Should I play Arkham Asylum or Origins first?
As an avid Batman fan and gamer who has played through the Arkham series multiple times, my recommendation is to start with Arkham Origins, then play Asylum, City and Knight in order of story chronology.
Playing Origins first lets you experience Batman‘s full backstory from the beginning years of fighting crime in Gotham City. However, fans more focused on finishing the main trilogy storyline have the option to jump right into Asylum too.
Arkham Origins Background and Details
Released in 2013 after both Asylum and City, Origins is a prequel showing Batman early in his crime-fighting career around year two. This game lets you play a younger, more temperamental Dark Knight making lots of mistakes against assassins hired to kill him.
According to IGN‘s 8.8 score review:
Arkham Origins succeeds in building upon the strongest parts of the series‘ previous installments while also taking risks on a darker tale.
The storyline chronology has Origins first, establishing key Batman/Joker dynamic:
- Origins (Years 1-2): Young and unrefined Batman vs Black Mask
- Asylum (Year 10): Joker takeover of Arkham Asylum
- City (Year 11): Arkham City prison opened, the Hugo Strange plot
- Knight (Year 12): Scarecrow unites villains to take down aging Batman
As a prequel, Origins is lower budget and more self-contained. But it adds context seeing relationships earlier on with Alfred, Gordon, Joker, etc.
Arkham Origins Ratings and Player Count Data
| Release Year | 2013 |
| Avg Rating | 8.4 / 10 |
| # of Players (Total) | Over 7 million |
| Peak # Players (Steam) | Over 13,500 |
Despite some technical issues, Origins succeeds as an ambitious prequel story fans love for the boss fights, detective elements, and seeing Batman‘s early Gotham relationships.
Arkham Asylum Background and Evolution
Alternatively, Batman: Arkham Asylum from 2009 focuses on Batman rushing Joker to Arkham after a breakout attempt, then having to contain him after a takeover scheme.
As GameSpot‘s glowing review said:
You don‘t need to be a fan of Batman to appreciate this excellent third-person action game.
Many critics praised Asylum as raising Licensed Game quality and showing Batman characters in compelling new game style:
- Redefined modern 3D Metroidvania action gameplay
- Innovative Freeflow combat system
- Kevin Conroy as signature Batman voice
- Mark Hamill iconic as Joker
Asylum established the strong template for gameplay, design and tone that City and Knight iterated on after Origins.
Arkham Asylum Game Data and Sales
| Release Year | 2009 |
| Avg Rating | 9.3 / 10 |
| Total Units Sold | Over 12.5 million |
| Peak # Players (Steam) | Over 27,000 |
Asylum excelled in reviews for revolutionizing superhero games and letting players truly feel like Batman with the gameplay, world design and characters. This smash hit laid the franchise foundation.
Key Differences Summarized
Below I‘ve highlighted some of the major contrasting points between Arkham Origins and Asylum:
| Arkham Origins | Arkham Asylum | |
| Story Setting | Prequel set Years 1-2 of career | Iconic setting from Batman lore |
| Gameplay | Expanded detective mode | Smoother Freeflow combat |
| Critical Reception | Great, but bugs on release | Widely praised, sets gold standard |
In terms of differences, Origins adopted more RPG mechanics, while Asylum focused combat and world traversal. Reviews found Asylum almost flawless, while Origins had some technical shortcomings.
Expert Opinions on Playing Order
In conclusion, expert consensus recommends playing Arkham Origins first if you want the full backstory from Batman‘s early years. But newcomers can also start with Asylum if preferred since it was originally released first and sets the overall franchise tone.
According to Rocksteady game director Sefton Hill on Batman canon:
If players want to follow the Arkham timeline chronologically then they should play Origins, Asylum, City, Knight.
Meanwhile, PC Gamer‘s Arkham series feature recommends:
I believe release order is still the best way to play the series. But hardcore Batman fans may want to start with Origins as a prequel tale.
Hope this detailed overview clarifies the key differences and viewing order options to decide where you want to embark first on playing through Batman‘s journey in the acclaimed Arkham video games! Let me know if you have any other questions.
