The Batman: Arkham series is known for its elaborate and atmospheric boss battles, but a few stand out for how difficult they are compared to others.
Between the TITAN-fueled Joker and Scarecrow, the Caped Crusader’s rogues gallery made for excellent boss battles in the Batman: Arkham series. Rocksteady and WB Games Montréal’s boss fights were always more atmospheric than they were challenging: duels like the sewer battle with Killer Croc in Arkham Asylum emphasized the villain’s personality more than their power. However, a few of Batman’s enemies were given boss battles that stand out for how difficult they are.
Indeed, the Batman: Arkham series has a variety boss fights that challenge players in unique ways. Arkham City‘s creepy Victor Zsasz has Batman navigate platforming puzzles and dangerous obstacles, whereas Arkham Origins‘ Deathstroke goes toe-to-toe with the Caped Crusader in physical combat. The ever-changing designs of boss battles make it so that even if an enemy isn’t hard to defeat, players have to analyze the situation just as Batman would.
Batman: Arkham’s Hardest Bosses Limited The Dark Knight’s Options
Consequently, the hardest Batman: Arkham boss battles are the ones that limit Batman’s options. Even if the World’s Greatest Detective can deduce his enemies’ weaknesses, certain bosses make it hard for him hard to exploit their vulnerabilities. Following are the Batman: Arkham series’ three hardest boss battles, in which villains curb the Caped Crusader’s abilities.
#3 – Mr. Freeze Forces Batman To Use All His Gadgets In Batman: Arkham City
The Mr. Freeze boss fight in Batman: Arkham City is often remembered as one of the hardest in the series, and for good reason. As a former cryogenicist, Mr. Freeze is a very intelligent enemy who can quickly identify the Caped Crusader’s tactics. As such, players can never attack him the same way twice. Mr. Freeze’s adaptable fighting style thus forces players to be creative with Batman’s gadgets while simultaneously managing which attacks they use to avoid losing their availability later on in the battle.
#2 – Bane’s Final Boss Fight In Batman: Arkham Origins Is Terrifying
Batman: Arkham Origins‘ vision of Bane is one of a terrifying genius who only becomes harder to fight as the game goes on. Bane is smart, strong, and quick when players first encounter him at the Royal Hotel. However, his running charges make him vulnerable to cape stuns, which in turn leads to easy damage for Batman; even in the second phase of his first fight after using Venom, Bane is simple to counter in Arkham Origins.
Bane’s final fight at Blackgate Prison is a completely different story. After Bane dies and is resuscitated by Batman, he becomes so angry that he uses TN-1 on himself, which turns him into a hulking mass of muscle. This forces Batman to rely purely on stealth attacks to defeat him. However, the TN-1 makes Bane so strong that he is able to rip open the vents Batman is forced to use to evade his attacks, mirroring the horrifying dynamics of the Killer Croc boss fight in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Thus, Bane can directly counter the only game plan players can use to defeat him, making him one of the Batman: Arkham series’ hardest bosses.
#1 – Poison Ivy Is Batman: Arkham Asylum’s Most Toxic Boss
Batman: Arkham Asylum‘s Poison Ivy boss fight is perhaps the first in the series to truly challenge players. Rather than fight Batman directly, she shields herself inside a large plant, from which she can shoot poison and vines at Batman. This severely limits the space the Caped Crusader can inhabit, as the platform given to him in the fight is rather small. Poison Ivy then exploits this in her second phase when she sends her goons to fight alongside her. This poisonous concoction of platform manipulation, projectiles, and secondary enemies makes Poison Ivy one of Batman: Arkham‘s most difficult boss fights.
Sources: Sickdistic/YouTube
