History YMMV / BatmanArkhamAsylum

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe, Stephen Crane's psychiatrist, Dr. Kellerman, suggests that he might [[MistakenForInsane just be a really evil bastard]] who likes hurting people and satisfying his twisted curiosity by studying their fear rather than a true obsessive with a compulsion to use his fear gas. Perhaps Dr. Young is onto something when she suggests that if Crane were given a stock of his fear gas he wouldn't feel an irresistible need to use it... [[DistinctionWithoutADifference but is ignoring the obvious possibility that Crane might still run around exposing others to fear toxins because he gets a sadistic gratification out of it rather than because he feels compelled to]].

** Officer Balls[[labelnote:Explanation]]Officer Boles' name has a rather unfortunate pronunciation. In 2023, fans latched onto [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHaM2XoNC5U one particular scene]] in which Batman says Boles' name, followed by the Joker laughing hysterically - taken out of context, it sounds like he's laughing at having tricked Batman into saying "balls".[[/labelnote]]

* TheUnTwist: [[spoiler: Warden Quincy Sharp is]] the Spirit of Arkham. Despite the game's attempts at making you think [[spoiler: the memories were being left by Amadeus Arkham if the obvious allusions to the likes of Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Victor Zsasz, Scarecrow, and the Joker didn't make it evident that the entries were actually contemporary, the fact that they both have the same voice actor should]].

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe, Stephen Crane's psychiatrist, Dr. Kellerman, suggests that he might [[MistakenForInsane just be a really evil bastard]] who likes hurting people and satisfying his twisted curiosity by studying their fear rather than a true obsessive with a compulsion to use his fear gas. Perhaps Dr. Young is onto something when she suggests that if Crane were given a stock of his fear gas he wouldn't feel an irresistible need to use it... [[DistinctionWithoutADifference but this ignores the obvious possibility that Crane might still run around exposing others to fear toxins because he gets a sadistic gratification out of it rather than because he feels compelled to]].

* FranchiseOriginalSin: The very first game in the series was also the origin of the series' reputation for [[AntiClimaxBoss not quite getting the boss fights right]]. Killer Croc is confronted in a glorified series of quicktime events, the final battle with Scarecrow is a glorified FlunkyBoss encounter mostly spent fighting ''easier'' versions of standard {{Mooks}}, Bane is a standard BullfightBoss whose mechanics are then repeated for several of the game's EliteMooks, and the final battle with the Joker is a redux of Bane's boss battle with a smattering of dust-ups with normal prisoners between phases. Only Poison Ivy's boss battle, where she she's drawn into a juiced-up plant like she's piloting a biological HumongousMecha, is seen as particularly inspired, and even then, it's a reasonably standard StationaryBoss that happens to take good advantage of the player's supply of gadgets. Where ''Asylum'' made up for these deficiencies was in atmosphere. No one minded that Scarecrow's actual boss fight was kind of dull because Scarecrow's nightmare sequences were seen as a highlight of the game, and while Killer Croc's encounter was more divisive many players enjoyed the scare factor of having to slowly navigate a cramped, claustrophobic set of tunnels with a hulking cannibal looming around every corner. It also helped that ''Asylum'' was a shorter, less-padded game with a more-controlled, linear-adjacent design, so the build-up to any given boss battle wasn't as drawn-out as it would later become.

* ShippingGoggles: Thanks to the large amounts of FoeRomanceSubtext, Batman and Poison Ivy's interactions have been interpreted as them having an underlying sexual tension. Poison Ivy seems to be ''inviting'' towards Batman when she wants him to come and "see her face to face."
--> '''Poison Ivy:''' It's rude to keep a girl waiting, Batman.

* EvilIsSexy: Poison Ivy is a genocidal misanthrope who wears very little and has a BoobsAndButtPose in one of her game over taunts.

* TheUnTwist: [[spoiler: Warden Quincy Sharp is]] the Spirit of Arkham. Despite the game's attempts at making you think [[spoiler: the memories were being left by Amadeus Arkham if the obvious allusions to the likes of Killer Crock, Poison Ivy, Victor Zsasz, and the Joker didn't make it evident that the entries were actually contemporary, the fact that they both have the same voice actor should]].

** The Scarecrow segments. Some consider them to be among the best scenes in the game, while others argue that they're not actually scary, take way too long and only distract from the story and regular gameplay. There's a third camp that likes the MindScrew parts that lead up to the sidescroller gameplay, but don't like the sidescrolling segments themselves.

** Rain in the remaster. Some feel that it's completely unnecessary and ruins the atmosphere, while others feel like it adds some life to the barren overworld, looks better, and adds consistency in the game's schizophrenic weather. [[labelnote: Explanation]] It's raining in the intro, it's clear when the player is outside during the main part of the game, yet it's raining when Batman is in the sanitarium.[[/labelnote]]

* DisappointingLastLevel: The [[spoiler:Titan Joker]] boss fight is often classified as this by the fans, with many declaring it out-of-place against a villain who's been praised for his brains, rather than his brawns. Coupled with the fact that most of the fight is against {{Mooks}} rather than the titular villain, along with the relatively basic gameplay and attack pattern, and you have a contender for the most disliked boss in the game, if not the series as a whole.

* FirstInstallmentWins: A common opinion among fans, thanks to the game being entirely self-contained, extremely atmospheric and having a very solid story mixed with equally good gameplay. While ''City'' received better review scores, fans of the first game think the sequel -- while still good -- suffers from its writing (especially when it comes to the characters) and for sacrificing atmosphere for the open world. While ''Origins'' and ''Knight'' did also receive good scores, both are also generally agreed to not quite reach the level of the first two games.

** Arkham Inmates in show up in the DLC map Totally Insane alongside lots of thugs. Since you barely have time to do a ground takedown on any of them, they keep coming. They also can't be dispatched by any of the special takedown maneuvers and will simply leap over Batman, which will break your combo and leave you open to other enemies.

** Just before the final boss fight, [[spoiler:Joker turns his TITAN gun on himself while talking like he'd been DrivenToSuicide: "I have nothing left to live for."]] Fast-forward to ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', and [[spoiler:his death by TITAN poisoning]].

** [[spoiler:Batman is briefly infected by the TITAN formula near the end of the game, but is able to successfully overcome the effects. He wouldn't be as lucky the second time around, this time getting infected with the tainted batch of it mixed with Joker's blood, leading to far more devastating effects on his body]].
** The final FissionMailed Scarecrow hallucination scene features the Joker driving the Batmobile to Arkham Asylum with Batman as his prisoner and then have him strapped onto a gurney to be examined by the Scarecrow himself, who calls him Wayne and mocks his mental state and dead parents before letting the Joker finish him off. That nightmare becomes somewhat of a reality in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'', [[spoiler: where the Batman is taken prisoner and transported to the abandoned Arkham Asylum. There, he is strapped to the gurney and the Scarecrow exposes his secret identity to the entire world and then induces him to a nightmarish fear-toxin scenario, causing the Joker in Batman's head to make his final attempt to drive Batman insane and take over his body.]]
** Simply walking through Arkham Mansion can feel sadder after completing Knight, and knowing that [[spoiler:Batman (well, the identity anyway) dies in the halls you currently wander.]]

** With the release of ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', this particular line, given you encounter the first as a sidequest, the second as part of the main plot and the last in DLC (and [[Anime/BatmanNinja a time-travel plot involving feudal Japan]]).

** The final Scarecrow hallucination has your game seemingly crash before restarting. Fast forward to Arkham Knight, where the Scarecrow is the main vilain, and the game is ''extremely'' buggy, especially on PC.
** Harley suggests Gordon to dye his hair. [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight It seems that Gordon didn't hate the idea.]]

** joker kicks a dude in the balls hits the griddy and then dies[[labelnote: Explanation]]One of Joker's silent takedowns is a swift [[GroinAttack kick to the crotch from behind]] followed by him doing a dance that's strikingly similar to the Griddy dance created in 2018. For added humor, [[https://youtu.be/SfvHlqNhpBo short videos]] of Joker performing the dance end with him getting shot by a guard before the dancing animation finishes[[/labelnote]].
** Batman: Arkham Aslume [[labelnote:Explanation]]Originating from a poll that misspelt the game's title in [[Website/{{Reddit}} r/BatmanArkham]], the alternate spelling spread like wildfire, usually to describe the subreddit itself.[[/labelnote]]

* ScrappyMechanic: Players and critics complained that Detective Mode is just so damn handy, you'll never ''not'' want to use it, since it'll track any henchmen in the area, even in the next room, and light up secret areas - the downside is that you have to play the entire game in a blueish hue, seeing every character as a translucent skeleton. The loudest complaints came from Rocksteady's own art directors, who were upset that players weren't seeing the game as they intended it to be seen, so they {{Nerf}}ed the mechanic for the sequel, giving the player reduced visibility when it's turned on and making certain interface aspects unable to be seen in detective mode. On a more minor note, in this game toggling Detective Mode on or off also causes the screen to flash white for a second, which can be quite annoying to the eyes if playing in the dark.

* SpiritualAdaptation: Considering Creator/PaulDini wrote it and it brought back a lot of the cast such as Creator/KevinConroy (Batman), Creator/ArleenSorkin (Harley Quinn) and Creator/MarkHamill (The Joker), it could be considered one for WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries. It even feels like what would've happened had ''The Animated Series'' been working with a PG-13 rating instead of making a kids show.

** During one of Batman's Scarecrow induced hallucinations, there's a [[spoiler:Batman duplicate]] ravenously gnawing on a ''dead rat''.
* ThatOneBoss: Poison Ivy. It starts off easy enough, but her second phase is pure undiluted hell, especially on Hard mode. Between her fast projectiles, her constant vine waves (which seem to have a bigger hitbox than they really seem) and her hypnotized henchmen joining the fun, it's a miracle players would be able to take down her second phase on their first try. Couple that with the fact that the only real way you can hit her is with Batarangs and Explosive Gel when she goes down in that short time frame you get to hit her, and you've got one of the hardest bosses in the game.

** Saving Gordon from Harley near the end of the Medical Ward. There's virtually no room for error; misalign your position even slightly and you'll immediately get spotted, which results in Gordon getting killed. And if a guard happens to see a knocked out baddie, that also triggers the game over, meaning you have to take them out in very specific areas where the other guards can't find them.

** On your way into the Visitor Center [[spoiler:to the final boss, there's a short hallway with 20 mooks in it who won't attack you unless you attack them. You can choose to ignore them, but defeating them all earns you the "Party Pooper" achievement. Though they're unarmed, so many of them in such a tight space is extremely difficult, even with all the upgrades you have at this point.]]
** The Joker Teeth can't be tracked on the map because they are not an actual riddle, tape, or Arkham chronicle. Also, while about 90% of the teeth show up more or less naturally as a result of the story progression, there's that set that hide above the hallway to the warden's office, which happens after the player has realized this, and then notice they missed them after the sequence is over.
* TheUnTwist: [[spoiler: Warden Quincy Sharp is]] the Spirit of Arkham. Despite the game's attempts at making you think [[spoiler:the memories were being left by Amadeus Arkham, if the obvious allusions to the likes of Killer Crock, Poison Ivy, Victor Zsasz and the Joker didn't make it evident that the entries were actually contemporary, the fact that they both have the same voice actor should]].

* MemeticMutation: joker kicks a dude in the balls hits the griddy and then dies[[labelnote: Explanation]]One of Joker's silent takedowns is a swift [[GroinAttack kick to the crotch from behind]] followed by him doing a dance that's strikingly similar to the Griddy dance created in 2018. For added humor, [[https://youtu.be/SfvHlqNhpBo short videos]] of Joker performing the dance end with him getting shot by a guard before the dancing animation finishes[[/labelnote]].

** A seemingly throwaway line from Joker just before you sneak through the room where Gordon and Bane are being held: "Looks like you could use a new sidekick..." Fast forward to ''Arkham Knight'' and it's revealed that during the timeframe of this game, [[spoiler: Joker was holding Jason Todd prisoner and torturing him beneath Arkham Island.]]

* MemeticMutation: joker kicks a dude in the balls and then dies[[labelnote: Explanation]]One of Joker's silent takedowns is a swift [[GroinAttack kick to the crotch from behind]] followed by him doing a dance that's strikingly similar to the Griddy dance created in 2018. For added humor, [[https://youtu.be/SfvHlqNhpBo short videos]] of Joker performing the dance end with him getting shot by a guard before the dancing animation finishes[[/labelnote]].

*** Kevin Conroy's overall performance in this game can be considered narm, since for whatever reason he was forced to use his normal speaking voice. Batman's higher-pitched-than-usual voice can be very jarring when you play this game after watching a DCAU episode or even after playing another Arkham game.

* ScrappyMechanic: Players and critics complained that Detective Mode is just so damn handy, you'll never ''not'' want to use it, since it'll track any henchmen in the area, even in the next room, and light up secret areas - the downside is that you have to play the entire game in a blueish hue, seeing every character as a translucent skeleton. The loudest complaints came from Rocksteady's own art directors, who were upset that players weren't seeing the game as they intended it to be seen, so they {{Nerf}}ed the mechanic for the sequel, giving the player reduced visibility when it's turned on and making certain interface aspects unable to be seen in detective mode.