Man do I love this character though
Just yesterday, we gave you the rundown on the Harley Quinn DLC pack for Batman: Arkham Knight. Much like many aspects of the core game, it was a letdown, mostly due to its length and the fact that it doesn’t really provide anything substantial — it feels more like a tech demo that should have aired on YouTube.
While the Red Hood GameStop exclusive DLC pack is definitely more satisfying on some level, it’s not worth hunting down on eBay (where it’s going for $30 minimum) or picking up on its own when its exclusive period ends in the fall.
You should definitely YouTube it though.
[Straight-up, I’m not going to spoil the story for you, but be aware that this tale takes place after the events of Arkham Knight, and that many commenters may indeed spoil it for you below — you have been warned.]
First, the good news. Red Hood takes the path of least resistance, and can be seen as an anti-Batman vigilante of sorts — Under the Red Hood was a fantastic film, and I think Rocksteady nailed that vibe here. Red Hood is pissed (for good reason), and he isn’t going to let anyone get away with their crime sprees — unlike Batman, who is content with putting people back in Arkham only for them to break out at a later date.
Similar to Harley and all of the other characters in Knight, Hood feels the exact same in the close-combat sections (just mash attack and the counter simple-minded AI), with the added power of some unique animations like…murdering people with his pistols. Unlike Harley who simply couldn’t use silent takedowns, this gives the DLC a distinctly different feel, and the tone is fairly unique to the series in general. I’m also a fan of Black Mask, so seeing him return was a treat.
All of this is cut short by the fact that it’s roughly 10 minutes long, which naturally gives it no room to grow any of the characters or deliver anything worthwhile. You’ll be greeted with a combat scene, a brief Predator sequence, then another combat bit with Black Mask, who doesn’t exhibit any real unique boss qualities (again, it’s “this boss throws adds at you constantly, have fun”). It’s a disappointment, to say the least, as both DLCs could have been so much more if they were an hour long, had more involved stories, and interesting boss mechanics.
Rocksteady is teasing a few more of these “Arkham Stories” with the Season Pass, and I sincerely hope they’re more than this.
