One of the main reasons Batman has survived over the last seventy years has been the writers’ creation of the fiercest and most cunning villains of all time. And just like the comics, Batman’s video games need these villains to tell an enticing story. But how do you keep the same villains feeling fresh and vital? While the story and dialogue is extremely important, the character’s design can also tell a whole lot about the villain. David Hego, Batman: Arkham Knight‘s art director comments on this challenge: “We tried to add something to the characters, so you’re still excited about them even after meeting them for the third time. How can we make these guys exciting, even after seeing them again? Every time, we make them look better and better and better, but at the same time, how can we improve the story behind them?”
Now the main villain of the trailer is Scarecrow, but Rocksteady has yet to reveal what the character looks like. Game Informer comments that Scarecrow will be scarred from his encounter with Killer Croc in Batman: Arkham City, but besides that little is known of his new character design. The public just knows that the Scarecrow is attempting to take over Gotham City with a chemical attack on Halloween. With that said, the screenshots of Batman: Arkham Knight’s villains are not anything new. The audience has seen both the Penguin and Two Face in the debut trailer, but it is extremely cool to see the personal screenshots of the villains with the lead character artist, Albert Feliu, describing them; last, the screenshot of The Riddler is extremely enticing because he allegedly plays a bigger role in Arkham Knight.
[promo title=”Penguin”][/promo]
The first thing that is noticeable about the Penguin is that he looks dirty, disheveled, and on the edge. His face and clothes look grimy and he is a ‘far cry’ from the dapper mastermind that the audience saw in Arkham City. As Game Informer points out, he is nowhere near as foul as Burton’s interpretation, but in the line of Arkham games, this seems like a different kind of Penguin. Albert Feliu, the lead character artist, comments on Batman: Arkham Knight’s villain:
“In Arkham City, he’s a collector, he works out of a museum and he looks like he’s in the mafia. This time, we went for autumnal mafia. We took the coat off, and the concept of Penguin was more of a dirty dude. Obviously his shirt is rolled up and sweaty, and he has food stains on it. But still, he’s really powerful. He’s got a golden chain, as well. We had to be a bit crazy with this character, and working with his design. And we shaved his head. He’s proper filthy, you know. It makes you want to punch him even more.”
Yes, Penguin was always a ‘wannabe thug,’ but the character seems to have come full circle and embraced the ‘dirty’ lifestyle of a gangster. For a person who has been ambivalent about the Penguin’s story lines, his character design makes me excited to see where Arkham Knight goes with the villain.
[promo title=”Two Face”][/promo]
Two Face has always been a strong character in Batman’s rogue gallery; Harvey Dent’s demise has always been a constant reminder of Batman’s failure. And though he played a minor role in Arkham City, his character design was intimidating and appealing to fans; but again, he did not have a lot to do in the sequel. But if the debut trailer is any indication, Two Face will play an important role in Scarecrow’s plan and hopefully the audience will get to see a lot of Gotham’s fallen white knight. For people who do not know, Two Face was Harvey Dent, a former prosecutor, whose face was burned with acid. As a result, the prosecutor suffered a mental breakdown and his clothes were modified to reflect “his scarred exterior and interior,” as well as, his dual personality. So, the new screenshot and the trailer revealed basically the same design with minor tweaks, but according to Albert Feliu the tweaks were necessary:
“With Two Face, we thought he was a really strong character already. OK, that was Arkham City; what can we do to make him look different, right? We just rolled up his sleeves and made him look really next-gen. We took some references of really filthy, burnt flesh – which is what we do most of the time, which is quite cool – and tried to make him look as badass as we could. [But] he was already a really strong character, so we tried to push it, and keep going that way. We didn’t want to change it that much.”
[promo title=”The Riddler”][/promo]
Last, is The Riddler who has played a minor role in the Arkham series; his character basically served as ‘side mission filler’ in both of Rocksteady’s games. While Arkham City had some extremely cool Riddler side missions, they did not do the character justice. So it was exciting to hear that the famous villain is not only in the game, but he may play an important role in the plot of Batman: Arkham Knight. Albert Feliu briefly hints at the Riddler’s role in the new game: “In Arkham City, you never really saw him that much. This time around, you see him throughout the game, and he evolves.”
Well what does he mean when he says the character ‘evolves?’ Well Game Informer points out that in the previous entries, Batman’s appearance is transformed throughout the games: for instance, his cape is tattered and his armor becomes scarred with gunshots. And this is what Rocksteady plans on doing with their villains, especially the Riddler: “[throughout the game the Riddler] will unbutton his shirt, get covered in grime, and become visibly distressed as Batman continues to thwart his plans.”
While the overall design to the Riddler remains fairly unchanged, the importance of his appearance throughout the game highlights his significance in the story. Again Albert Feliu comments on the design of The Riddler and this new villain feature:
“It’s something we try to put in the characters. If you had to work overtime, for example, you would start the night with your jumper on and everything, and as the time went by you’d probably take your jumper off, open your shirt, take your tie off, have a coffee. The Riddler is a character who has a cool framework, and we didn’t want to change it too much – we like his shirts with question marks and silly glasses and greasy hair.”
Now the Riddler’s upgrade leads to the question, how big is his role? Or in fact, how significant are any of these three villains in Batman: Arkham Knight? And do their personal agendas help or hinder Scarecrow’s overall plan? Obviously, at this point there are more questions than answers. So for now let us know what you think of these screenshots in the comment section below. And for any updates regarding Batman: Arkham Knight’s villains, please keep reading Gamer Headlines.
