What is knightmare difficulty: The Ultimate Arkham Challenge

As a hardcore Batman Arkham gamer who has sunk countless hours into the series since Asylum first blew me away in 2009, I‘ve battled my way through every challenge and Easter egg across the four main games. But nothing compares to the relentless brutality of knightmare difficulty. Unlocked only after already besting New Game Plus, knightmare transforms the experience into a brutal fight for survival that will push even seasoned Dark Knights to their limit.

So what exactly makes knightmare so mercilessly hard? I‘m going to break down exactly what to expect:

The Cold Hard Facts

Let‘s start with the numbers. Knightmare fundamentally alters core gameplay parameters to stack the odds overwhelmingly against the player:

Not for the faint of heart! With reflex-testing attack speeds and the ability to render Batman near-unconscious in just 2-3 hits, knightmare forces flawless technical play. A single mis-timed dodge or counter can spell game over, even on random street thugs.

Losing Your Sixth Sense

Making matters worse, knightmare strips away many of Batman‘s signature advantages that empower players throughout the normal game:

• No enemy stamina indicators while attacking
• No warning icons for unblockable attacks or weapon strikes
• No revolutionary detective vision or environmental analysis
• Limited usage of fear takedowns

Removing the ability to track off-screen enemy positions cripples strategic planning. And without seeing attack tells, you need to know animations perfectly. It leaves little room for error across both stealth and combat.

An Endless Knightmare

I‘ll never forget my first knightmare attempts after cruising through earlier playthroughs. Cocky and overconfident, I quickly learned just how vicious your enemies become when the kid gloves come off. Detectives vision disabled, I was flanked from behind and obliterated within seconds of starting a predator room. Respawned back in, I was unable to cope with hyper-aggressive blur of attacks from a larger mob and succumbed embarrassingly fast once more.

My dreams of another smooth Dark Knight campaign washed away, replaced only by the cold reality check of Arkham‘s grimmest challenge. I had mastered these games on easier settings, but was clearly still an amateur knightmare squire. Only with rigorous practice and a Zen-like mastery of every enemy moveset could I slowly claw my way to victory.

Join the Elite Brotherhood

To underline just how towering a challenge knightmare presents, according to PSN trophy data only 2% of Arkham Knight players on Playstation have completed the mode and unlocked the associated achievement. For context, 19% of players defeated all enemy types in combat – no simple feat itself.

This shows how knightmare is reserved only for the world‘s top Batman gamers willing to take their skills to the limit. It‘s tremendously satisfying seeing that trophy finally pop and knowing you overcame Arkham‘s ultimate trial. The relief and rush of adrenaline when the nightmare finally ends makes hundreds of gut-wrenching failures worthwhile.

Of course some may argue knightmare strays too far into artificial difficulty territory. But for myself and gamers who crave truly intense, white-knuckle tests of skill it‘s Arkham combat at its most pure. I hope this breakdown gave you a better idea of whether you have the dedication to suit up for Gotham‘s worst nightmare!