoonish roots and worldview. Kesel called Dodson and asked him if he was interested on working on the comic, to which Dodson agreed, and the two worked for a month on their proposal for the series, which was to make a comic about "love gone horribly, terribly wrong". The proposal
2640-475: A former Joker henchman named Kevin. Harley Quinn also has a prominent role in the " Fear State " crossover event. In January 2022, Phillips confirmed Harley would be resuming her previous career as a psychologist. Harley Quinn possesses multiple superhuman abilities, having won a gymnastics scholarship at Gotham City's Gotham State University. Following her transition to the main DC canon in 1999, Harley Quinn
2805-741: A friendship between her and fellow supervillain Poison Ivy , and 1994 's "Harlequinade" and "Harley's Holiday", which explored her life without the Joker. Harley Quinn then became a recurring character in the DC Animated Universe , appearing in The Animated Series sequel The New Batman Adventures , the direct-to-video film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker , and in non-Batman animation such as Superman: The Animated Series , Static Shock , and Justice League . In February 1994, she made her first appearance in
2970-494: A fundamental aspect of the character was how he interacts with his villains, allies, and the city around him. Hill said: "You know, what does it mean to be Batman? ...How does it affect Batman when things happen to him? What is his psychological make up? Those are the influences behind the game... you actually delve into the psyche of what makes him what he is, which is where I think so much of the interest in Batman is." Batman's armor
3135-477: A hideout where he rescues the imprisoned Poison Ivy, who had refused to join Batman's other rogues in Scarecrow's plot. Oracle identifies Ace Chemicals as the source of Scarecrow's toxin. Batman investigates the facility and discovers a large militia being dispatched to occupy Gotham, led by the mysterious "Arkham Knight." Batman locates Scarecrow, who has transformed the building into a toxin bomb meant to engulf
3300-511: A high-tech, militarized version of the Batsuit with short antennas that resemble bat ears to mock Batman. His angular chest plate acts as a means of deflecting the batclaw; his utility belt, in contrast to Batman's, is low-slung; and his gauntlets, boots and armor are influenced by the lightweight design of a fighter aircraft: "highly resistant, unreflective and totally intimidating". The Arkham Knight's holographic helmet conceals his identity with
3465-453: A hostage. Using the remaining militia, Scarecrow assaults the GCPD to eliminate Batman's allies. Batman and Oracle neutralize the militia, but Scarecrow uses the distraction to kidnap Robin. To save Robin and Gordon, Batman surrenders to Scarecrow and is taken to the ruins of Arkham Asylum. Scarecrow unmasks Batman as Bruce Wayne to the world on television, before repeatedly injecting Batman with
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#17327795533343630-581: A joke and the henchmen would laugh, and the Joker would kind of glare at her". The character idea dated back in 1991, after Dini came across a dream sequence , while watching a VHS tape of the soap opera Days of Our Lives , seeing his college friend Arleen Sorkin play a jester . Dini then based Harley Quinn on Sorkin, incorporating aspects such as her mannerisms and "very snappy, wisecracking, bubbly blonde" personality. Dini even decided to have Sorkin voice her. In recording Harley Quinn's voice, Sorkin spoke in her normal New York accent while putting in
3795-755: A large ensemble cast of characters from the history of Batman comics. The main character is Batman ( Kevin Conroy )—a superhero trained to the peak of human physical and mental perfection and an expert in martial arts. He is supported by his allies, Robin ( Matthew Mercer ), Nightwing ( Scott Porter ), Catwoman ( Grey DeLisle ), Barbara Gordon ( Ashley Greene )—who assists Batman covertly as the hacker Oracle—and her father, police commissioner James Gordon ( Jonathan Banks ). Batman's loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth ( Martin Jarvis ) and Wayne Enterprises colleague Lucius Fox ( Dave Fennoy ) provide Batman with tactical support, and
3960-583: A lighthearted, cartoonish, and humorous tone. Her costume has also been changed with a roller derby -inspired costume designed by Conner, which incorporates Conner's favorite aspects of Harley Quinn's early costume and her costume in Glass' run of Suicide Squad . The series also brought back Harley Quinn's red and black motif. The series began being published in November 2013, starting with Harley Quinn #0, which brought together 17 comic book artists, including Harley Quinn co-creator Bruce Timm, to illustrate
4125-432: A multiplayer element. Warner Bros. backed that up right at the start." Batman's Batmobile was an aspect of the character that Rocksteady had wanted to include in its other Arkham games, but were limited by technical constraints. The designers, who worked in conjunction with DC, chose to look at their earlier design from Arkham Asylum , instead of models from the history of Batman comics and media, and evolve that to meet
4290-591: A nightmarish figure resembling Batman. In August 2012, Paul Dini , writer of the first two games in the Arkham series, said he would not be involved in writing a sequel to Arkham City . He did not write that game's story-based Harley Quinn's Revenge downloadable content, and said that Warner Bros. and Rocksteady suggested he accept other work if offered. Rocksteady opted to use its own team of writers, headed by game director Sefton Hill and designer Ian Ball, with script elements by Martin Lancaster; Geoff Johns served as
4455-459: A pair of pet hyenas , Bud and Lou , who sometimes serve as her attack dogs . Harley Quinn has become one of DC Comics' most popular and profitable characters. She has been featured in many of DC's comic books and adapted in various other media and merchandise. DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee considers Harley Quinn the fourth pillar of DC Comics' publishing line, behind Superman , Batman , and Wonder Woman . Originally voiced by Arleen Sorkin in
4620-403: A pair of pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, which she can order to attack her opponents. Despite being mentally unstable and sometimes distracted, Harley is highly intelligent. Her intellect extends to her psychological, tactical and deception abilities, but she does not stand out for particular strategic or scientific skills and often remains subordinate to the Joker, who between the two is the genius and
4785-423: A recurring character in the series, Palmiotti and Conner built on their relationship and hinted at romantic feelings between the two characters; Poison Ivy is shown kissing Harley Quinn multiple times throughout the series, and a sexual relationship between them was alluded to in issue #25. When asked regarding their relationship in a Twitter Q&A, Palmiotti and Conner replied: "Yes, they are girlfriends without
4950-473: A recurring character within the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as the Joker's sidekick and love interest, and was adapted into DC Comics ' canon seven years later, beginning with the one-shot Batman: Harley Quinn #1 (October 1999). Quinn's origin story features her as a former psychologist at Gotham City 's Arkham Asylum who was manipulated by and fell in love with the Joker, her patient, eventually becoming his accomplice and lover. The character's alias
5115-501: A robotic voice synthesizer, giving the impression of a ghostly figure, and his visor provides him with a heads-up display to monitor his militia forces. His suit has a distinct camouflage pattern of "dark greys interspersed with dashes of red [that] enable him to remain concealed between the gloomy shadows and garish neons of Gotham's alleyways and rooftops". Arkham Asylum and Arkham City composer Nick Arundel returned to score Arkham Knight , while his partner on those games, Ron Fish,
Batman: Arkham Knight - Misplaced Pages Continue
5280-529: A rough design for the character, which Timm improved on. "Eventually each of the directors wanted to do a Harley episode, so the character began to appear in stories without the Joker. Over the years she allied herself with best gal pal Poison Ivy for occasional romps through Gotham and has even succeeded in giving Batman a hard time on her own. We now look upon Harley as our series' wild card, capable of showing up anytime to bedevil our heroes with her screwball antics". Paul Dini After seeing Harley Quinn in
5445-421: A security guard, a lawyer and even Poison Ivy and Batgirl. Harley Quinn has had several love interests, the most notable being the Joker and Poison Ivy. Other love interests include Mason Macabre, a character created by Conner and Palmiotti. Plastic Man was initially intended to be a love interest for Harley Quinn by Kesel, but was not approved by DC. "So Harley in her earlier incarnation really felt like she
5610-429: A series set in the universe of The Animated Series , and became a regular character. In 1997, she appeared in the story Batman: Thrillkiller , released under Elseworlds , a DC Comics imprint that published out-of-continuity alternate reality stories, as Hayley Fitzpatrick . In 1999, she became a canonical character with the release of Batman: Harley Quinn . "Bruce and I [...] were talking about what if there
5775-711: A side-scrolling platformer format with adventure exploration, creating the Metroidvania platform-adventure subgenre. Similarly, games like 005 (1981), Castle Wolfenstein and Metal Gear (1987) combined action-adventure exploration with stealth mechanics, laying the foundations for the stealth game subgenre, which would later be popularized in 1998 with the releases of Metal Gear Solid , Tenchu: Stealth Assassins , and Thief: The Dark Project . The cinematic platformer Prince of Persia (1989) featured action-adventure elements, inspiring games such as Another World (1991) and Flashback (1992). Alone in
5940-400: A single avatar as the protagonist . This type of game is often quite similar to role-playing video games . They are distinct from graphic adventures , which sometimes have free-moving central characters, but also a wider variety of commands and fewer or no action game elements and are distinct too from text adventures , characterized by many different commands introduced by the user via
6105-507: A team-up title created by Dini. The series brought together Batman's most popular female villains, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy, in an unstable alliance. The series also expanded on Harley Quinn's background and early life; in Gotham City Sirens #7, Dini established the character's hometown being Brooklyn , based on her accent and also introduced her dysfunctional family, with her swindling father being described as
6270-434: A vehicle's wheel. Free updates to the game were released to provide fixes and updates to the game, some based on community feedback. These included a Big Head mode, which makes all characters in the game have disproportionate heads; a photo mode, which allows players to edit photos taken during gameplay; the ability to use the original voice cast, with localized subtitles; and updates to the game's AR challenges. These included
6435-532: A vehicle. Gotham City was thus redesigned with wider streets to allow space for the Batmobile and other street traffic to drive without colliding into walls, and buildings were made taller to accommodate the vehicle's ejection ability. To redesign Gotham City, the designers attempted to build on the previous games' gothic architecture while making a more believable and dense city. Alongside minor elements like neon lights, billboard advertising, and American-style cars,
6600-543: A video game in The Adventures of Batman and Robin , an action platformer based on Batman: The Animated Series . Because of her popularity, Harley Quinn was adapted into DC's comic books. In September 1993 (cover date), a year following Harley Quinn's first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series , the character made her comic book debut in the 12th issue of The Batman Adventures ,
6765-447: Is a play on the stock character Harlequin from the 16th-century Italian theater commedia dell'arte . Following her introduction to the comics in 1999 , Harley Quinn was depicted as the former doctor turned sidekick and lover of the Joker as well as the criminal associate and best friend of Poison Ivy . Later stories depicted Quinn as an independent supervillain who has left her abusive and codependent relationship with
Batman: Arkham Knight - Misplaced Pages Continue
6930-447: Is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, classical adventure games have situational problems for the player to explore and solve to complete a storyline, involving little to no action . If there is action, it is generally confined to isolated instances. Classical action games, on the other hand, have gameplay based on real-time interactions that challenges
7095-557: Is a game that has enough action in it not to be called an adventure game, but not enough action to be called an action game." In some cases an action game with puzzles will be classified as an action-adventure game, but if these puzzles are quite simple they might be classified as an action game. Others see action games as a pure genre, while an action-adventure is an action game that includes situational problem-solving. Adventure gamers may also be purists, rejecting any game that makes use of physical challenges or time pressure. Regardless,
7260-607: Is a militarized version of Batman, with the "A" logo of the Arkham Asylum facility worn as an emblem on his chest. Other villains include the pyromaniac Firefly ( Crispin Freeman ), the beastly Man-Bat ( Loren Lester ), the veteran assassin Deathstroke ( Mark Rolston ), the serial killer Professor Pyg ( Dwight Schultz ), the religious fanatic Deacon Blackfire ( Mark Worden ), and Hush (also voiced by Conroy), who
7425-471: Is a modern development of skyscrapers built on the ruins of Gotham slums, and Miagani Island is an older metropolis with Wayne Tower at its center. Oracle has set up her communications headquarters in the Gotham clock tower, which also houses a makeshift Batcave . On Halloween, the Scarecrow forces the civilian evacuation of Gotham City after threatening to unleash his new fear toxin. Batman tracks Scarecrow to
7590-655: Is an "Arkham Episode" featuring Barbara Gordon as Batgirl set before the events of Arkham Asylum . Set in the Seagate Amusement Park, a nautical theme park built atop an oil rig, Batgirl and Robin team up to save her father, Commissioner Gordon, from the Joker and Harley. The content carries over the Dual Play function and hacking ability, which allows Batgirl to take down enemies, control objects, and solve puzzles. Design producer Justin Vazquez said, "Hacking
7755-406: Is an interesting assignment because the main character is a) insane and b) a criminal, and both of these things are pretty essential to the character, so we don't want to get rid of either of them. [...] [We] hammered out a direction for the book which [...] will establish a motivation and agenda for Harley. Depending on the storyline, she will be on the side of the angels sometimes, and on the side of
7920-510: Is described as the concluding chapter of the Arkham series from Rocksteady; they had a finale for the series in mind since the development of Arkham City . Kevin Conroy returns as the voice of Batman, having done so in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City , after stating at the 2013 Dallas Comic Con that he had been working on "the next Arkham ". This statement led to speculation that he would reprise his role as Batman in Arkham Origins ,
8085-543: Is found using them, and detecting his location if Batman uses Detective Vision for too long. Throughout the city, Batman encounters enemy watchtowers, guard posts, aerial drones, and explosive mines embedded in the city streets. Some drones can be hacked and turned against their allies by using the Remote Hacking Device. Arkham Knight introduces the "Fear Takedown," where Batman can subdue up to five enemies simultaneously as long as he remains undetected; time
8250-424: Is heavily reliant upon the player character's movement, which triggers story events and thus affects the flow of the game. Popular examples of action-adventure games include The Legend of Zelda , God of War , and Tomb Raider series. There is a good deal of controversy over what actually constitutes an action-adventure game. One definition of the term "action-adventure" may be '"An action/adventure game
8415-575: Is here's a woman who was a very intelligent and very manipulative doctor. We're trying to play up that quality. She is crazy, but there is something behind the madness. In the new DCU maybe everyone doesn't get shipped off to Arkham Asylum. Some people may have to do hard time and get shipped off to Belle Reve [the prison the Suicide Squad operates out of], and her presence here doesn't mean she hasn't been or won't end up in Arkham. Basically, we needed
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#17327795533348580-574: Is impersonating Batman's alter-ego as Bruce Wayne. Arkham Knight also features appearances and voice cameos by various characters drawn from the history of Batman comics and the previous Arkham games, including pharmaceutical businessman Simon Stagg ( Philip Proctor ), reporters Vicki Vale (also voiced by DeLisle) and Jack Ryder ( James Horan ), police officer Aaron Cash (Duane Shepard), corporate businessman Lex Luthor ( Keith Silverstein ), crimefighter Kate Kane , serial killer Calendar Man , and mutated gangster Killer Croc ( Steve Blum ), while
8745-402: Is inspired by the long-running comic book mythos . Set nine months after the events of Arkham City , the game's main storyline follows Batman as he confronts Scarecrow , who has launched an attack on Gotham City and caused a citywide evacuation. Scarecrow, with the help of the mysterious Arkham Knight, plots to unite all of Gotham's criminals in an attempt to finally destroy Batman. The game
8910-406: Is presented from a third-person perspective , with a primary focus on Batman's melee combat, stealth abilities, detective skills, and gadgets. Batman can freely move around the open world of Gotham City, interacting with characters and undertaking missions, and unlocking new areas by progressing through the main story or obtaining new equipment. The player is able to complete side missions away from
9075-468: Is really what separates her from the other characters... Our intention was that Batgirl should be less powerful than Batman, but that Batgirl plus hacking could give her opportunities to do things that not even Batman can pull off." The content was released on July 14, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with the Windows release on October 28, 2015. Other "Arkham Episodes" include "GCPD Lockdown", set after
9240-506: Is skilled in using various weapons, often employing weaponized clown-themed gag items, including pop guns , rubber chickens , and a gun that shoots a boxing glove, as well as oversized pistols and mallets , the latter being her signature weapon. Other weapons she uses include: unconventional weapons, such as a baseball bat ; explosive weapons such as bazookas , customized bombs , and dynamites ; firearms , such as pistols , assault rifles , and machine guns ; Harley Quinn also has
9405-422: Is slowed after each takedown, allowing the player to target the next enemy. Hazardous items such as power generators can be used in combat for environmental attacks. Combat is rewarded with experience points (dubbed " WayneTech points" in game), which are used to unlock gadget abilities, combat moves, and health upgrades. Batman can now access grates from afar, allowing him to roll forward and immediately get under
9570-650: Is upgraded as well to include a scanner that can be thrown out to gain additional information on the surrounding area. New gadgets include the Voice Synthesizer, which can be used to imitate other characters' voices such as Harley Quinn and the Arkham Knight to manipulate thugs into traps. The player can fly Batman throughout the city using his cape, with gliding now allowing for faster, longer sustained flights, steeper dives, and higher climbs. Batman can use some gadgets while gliding, such as batarangs or
9735-728: The Uncharted franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Ark: Survival Evolved . Harley Quinn Harley Quinn ( Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series as a henchwoman for the Joker , and debuted in its 22nd episode, " Joker's Favor ", on September 11, 1992. While intended to appear in one episode, Quinn became
9900-443: The DC Animated Universe , she has since appeared in many other DC projects voiced by actresses such as Tara Strong , Hynden Walch , Laura Bailey , Jenny Slate , Melissa Rauch , Laura Post , and Kaley Cuoco ; the latter provided the character's voice in the 2019 animated series Harley Quinn . Mia Sara portrayed the character in the 2002 television series Birds of Prey . Harley Quinn made her live-action cinematic debut in
10065-587: The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Suicide Squad (2016), where she was portrayed by Margot Robbie . Robbie reprised her role in Birds of Prey (2020) and The Suicide Squad (2021), with elements of her portrayal's design subsequently incorporated into comics. Lady Gaga portrays the character in Joker: Folie à Deux (2024). Harley Quinn was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for
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#173277955333410230-438: The evidence room . The game introduces the Batmobile as a drivable vehicle. The bulletproof Batmobile can be summoned to the player's location while on foot or, if the player is airborne, summoned to meet Batman as he lands. The vehicle features the ability to perform jumps, speed boosts, rotate on the spot, smash through objects like barricades and trees, and fire missiles that can immobilize enemy vehicles. Batman can eject from
10395-402: The grapnel gun , line launcher, batarangs , the countering system, Detective Vision, and the Remote Hacking Device. The Disruptor receives upgrades from previous games, becoming a rifle that can be used to disable or detonate enemy weapons and drone turrets, boobytrap weapon crates to shock enemies who attempt to arm themselves, and tag vehicles for Batman to track. The remote controlled batarang
10560-447: The rough cut of "Joker's Favor", the producers of Batman: The Animated Series , which include Dini and Timm, were impressed with the result, with Dini wanting to bring the character back for more episodes. Timm and another producer, Alan Burnett , were initially reluctant of this and thought that giving Joker a girlfriend "played more towards his comedic side" and would "humanize him too much", which contrasted their vision for Joker as
10725-472: The "Batmobile Edition" were notified that the edition had been canceled due to a quality issue with the Batmobile statue from designer Project Triforce. Consumers were able to receive a refund or have their purchase transferred to another edition. Two days later, it was revealed that the "Limited Edition" was delayed for release in Europe until mid-July 2015 due to a packaging quality issue. "The Serious Edition"
10890-492: The "Cloudburst," a mass dispersal device for the fear toxin. Aboard Stagg's airship, Batman finds Scarecrow, but a dose of fear toxin allows the Joker's persona to temporarily assume control of Batman while the Arkham Knight extracts the Cloudburst. Recovering, Batman locates Oracle in Scarecrow's hideout, where he watches her shoot herself after being exposed to the fear toxin. Harley Quinn seizes Batman's makeshift base inside
11055-448: The "drone virus," which allows the player to override the weapon systems of enemy vehicles and cause them to attack each other. The Batmobile can also be controlled remotely, driven within indoor locations, and used in solving the game's puzzles, such as lowering an inaccessible elevator with its attached winch or obtaining a Riddler trophy. The Batwing is used in conjunction with the Batmobile to deliver upgrades. Arkham Knight features
11220-818: The "first to utilize multiple screens as playing area". Mark J.P. Wolf credits Adventure (1980) for the Atari VCS as the earliest-known action-adventure game. The game involves exploring a 2D environment, finding and using items which each have prescribed abilities, and fighting dragons in real-time like in an action game . Muse Software 's Castle Wolfenstein (1981) was another early action-adventure game, merging exploration, combat, stealth, and maze game elements, drawing inspiration from arcade shoot 'em ups and maze games (such as maze-shooter Berzerk ) and war films (such as The Guns of Navarone ). According to Wizardry developer Roe R. Adams, early action-adventure games "were basically arcade games done in
11385-399: The 1992 Batman: The Animated Series episode entitled " Joker's Favor " while Dini was writing the episode. Initially written as an animated equivalent of a walk-on role , Harley Quinn was intended to appear in just one episode. With this, her origin was not supposed to be more than it was, making her popularity unexpected and a surprise success. As Dini was putting together the story for
11550-431: The Batmobile and immediately begin gliding around Gotham City. Most enemies will flee at the sight of the vehicle, eliminating the need for Batman to fight them, and enemies attacking the car can be subdued by its automated taser defenses. Like Batman, the Batmobile can be upgraded with new abilities. Riddler challenges also feature objectives requiring the Batmobile, such as timed races in tunnels beneath Gotham City, where
11715-490: The Dark (1992) used 3D graphics , which would later be popularized by Resident Evil (1996) and Tomb Raider (1996). Resident Evil in particular created the survival horror subgenre, inspiring titles such as Silent Hill (1999) and Fatal Frame (2001). Action-adventure games have gone on to become more popular than the pure adventure games and pure platform games that inspired them. Recent examples include
11880-616: The Joker and a recurring core member of the Suicide Squad, with Poison Ivy becoming her primary romantic interest. In 2021, DC's line-wide Infinite Frontier relaunch brought Quinn back to Gotham City and reestablished her as a superhero seeking redemption for her past actions. Harley Quinn's abilities include expert gymnastic skills, proficiency in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, complete unpredictability, immunity to toxins, and enhanced strength, agility, and durability. Quinn often wields clown-themed gag weapons, with an oversized mallet being her signature weapon. Additionally, she has
12045-472: The Joker behind, beginning with the publication of her ongoing series , Harley Quinn . After years of scarce appearances in comics, Quinn returned in a leading role in 2009 with the Gotham City Sirens series, as part of an unstable alliance with Poison Ivy and Catwoman . In 2011, DC's line-wide reboot The New 52 reintroduced Quinn in the relaunched Suicide Squad title, which changed
12210-455: The Joker's relationship to be darker to match the Joker's character in the comics; in the story, the Joker attempts to kill Harley at the first opportunity. Harley's immunity to toxins and enhanced strength and agility, which were gained from a special formula created by Poison Ivy, were carried over from Batman: The Animated Series , with Dini stating that they would give her a sort of "physical edge" over Batman and other heroes. "[The series]
12375-424: The Joker's signature weapon, and is shown to have reverse-engineered its formula and developed an antitoxin. She also has an indomitable pathological will. Just like Poison Ivy, sometimes and not as much, Harley uses her feminine charm to attract men but only to manipulate them. Unlike the Joker, she is able to simulate sanity, thus being able to pretend to be a "normal" person. In this way, she disguised herself as
12540-446: The Joker. Joker, existing as a mental projection produced by the infected blood and fear toxin, frequently appears to taunt Batman and twist his perception of reality. After Batman escapes Ace Chemicals, he alerts Gordon to his daughter's kidnapping, revealing that she aids his vigilantism. Gordon, feeling betrayed, abandons him and leaves to find Scarecrow on his own. Batman learns that Scarecrow recruited businessman Simon Stagg to build
12705-448: The Joker. Unlike her characterization in Batman: The Animated Series , Dini and Palmiotti wrote Harley Quinn in the story as less of a " doormat ", with Harley Quinn and Joker being on equal footing in their relationship. The story concluded with the two-part limited series of the same name, which also expanded on Harley Quinn's past as a former intern in animal research at S.T.A.R. Labs , where she met her pet hyenas Bud and Lou . In
12870-472: The Panessa film studio to rescue the "Joker-ized" patients. Batman and Robin capture Harley and the infected, but one of the patients kills the others before committing suicide, believing that Batman will become the perfect "Joker." Realizing that Batman is infected, Robin attempts to imprison him, but is instead locked in a cell by Batman for his own safety. The Arkham Knight activates the Cloudburst, flooding
13035-410: The Scarecrow element out of that one theme." Arundel added that Buckley was willing to work within the music he had already created, as opposed to wanting to add his own personal touch to it. Buckley received Arundel's work from Arkham Asylum to help create new variations on the chords and melody from the original theme. Volume 1 of the official soundtrack was released from WaterTower Music alongside
13200-445: The ability to select all playable characters from the game and its downloadable content (DLC) to be used in all combat and predator challenge maps. Previously, each map had predefined character selection; the addition of a harder difficulty setting on combat challenges; more round-based challenges as well as interior map locations; and the removal of the blue wall around the challenges, which players found distracting. A "Limited Edition"
13365-1077: The acquired weapon on several foes before it breaks. Arkham Knight introduces "Dual Play," in which players can seamlessly switch control of Batman to one of his allies during certain events of the game: Robin , Nightwing , or Catwoman while in Freeflow combat, which the player enters when they have accumulated an uninterrupted combat-streak. Each successful, uninterrupted attack adds to the player's combat score, which carries over between each controlled character, and unlocks double-team takedowns on opponents at higher scores. Arkham Knight introduces enemy medics who can shield enemies in electrified fields and revive unconscious ones, sword-wielding enemies, and brutes who are resistant to damage and must be stunned before they can be attacked; brutes wielding Gatling guns , tasers, and blades require additional steps to defeat. Enemies are capable of employing tactics to counter Batman's various skills, including deploying landmines, controlling hovering drones, disabling vents if Batman
13530-546: The action-adventure label is prominent in articles over the internet and media. The term "action-adventure" is usually substituted for a particular subgenre due to its wide scope. Although action-adventure games are diverse and difficult to classify, there are some distinct subgenres. Many games with gameplay similar to those in The Legend of Zelda series are called Zelda clones or Zelda -like games. Popular subgenres include: A Grand Theft Auto clone belongs to
13695-424: The character as she infiltrates the city of Blüdhaven to assault the police station and rescue her partner-in-crime Poison Ivy. Jason Todd as Red Hood is also a playable character via DLC in a story-driven mission, in which Red Hood goes up against Black Mask. The WayneTech Booster Pack provides the player with four upgrades for Batman and the Batmobile on the onset, as opposed to earning them by progressing through
13860-413: The character did not require changing significantly, and instead emphasized existing character traits, particularly his disfigured flesh, using references of burnt flesh as inspiration. Similarly, they wanted to retain the typical Riddler characterizations like green shirts emblazoned with question marks, but instead had the character design evolve throughout the game, modifying his own costume in response to
14025-430: The character to send Adam Glass hate mail and personal threats. In September 2013, DC Comics announced an art contest entitled "Break into comics with Harley Quinn!", in which contestants were to draw Harley in one of four different suicide scenarios. This contest drew controversy not only because it was announced close to National Suicide Prevention Week , but also because of the sexualized portrayal of Harley Quinn in
14190-501: The character's personality, design, and origin, replacing her original jester costume with a revealing ensemble and depicting her to be darker than her earlier counterpart. The character took a lighthearted and humorous direction with her second ongoing series in 2013, written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti , which features the character moving to her hometown of Brooklyn and starting her own life in Coney Island . The character has since been depicted as an antihero independent of
14355-518: The character, Timm did a "simplified supervillain version" of traditional Harlequin gear; from the commedia dell'arte original, he took the jester hat , ruffled collar, diamond pattern, and domino mask and put them on a red-and-black bodysuit , on which the diamonds were strategically placed for easier animation. Timm took Harley Quinn's red and black color scheme from the Golden Age comic book character Daredevil . Dini had previously made
14520-432: The character, such as Columbine , and eventually settled on the name "Harley Quinn". Dini chose the name for the character to be in line with other Batman characters's names being puns , and also because he thought "Harley was a fun name for a girl". The name Harley Quinn is a play on Harlequin , a stock character from the sixteenth-century Italian physical comedy theater commedia dell'arte . In designing
14685-402: The city with fear toxin. Batman destroys the tank carrying the Cloudburst and convinces Ivy to empower an ancient tree that can neutralize the toxin; she succeeds and saves Gotham, but dies from the exertion, while Batman's exposure to the toxin strengthens Joker's control over him. Batman pursues the Arkham Knight to a construction site to rescue Gordon. The Knight reveals himself as Jason Todd ,
14850-669: The city, leaving Commissioner Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department outnumbered. Arkham Knight 's Gotham City is approximately five times the scale of the open-air Arkham City prison in Arkham City . The game takes place in the center of the city, which is split into three islands: Bleake, Founders, and Miagani, with various districts such as the neon-tinged Chinatown, and the industrial shipping yard. Bleake Island features shorter buildings, disheveled areas, and abandoned docks, while Founders Island
15015-510: The city, through the use of gadgets or Batman's car, the Batmobile, to disable traps and barriers, and completing timed races. The player can mark Riddler trophies on the in-game map once found if they do not initially have the necessary equipment to complete the puzzle, and learn of additional locations for collectables by interrogating the Riddler's henchmen. Batman can investigate crimes such as murders, using his Detective Vision to reconstruct
15180-431: The conclusion of the " Forever Evil " storyline. In the seventh issue of Suicide Squad , Glass revised Harley Quinn's origin story, making it reflect the Joker's origins. In the story, the Joker takes Harleen Quinzel to the chemical plant where he originated and pushes her into a vat of chemicals against her will, which bleaches her skin and drives her insane, resulting in her transformation to Harley Quinn. This origin
15345-484: The content of certain "key" scenes in the game could affect its rating. The team decided to maintain the offending content so that it would not "jeopardize" their vision for the game and its thematics. In an in-depth explanation of the game's content, the ESRB revealed the existence of scenes where players can "shoot unarmed characters and a hostage", and torture scenes taking place on a "bloody operating table" as well as using
15510-496: The creative team; the series was given to writer A.J. Lieberman and artists Mike Huddleston and Troy Nixey by Idelson, and took on a grittier and darker direction, contrasting Kesel's run. The decision renewed interest in the character, but the sales remained lackluster and the series was cancelled in 2003. After years of scarce appearances in comics, Harley Quinn resurfaced in a leading role in July 2009 with Gotham City Sirens ,
15675-633: The crimes to locate clues and identify the perpetrators, or use his Tissue Scanner to investigate a victim's skin, muscle, and bones for clues. Completing the story mode unlocks a New Game Plus mode, enabling the player to replay the game with all of the gadgets, experience, abilities, and Riddler collectibles that they have obtained. The completion of some tasks is reflected in the Gotham City Police Department , with thugs and supervillains becoming incarcerated, and criminal memorabilia from missions and previous games being collected in
15840-639: The definitive Harley Quinn story, Mad Love added dimensions to the character, with Dini introducing Harley Quinn's motivations as well as establishing her as a tragic and sympathetic figure. The story received wide praise and won the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best Single Issue in the same year and was later adapted into an episode of the same name in The New Batman Adventures in 1999. Mad Love establishes Harley Quinn's full name to be Harleen Frances Quinzel. "Harleen Frances"
16005-533: The demons and devils on others. Like most great crime characters, she's not concerned with the law. What concerns her is something totally different. What that is will be revealed as the first half dozen issues progress". Karl Kesel, 2000 While pursuing new assignments at DC Comics' offices in New York City , Karl Kesel was approached by former DC editor Matt Idelson to create a pitch for Harley Quinn's first ongoing series , which Kesel accepted, being
16170-417: The designs were conceived to keep them interesting after players had seen them several times before in previous games, while the game's autumnal setting also necessitated a change in character clothing over the winter setting of Arkham City . The Penguin lost his long coat, and was made to look dirtier, his clothing showing signs of sweat and food stains, and his head was shaved. For Two-Face, the designers felt
16335-465: The entire Eastern Seaboard. Scarecrow reveals that he has kidnapped Oracle before escaping. Exposing himself to the toxin, Batman inhibits the bomb's blast radius before he is confronted by the Joker. A flashback reveals that before the Joker died, his infected blood was used in blood transfusions , infecting five people, including Batman. Concealing his infection, Batman imprisoned the four other patients, who were physically and mentally transforming into
16500-456: The environmental obstacles change during each lap, and invisible question marks that must be revealed using the Batmobile's scanner. The Batmobile has two modes, which can be switched at any time: Pursuit and Battle. Pursuit is for moving from area to area and completing specific driving challenges. In Battle mode, the Batmobile transforms into a tank, allowing a full 360-degree range of movement, including strafing in any direction, while revealing
16665-457: The episode, he wanted to introduce a foil for the supervillain the Joker that would emphasize the Joker's comic book personality traits: funny, scary, and egotistical. He then thought of giving Joker a henchwoman, inspired by the molls of the 1960s live-action Batman series , and then decided she would be a "funny counterpart to the Joker to maybe work up a little Punch and Judy attitude between them"; Dini stated, "[...] she could crack
16830-419: The events of Arkham City , Batman is struggling to cope with the absence of his archenemy and the uncomfortable feeling that the pair shared a bond deeper than either could admit. Without the Joker's presence, Gotham's citizens have never felt safer, and crime in the city has declined significantly. However, this gives Batman's enemies, including Penguin, Riddler, Two-Face, and Harley Quinn, a chance to unite with
16995-650: The events of Arkham Knight , in which Nightwing must stop the Penguin from breaking out of the GCPD, which was released in September 2015; Catwoman's Revenge , set after the events of the main game, in which Catwoman gets her revenge on the Riddler which was released in November 2015; and A Flip of a Coin , set after the events of the main game, in which Robin hunts down Two-Face, which was released in November 2015. The Harley Quinn and Red Hood story packs which were pre-order bonuses were also considered "Arkham Episodes". Action-adventure game An action-adventure game
17160-430: The events of the plot. The game's titular villain is created specifically for the game, with input from comic-book writer Geoff Johns and comic artist Jim Lee. Hill noted that Rocksteady wanted to introduce an antagonist who could challenge Batman on equal terms. Feliu stated that the Arkham Knight's design reflects his role in the game as well as his knowledge of Batman's tactics and fighting style. The Arkham Knight wears
17325-421: The fear toxin to break him before the public. Batman and Joker battle for control inside Batman's mind; Joker attempts to weaken Batman by showing the effects of succumbing to the infection, but Batman triumphs and locks the Joker away in his mind forever to be forgotten—the Joker's only fear. Todd saves Batman, who subdues Scarecrow with his own fear toxin. After Batman ensures that Gotham is safe, Gordon dispatches
17490-586: The fourth scenario, in which the character attempts suicide while naked in her bathtub, which was highly criticised. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention , American Psychiatric Association , and National Alliance on Mental Illness all responded to the controversy in an emailed group statement to the Huffington Post : "We are disappointed that DC Comics has decided to host a contest looking for artists to develop ways to depict suicide attempts by one of its main villains – Harley Quinn". After seeing
17655-405: The game on June 23, 2015, and a limited edition vinyl record featuring fifteen songs from the soundtrack chosen by Arundel. The game features the song I've Got You Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra . Mercy by Muse , and The Wretched by Nine Inch Nails were used in trailers, with Nine Inch Nails vocalist Trent Reznor served as a music consultant on the "Be the Batman" trailer. The game
17820-476: The game received generally favorable reviews, and was considered to be a satisfying conclusion to the franchise. The Windows version was subject to criticism for technical and performance issues that rendered it unplayable for some users, prompting Warner Bros. to temporarily withdraw it from sale. At release, the game was the fastest-selling game of 2015, and the fastest-selling game in the Arkham series, reaching over 5 million units sold globally by October 2015. It
17985-448: The game with a specific rating in mind, but that "It's unavoidable that some bad stuff is going to happen. But that doesn't mean we changed our approach. We're not including gratuitous blood or swearing. We want to deliver a true end with no compromises, and it takes us to some dark places." Although he did not elaborate which content in particular triggered the "M" rating, Hill did note that a "ratings analysis" by Warner Bros. indicated that
18150-401: The game's downloadable content features appearances by Mad Hatter ( Peter MacNicol ), Black Mask ( Brian Bloom ), Mr. Freeze ( Maurice LaMarche ), Ra's al Ghul ( Dee Bradley Baker ), Nyssa Raatko ( Jennifer Hale ), and Nora Fries ( Cissy Jones ). The game also makes references to many characters from the history of Batman and DC Comics. Nine months after the death of the Joker during
18315-464: The game, but both parties felt that three years was too long to wait between games, so WB Games Montréal was tasked with creating the prequel, Arkham Origins , to fill the gap. Unlike Arkham Origins , the game does not feature a multiplayer component. As Hill explained, the development team knew the single-player game would take the team's full effort, with their "focus on making the best single-player experience we can. We [did not] feel that it [needed]
18480-482: The game, designed by West Coast Customs , was on display at MCM London Comic Con . Starting on May 8, 2015, until the release of the game, Rocksteady released weekly behind-the-scenes videos called "Arkham Insider", featuring Rocksteady staff describing various aspects of Arkham Knight ' s gameplay as well as answering fan questions. "Arkham Insider" returned in August 2015 to highlight the monthly DLC releases, with
18645-767: The game. The Scarecrow Nightmare DLC, exclusive to the PlayStation 4, depicts a Gotham City that has succumbed to the Scarecrow's fear gas transforming it into a twisted nightmare image of itself, overseen by a towering Scarecrow and his undead army. Additional content was made available via the game's season pass , which includes story-driven missions; Challenge Maps for Batman and his allies; new Batmobiles from Batman's history and custom racetracks for them; skins for Batman and his allies; and all pre-order retailer content once their timed exclusivity expired in August and September 2015. The story-driven missions include "The Season of Infamy", new "Most Wanted" missions played through
18810-406: The gameplay still follows a number of adventure game genre tropes (gathering items , exploration of and interaction with one's environment, often including an overworld connecting areas of importance, and puzzle-solving). While the controls are arcade-style (character movement, few action commands) there is an ultimate goal beyond a high score. In most action-adventure games, the player controls
18975-578: The grate if in range, instead of having to be right on top of them, while also initiating multiple takedowns from within them. Some enemies carry devices capable of blocking Batman's Detective Vision. Arkham Knight features side missions, known as "Most Wanted" missions, which can be attempted at any time and feature prominent characters from the Batman universe. One such character, the Riddler , provides 243 optional "Riddler challenges" to solve. These challenges consist of collecting trophies hidden throughout
19140-466: The holy warrior Azrael ( Khary Payton ) aims to replace Batman as Gotham's protector. Throughout the city, Batman is faced with several supervillains: he must overcome Scarecrow's ( John Noble ) plot to threaten Gotham City, dismantle the Penguin's ( Nolan North ) weapon dealing operation, put an end to Two-Face 's ( Troy Baker ) bank heists, conquer the Riddler's ( Wally Wingert ) challenges, capture
19305-413: The inventor. Harleen Quinzel earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and as a former Arkham psychologist , was highly qualified in psychoanalysis , criminology , and forensic psychiatry . While not on par with Joker, she is still an expert tactician, deceiver and escapologist, and still shows traces of her psychological experience. Harley Quinn is the only person besides the Joker to concoct Joker Venom,
19470-522: The jealousy of monogamy ". The New 52 Harley Quinn series received positive reception, and was also one of DC Comics' top-selling series, inspiring multiple spin-offs . The series was ended for the DC Rebirth relaunch of DC's titles. The cover of the first issue of the New 52 ' s Suicide Squad title drew controversy for its sexual depiction of Harley Quinn. This also caused some fans of
19635-459: The latter starting with the one-shot issue Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 (October 2016). Harley Quinn's DC Rebirth design included pink and blue dyed hair tips and a jacket inspired by Margot Robbie 's portrayal of the character in the 2016 film Suicide Squad , a change established in the last issues of her New 52 series. Harley Quinn returned as a regular character in the relaunched Suicide Squad series, written by Rob Williams . The series
19800-562: The line-launcher. The grapnel gun can now be used to instantly switch directions during a glide, as well as being fired twice while in the air to chain grappling moves together. The game's "Freeflow" combat system allows for basic attacks, including strikes, counters, and dodging, which can be combined to keep Batman attacking while moving between enemies, and avoiding being attacked himself. Basic enemies include enemies armed with shields and shock batons, while others are armed with guns, which significantly damage Batman. These enemies can perform
19965-418: The main game, where the player as Batman goes up against "legendary super-villains invading Gotham City, with new story arcs, missions and gameplay features", and "Arkham Episodes", where players control Batman's allies in short story missions that take place before and after the events of Arkham Knight to further expand their narratives. Batgirl: A Matter of Family , which was developed by WB Games Montréal,
20130-552: The main reason for her pursuing psychology . The first several issues of Gotham City Sirens were written by Dini and illustrated by Guillem March. Other creatives who worked for the series include writers Tony Bedard and Peter Calloway, and artists David López , Andres Guinaldo, Peter Nguyen, Jeremy Haun, and Ramon Bachs. The series was cancelled in August 2011 for The New 52 , DC Comics' relaunch of their entire comic line. "One thing that we're trying to show with her, and I don't think it gets played with enough with Harley,
20295-623: The main story to unlock additional content and collectible items. Combat focuses on chaining attacks together against numerous foes while avoiding damage, while stealth allows Batman to conceal himself around an area, using gadgets and the environment to silently eliminate enemies. Arkham Knight introduces the Batmobile as a playable vehicle, which is used for transportation, puzzle solving and combat. Development on Arkham Knight began in 2011 after completion of Arkham City and took place over four years. Rocksteady opted to use its own writers for
20460-478: The main story with collaboration by comic book writer Geoff Johns , choosing to replace Paul Dini who had worked on Arkham Asylum and Arkham City . The introduction of the Batmobile required a change in the team's design methodology, as the previous games' city designs were too narrow and confined to allow smooth travel for the vehicle. Arkham Knight was released worldwide on June 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4 , Windows , and Xbox One . The console versions of
20625-438: The multiple weapon systems on board, including a Vulcan rotary cannon for quick damage, a 60mm hypervelocity cannon for fire support, anti-tank guided missiles for wide-ranging damage against multiple targets, and a non-lethal riot suppressor. Additional upgrades to the vehicle include increasing the number of anti-tank missiles up to 10, an EMP device, which releases an electric pulse used to temporarily stun enemy drones; and
20790-404: The necessary gameplay requirements. The vehicle was designed to integrate with Batman's on-foot traversal without being a burden; Hill stated, "We didn't want it to be like, 'Okay, the Batmobile is so good I'll just stay in that all the time.' or 'Batman is so powerful gliding around I won't be using the Batmobile.' There's a definite need to use both of those." The world's challenges were set out on
20955-434: The older generation systems. The game allows for up to five times the number of on-screen enemies as were possible in Arkham City , and riots can feature up to fifty on-screen enemies interacting with the environment to smash items, and spray graffiti. The technical changes also allowed for cutscenes to be rendered in real time in the game engine, where previous installments had used pre-rendered videos to compensate. Describing
21120-412: The only Arkham game known to be in development at the time, which was not the case, as Batman would be voiced by Roger Craig Smith in that title. Rocksteady decided early on in development to make Arkham Knight only for the then-upcoming next-generation of consoles, which was considered to allow them to focus on using the system resources to their fullest without reining in their ideas to accommodate
21285-460: The opportunity to create an original character in the Batman universe as "terrifying", but noted that the developers at Rocksteady relished the chance to make a mark on the Batman property that would last beyond the games themselves. Batman: Arkham Knight was released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on June 23, 2015. The game was originally scheduled to be released on October 14, 2014. It
21450-421: The plant-controlling Poison Ivy ( Tasia Valenza ), and subdue Harley Quinn ( Tara Strong ), who wants revenge against Batman for the death of the Joker ( Mark Hamill ), Batman's psychopathic nemesis. The game introduces the Arkham Knight (also voiced by Baker), a new villain created by Rocksteady, DC Comics CCO and comic-book writer Geoff Johns, and DC co-publisher and comic artist Jim Lee . The Arkham Knight
21615-489: The player has enough ammunition and recovery items to " survive " the horror setting. This is a thematic genre with diverse gameplay, so not all survival horror games share all the features. The Resident Evil franchise popularized this subgenre. Action-adventure games are faster-paced than pure adventure games, and include physical as well as conceptual challenges where the story is enacted rather than narrated. While motion-based, often reflexive, actions are required,
21780-400: The player's reflexes and eye-hand coordination . Action-adventure games combine these genres by engaging both eye-hand coordination and problem-solving skills. An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action game and an adventure game , especially crucial elements like puzzles inspired by older adventure games. Action-adventures require many of
21945-408: The police to reclaim the streets, and Batman activates the "Knightfall Protocol" to protect his loved ones. Surrounded by reporters, Batman returns home to Wayne Manor where he is greeted by Alfred; as the pair enter the manor, it explodes. Sometime later, Gordon, now Mayor of Gotham, prepares to attend Oracle and Robin's wedding. Elsewhere, two muggers attack a family in an alley but are confronted by
22110-400: The previous Robin, who was tortured and seemingly murdered by Joker. Todd blames Batman for abandoning him, and escapes after refusing Batman's offer to help him. Batman and Gordon confront Scarecrow, where Oracle is revealed to be alive, her suicide having been a hallucination. Batman rescues Oracle and returns her to the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD), but Scarecrow escapes with Gordon as
22275-503: The reactions to the contest, DC Comics apologized, saying they should have made it clear it was a dream sequence that was not supposed to be taken seriously. In the final version, the bathtub scene was cut and replaced with Harley Quinn sitting on a rocket while flying in space. In June 2016, the DC Rebirth event relaunched DC Comics' entire line of comic book titles. Both Harley Quinn as well as Suicide Squad were rebooted, with
22440-439: The same physical skills as action games, but may also offer a storyline, numerous characters, an inventory system, dialogue, and other features of adventure games. They are typically faster-paced than pure adventure games, because they include both physical and conceptual challenges. Action-adventure games normally include a combination of complex story elements, which are often displayed for players using audio and video. The story
22605-602: The scale of difference between Arkham Knight and earlier games, lead character artist Albert Feliu said that a single character model in Arkham Knight could contain the same amount of polygons used to render the entirety of Arkham Asylum ' s environment. Arkham Knight is the first in the series to use the Apex physics simulation engine to have items like cloth, such as Batman's cape, react realistically to movement or wind. Warner Bros. supported Rocksteady's concept for
22770-477: The season pass. A limited edition PlayStation 4 was also released, featuring a "Steel Gray" console and controller with a custom Batman faceplate. In 2016, it was released a "Game of the Year Edition" of the game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, featuring all the downloadable content from the season pass. Harley Quinn is a playable character via downloadable content (DLC) in a story-driven mission, that follows
22935-593: The second part of the story, Dini and Palmiotti explained Harley Quinn's change in costume, establishing the character's modern design as a reflection of her having left her relationship with the Joker. For the 2021 Infinite Frontier relaunch, Harley Quinn is moved back to Gotham City as a superheroine, where she frequently interacts with and aids the Batman family, and she is given a new design by Riley Rossmo . Harley Quinn's fourth ongoing series, written by Stephanie Phillips and illustrated by Rossmo, depicts her "actively looking to make up for her past sins", alongside
23100-527: The series running until December 2015 over a total of 11 episodes. Various products were developed based on the game including clothing, hats, calendars, posters, and headphones . When asked if the Arkham Knight was an entirely new character or simply new to the Batman: Arkham series, marketing producer Dax Ginn claimed that he is "completely original" in terms of his design and role, and a character whom Batman has not encountered before. Ginn described
23265-484: The series, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League , was released on February 2, 2024. Batman: Arkham Knight is an action-adventure game set within an open world Gotham City, which can be explored freely by the player from the beginning of the game, allowing them to travel seamlessly anywhere within its boundaries. Many of the gadgets and the gameplay elements from the previous Arkham games return, including
23430-471: The series, Glass separated Harley Quinn from the Joker and explored her "becom[ing] her own person", with the Suicide Squad becoming a family to her; Glass said: "Harley's always wanted to belong to something. And if not Joker, then the team – and she's finding herself in all this. She's finding her place in the world, that she's not just a sidekick". Suicide Squad was canceled in April 2014 to coincide with
23595-427: The singular goal of defeating Batman. Having anticipated a new threat, Batman has continued to develop crime-fighting technology and maintain a vigil over the city. On Halloween night, Scarecrow, who Batman had defeated in Arkham Asylum , threatens the city with his newly created strain of fear toxin and bombs planted throughout Gotham, forcing the evacuation of the city's six million civilians. Only criminals remain in
23760-511: The team developed ideas for shops that could be found in the city, while retaining a grimy, dystopian theme. Describing the design, Hego said: "every kind of element we've added in there ... makes the entire experience feel a little out of time. You couldn't pinpoint whether it's twenty years ago, now or in ten years time." The designers valued making an open world that was "rich, vibrant, dense...and full of interesting things to do" over it just being large. In writing for Batman, Hill considered that
23925-650: The title. Tieri's run on the series ended with the series' 42nd issue, followed by a two-issue storyline written by Christopher Sebela and illustrated by Mirka Andolfo . By issue #45 in July 2018, Sam Humphries was the new writer for the series, with John Timms returning to provide art. The series ended in August 2020. In 2017, Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini wrote a backup feature for Harley Quinn's Rebirth monthly series entitled Harley Loves Joker , co-written by Palmiotti and illustrated by Bret Blevins , which ran for 9 issues. The story brought back Harley Quinn's classic characterization and focuses on her past with
24090-405: The vehicle suffer cosmetic damage without slowing the car, as it was considered that being impeded by a collision while turning a corner would diminish the fantasy of driving the Batmobile. During early development, Rocksteady placed a prototype Batmobile in the existing Arkham City map, and learned that the claustrophobic city designed for Batman to glide and grapple did not work well for driving
24255-417: The vertical and horizontal plane of the map to discourage players from using only one form of movement, with the Batmobile providing a faster method for moving large distances over gliding. Unlike Arkham Origins , Arkham Knight does not feature a fast travel system as the designers considered traversal to be part of the game, and allowing players to skip that would detract from the experience. Buildings hit by
24420-430: The video games Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City ; her color motif was changed to red and blue, her jester costume was replaced with a revealing ensemble consisting of a corset and hot pants , her skin was bleached white, and her previously blonde hair was altered to half-blue and half-red. Her personality had also been depicted to be more violent and psychopathic than her former iteration. In
24585-601: Was accepted by DC Comics, and the pair began work on the series, with Kesel and Dodson both being involved in the storytelling, and Dodson bringing in his wife, Rachel Dodson , to ink. Kesel's run on the series began being published in December 2000, and was about Harley Quinn leaving the Joker and becoming a solo criminal, alongside a supporting cast of henchmen named the Quinntets. Because of underwhelming sales, his 25-issue run ended in December 2002, and DC decided to change
24750-578: Was also the 6th best-selling game of 2015 in UK . A Nintendo Switch version was released in December 2023. The game also received several accolades, including Best British Game, Best Game, and Best Action-Adventure Game. It was also featured in many lists of the best video games of 2015 and of the 2010s. A variety of post-release content was released for the game, including story-based missions, challenge maps, and skins for Batman and his allies, different historical Batmobile designs, and racetracks. A continuation of
24915-602: Was canceled in February 2016. Feral stated the original delay was to "ensure good performance and wide-ranging support" for the two platforms. In February 2015, it was revealed that Arkham Knight had received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB , rather than the "Teen" ratings previous installments in the franchise held. Sefton Hill and the Rocksteady team were caught off guard by the rating; Hill explained that they did not create
25080-448: Was canceled in January 2019. Harley Quinn's relaunched ongoing series is a direct continuation of the former, with Conner and Palmiotti still writing for the character, and Hardin and Timms illustrating the interior art. After having written 64 issues of Harley Quinn's ongoing series, Conner and Palmiotti's five-year run ended with the 34th issue of the series in December 2017, with writer Frank Tieri and artist Inaki Miranda taking over
25245-401: Was delayed to June 2, 2015, and then delayed again to June 23, 2015. On the first delay, Rocksteady marketing game manager Guy Perkins stated, "If we didn't give the team more time to do it, then we would be releasing something that we weren't happy with. We want to make sure we're absolutely nailing it 100%." A quality assurance tester for the game added, "Getting [the game] to work on consoles
25410-454: Was established as having immunity to toxins and enhanced strength, agility, durability, and reflexes, which she received after having been injected with a serum concocted by Poison Ivy. "Vengeance Unlimited, Part Five" ( Harley Quinn vol. 1 #30) revealed that it also gave her the ability to breathe underwater. She is strong enough to lift 900-1600 lbs as she is Peak human level in DC and possesses Low Superhuman levels of Strength. Harley Quinn
25575-468: Was impossible for months. That's part of why the game got delayed so many times, [Rocksteady was] totally unprepared for how hard it was on next-gen consoles." In the UK, the Windows version is only available as a digital release. Additionally, a Linux and OS X version of the game developed by Feral Interactive was scheduled for release in early 2016 after originally being scheduled to release in late 2015; it
25740-521: Was originally scheduled to be released during Batman's 75th Anniversary celebration in 2014, and as a result, DC presented the "Cape/Cowl/Create" art exhibit in London in June 2014, and at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2014. The exhibit featured contemporary artists painting on a cape and cowl designed by Asher Levine and based on the batsuit from the game. In May 2015, a life-size replica of the Batmobile from
25905-503: Was received negatively by fans, who felt that its removal of Harley Quinn's choice to become the Joker's accomplice willingly, as depicted in her previous origin stories, took out an essential part of her character. Harley Quinn's second ongoing series, written by husband and wife Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner , with the interior art illustrated by Chad Hardin and John Timms, explored Harley Quinn leaving Gotham City and starting her own life in her hometown of Brooklyn, depicting her as
26070-502: Was redesigned to match that of the Batmobile to make them appear visually similar—featuring the same shapes and material textures—and appear functionally compatible with the high-speed methods in which the character enters and exits the vehicle. The design also added armor over Batman's shoulders, covering the previously exposed cape, to make it appear more feasible that it could hold Batman's weight without failing during gliding. For other returning characters, art director David Hego said that
26235-470: Was released exclusively on Amazon.com . This edition featured the game, the "First Appearance" skin (based on Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics #27), and a limited 25th anniversary edition of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth , the graphic novel on which the Batman: Arkham series is loosely based. A "Premium Edition" was made available containing both the game and
26400-409: Was released, containing the game in a Steelbook case, an 80-page concept art book, an Arkham Knight issue #0 comic book, alternate costumes for Batman, Robin and Nightwing based on DC Comics' The New 52 , and a statue of Batman. The "Batmobile Edition" contains the "Limited Edition" items, but replaces the Batman statue with a transformable Batmobile statue. However, on June 17, consumers who purchased
26565-435: Was released. Written by Dini and drawn by Timm, the story marks their first comic book collaboration. Mad Love introduces Harley Quinn as a former psychologist named Harleen Quinzel who fell in love with the Joker during her internship at Gotham City's Arkham Asylum and details her transformation into the Joker's villainous accomplice Harley Quinn, as well as the Joker's lack of respect for Harley. Widely considered
26730-412: Was replaced by composer David Buckley . On his continued involvement in the series, Arundel said, "One of the good things about doing a sequel, is you get the opportunity to redo [things you wished you changed], to revisit things... We have a set of material that we want to keep consistent, like the Batman theme ... We wanted to keep [that] theme and tailor it more to the story for this game. How can we get
26895-458: Was some sort of surprise to her origin? What if she's not just a hench girl? We came up with the idea that she had been a doctor at Arkham Asylum and the Joker had gotten into her head and worked her into being his follower. ...Then we thought, what if Harley's in the role of the long-suffering girlfriend?" Paul Dini about the creation of Mad Love In February 1994, the one-shot The Batman Adventures: Mad Love recounting Harley's origin
27060-506: Was taken from Sorkin's first and middle name, Arleen Frances, while "Quinzel" came from one of Dini's former Emerson College instructors, who was surnamed Quenzel. Harley Quinn was adapted into the mainstream DC Universe with the 1999 one-shot graphic novel Batman: Harley Quinn , written by Dini and illustrated by Yvel Guichet, which put her origin in the middle of the Batman: No Man's Land story line. Dini changed Harley and
27225-513: Was the one for the Joker, that she could catch him and cure him and bring him back to humanity. But actually, in the process, she lost hers. Before she knew it she had fallen head-over-heels in love with him. I think initially he was looking to play her and get what he could out of her, and then realized he had opened Pandora's box and this woman in her madness could match him at just about anything he does. I think he finds that, in some ways, very sexy and attractive. But he's not really set up to love in
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