New Video Reveals How Arkham Asylum Was Developed

Did You Know Gaming has uploaded a new video taking a look at the history of our favorite hobby, this time training its lens on the popular Batman Arkham series. Get ready for some Gotham-infused trivia.

Before Batman Arkham Asylum hit the market, it was a popular argument that there had never been a really good video game based on the property. That being the case, folks were understandably hesitant when it came to donning the pointy-eared cowl and dishing out justice as the Caped Crusader.

And then Arkham Asylum launched and completely changed folks' perception of, not just what a Batman game could be, but what all superhero games could be. It got rave reviews, with folks going so far as to compare its cast of characters and world-building to the legendary Bioshock.

From there, several sequels have hit store shelves, each one receiving plenty of praise along the way. Still, when it comes to Bats, none of those follow-ups quite nailed it like that first trip to the madhouse on the island.

Did You Know Gaming agrees, which is why they've decided to put together a new video looking back at Arkham Asylum and it interesting development period.

While diehard fans of Arkham might know some of these details already, there's bound to be something crammed into these nearly seven minutes of information to catch you by surprise.

I was actually surprised from the get-go, as the clip explains that the combat in Arkham Asylum was originally a rhythm game featuring an evolving soundtrack and Bats pummeling his foes to the beat of the music. That sounds kinda bad, but it goes to show how an off-the-wall idea like that can serve as the bedrock for something greater. Arkham's combat definitely maintains that rhythm game feel with carefully-timed button presses, a system that has sense been borrowed by a number of action games because of how well it gets the job done.

Apparently driving segments were also planned for Arkham Asylum but were eventually dropped. Fans of the series will know that driving finally became a major feature in the latest entry, Arkham Knight.

While Asylum had its fair share of baddies, apparently Mister Freeze and the Mad Hatter were also originally in the running for inclusion but, again, had to be dropped. Just like the Batmobile, though, they eventually got their moment in the spotlight.

As far as references and Easter eggs go...where to begin? From the animated series to the live action movies, comics and beyond, it seems like the team at Rocksteady had to spend about as much time researching the Batman universe as they did actually developing the games. Again, it's all super interesting and worth a full watch if you have the time.