Gordon: Batman, they're all in there, from petty thieves to the worst of the worst. And almost every one of them has a grudge against you.
Batman: Then they're about to get their shot.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is a portable game for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita set in the Batman: Arkham Series.
Three months after the assassination attempt on Batman, a mysterious explosion occurs at Blackgate Penitentiary. A riot breaks out as the inmates take control of the prison, with Joker, Penguin, and Black Mask each ruling different sections. Batman is called in to investigate the cause of the explosion and get Blackgate back under control.
On February 20, 2014, an HD port of the game, titled Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe Edition, was officially announced for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U and Steam.
This game has the examples of:
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: A staple of the Arkham series. Solomon Grundy is encountered in the one under Blackgate Prison.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes:
- The last hostage you rescue from Catwoman is sitting on a crate containing the belt you need to unlock a Batsuit. Along with her invitation for Batman to come by and model it for her some night.
- There are seven different suits to unlock; three are awarded for beating the game, with the suit being unlocked depending on which villain you defeated last. So to unlock all of the suits, you need to beat the game a minimum of three times.
- The other four suits are broken into 5 pieces each and scattered throughout the prison. One suit's belt is hidden in the Arkham Wing, the other three are gifts from Catwoman near the end of the game; the one you get- again- depends on which villain you defeated last. (For example: defeating Black Mask last gets you the Earth-2 costume and the belt for the One Million suit.)
- The Deluxe Edition includes the New 52 Year Zero costume and the Beware the Batman costume; neither needs to be unlocked.
- Batman Cold Open: The story begins with Batman on a routine anti-crime patrol and meeting Catwoman during one of her heists.
- Batman Gambit: Catwoman, of all people, pulls this on Batman! She knew he would come to try and save the hostages, and thus, he had to open the path to the Arkham Wing, where her objective (Bane) was locked in.
- Big Bad: In a surprise twist, Catwoman. The game tries to make you believe Joker, Penguin and Black Mask are a Big Bad Ensemble, but they're actually just being manipulated by the real one Big Bad, Catwoman — who was actually hired by Amanda Waller.
- Boxed Crook: Waller captured Catwoman before the start of the game proper and offered to clear her record if Selina extracted Bane from Blackgate for use on the Suicide Squad. Catwoman ultimately fails at the last minute, but Waller fulfills her half of the deal anyway, as Catwoman's actions allowed her to pick up Bronze Tiger and Deadshot instead.
- Broken Bridge: Despite the illusion on the map that there is a simple route to your destination, the Metroidvania and Disconnected Side Area nature of the prison means that you will spend a lot of time backtracking and going from level to level before you get there.
- Cardboard Prison: This game represents the third major prisoner breakout/uprising at Blackgate in a four month period. Maybe Sharpe has a point about how that place can't handle supercriminals.
- The Chessmaster: Of all people, Catwoman. She managed to manipulate Batman into doing her bidding.
- Also, as par for the course, Amanda Waller, who turned out to have a hand in the riots to bring Deadshot and Bronze Tiger to the Suicide Squad.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard:
- During the Penguin's boss fight, elite mooks will react instantly to any attack on them and relentlessly gun you down. With freakin' Gatling guns. They are also impossible to eliminate via silent takedown or standard glide kick attacks. But you can use the Batclaw to rip the ammo packs off their backs, causing them to explode and fall unconscious.
- The only way to defeat Black Mask is in a cutscene takedown from below; any other approach results in Batman being spotted and gunned down instantly, even if the enemy was distracted and looking the other way the split second before. This also exemplifies Cutscene Power to the Max, since otherwise you can't touch this foe.
- And the Joker fight as well. Basically each boss is rigged so there is only one way to beat him, and deviating from that gets you killed.
- Also, many times, the Silent Takeover will be detected by enemies that are way too close.
- Continuity Snarl: Solomon Grundy's presence contradicts with his depiction in Arkham City, which established that he was stuck chained in the basement of the Iceberg Lounge since the early days of Gotham, while in this game, he's freely roaming around the prison's sewers and is taken out by hanging electrical wires (while electricity was shown to heal him in City).
- Crazy-Prepared: Batman as usual, and all the major players display this to some degree. Special mention to Catwoman, who makes Batman part of her own plan and almost pulls it off.
- Demoted to Extra: After stealing the role of major foe for the previous three games, the Joker is just another boss this time out and stops influencing the plot after he's defeated.
- Disconnected Side Area: Everywhere. This includes trophy and upgrade boxes that you are standing on top of according to the map, but which are frustratingly nowhere to be seen.
- Downer Ending: Catwoman, who turns out orchestrated the whole thing, gets her criminal record deleted by Amanda Waller, who hired her to release Bane and succeeded. Waller also got Bronze Tiger and Deadshot for her Suicide Squad; and to top it all off, all of the crime bosses escape in their respective endings.
- Eleventy Zillion: The fee Joker hired Deadshot with is a crude handwritten note reading "I.O.U. eleventy billion dollars".
- Enemy Mine: Batman and Catwoman end up working together to quell the riot. That is, until Catwoman reveals herself to be the real Big Bad behind the entire riot to begin with.
- Everything Sensor: This game's version of Detective Vision only points out crucial objects after you have rolled over them with the touchscreen. Holding on the item triggers an "Analyze" function, which can result in the Batcomputer giving you vital clues for beating enemies as well as solving navigation puzzles.
- Evil All Along: Catwoman. All the Enemy Mine is just an act to use Batman as an Unwitting Pawn.
- Face–Heel Revolving Door: Catwoman starts out as an enemy, but then helps Batman put down the riot. Then it turns out she was actually integral in staging it in the first place, since she was hired to release Bane from cold storage. To make sure she will escape, she has rigged hostages with time bombs scattered around the prison. But she has left flirtatious little notes on each of them, with map directions so you can find and save them all. Yeah. This is a special girl.
- Fake Longevity: Unlocking all of the costumes and cutscenes requires playing the entire game three times, fighting a different boss last each time.
- Final Boss: After the Penguin, Black Mask, and the Joker have been overcome, Catwoman reveals herself as the real Big Bad and you have to defeat her to complete the game.
- Final Boss Preview: The first half of the Catwoman fight is the same as when you fought her in the opening of the game.
- Forced Prize Fight: Penguin forces Bronze Tiger to fight Batman in a duel to the death, since they are both at his mercy.
- Gatling Good: Penguin's thugs break into the armory and come out equipped with Gatling guns, which you challenge at your peril. The goons guarding Catwoman's hostages carry them, too.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Solomon Grundy. It's never explained how he ended up at Blackgate,note his presence is never foreshadowed, and he's never mentioned again after he's defeated.
- Karma Houdini:
- Freaking everyone! Catwoman gets her criminal record erased for helping Amanda Waller, Waller herself gets away with her plan to stage a prison riot (She didn't get Bane and Batman is onto her, but there are no repercussions in this game), Deadshot and Bronze Tiger get out of prison as recruits for the Suicide Squad, and Joker, Penguin and Black Mask all escape from prison in their respective special endings.
- The character that comes closest to any kind of punishment is Black Mask, whose mask gets fused to his face in an explosion during his escape.
- Metroidvania: Unlike the other games in the series, this game hews closer to the Metroid formula. Players are encouraged to explore Blackgate and tackle bosses in any order, and items are collected as you go along. Several of the developers actually worked on the Metroid Prime series.
- Multiple Endings: Much like Batman: Arkham Asylum, a different scene is shown at the end depending on which of the major bosses you take down last.
- Penguin's ending results in him being freed by a corrupt cop, only for him to kill the man with his umbrella for being rude.
- Black Mask's ending results in him getting free after his defeat, escaping in an explosion (that likely fuses his mask to his face) while plotting revenge on the Joker.
- Joker's ending simply involves him killing a few guards and escaping from Blackgate by using their costumes as disguise, plotting more "fun" to be had in Gotham City.
- Pixel Hunt: Many of the Detective Case clues, as for every easily visible object seems to be a small one that requires going scanning the whole room.
- Playing Both Sides: One of the detective cases shows that Deadshot was hired by all three of the kingpins.
- Prison Riot: The main plot is that supervillains have taken over Blackgate.
- Recycled In Space:
- The basic premise is essentially Batman: Arkham Asylum AT BLACKGATE!
- The prison is also divided up into 3 gang territories (2 being Joker and Penguin), much like Batman: Arkham City.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Music from Batman: Arkham City is clearly heard at multiple points in the game.
- Sequel Hook:
- Much like Arkham Origins,this game is clearly setting up Batman: Assault on Arkham. It ends with Amanda Waller picking up Bronze Tiger and Deadshot for the team.
- All three of the special villain endings depict the corresponding villain escaping from prison.
- Shout-Out: One of the detective case clues is a note from the Joker that reads 'I.O.U. eleventy billion dollars': The amount that "Keanu Reeves" wagers in his episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!
- 2½D: The graphics are three-dimensional aside from comic book-like cutscenes, but the gameplay is sidescrolling, only occasionally acknowledging an extra direction (e.g. while passing an east-west corridor comes a prompt enabling to climb a log and go north).
- Unwitting Pawn: Batman of all people. Everything he does ends up just helping Catwoman's Evil Plan.
- Villainesses Want Heroes: Catwoman flirts suggestively with the Batman throughout their interactions even after the Evil All Along reveal. Batman doesn't return her affections, so it doesn't reach Dating Catwoman levels.
- Visual Pun: When Batman corners the Joker, the latter has a note written on his sole that says "Batman is just a footnote."
Catwoman: What a lousy first date.
