Video games can be challenging. While they are usually meant to be entertainment, some skill is needed to play them. For some gamers, they need more. Though they may enjoy a particular game, they might want it to be more challenging and adjusting the game’s difficulty isn’t enough or even an option. They don’t want the fun to be lost either when they make this change.
One way gamers can impose a greater challenge on themselves is by adding their own rules to how they play a particular video game. In this short piece, I want to talk about my favorite self-imposed video game challenge, one I like to think I came up with on my own: The Arkham Challenge.
BECOMING THE BATMAN
The Batman Arkham franchise is one of the best in modern gaming. Each game presents a compelling story in the Batman universe that takes place over one insane night. It was this aspect that inspired my idea for the Arkham Challenge. It is a challenge that can be taken on in any of the games in the franchise except for Arkham Knight.
The challenge is simple: complete one of the Batman: Arkham games (Ayslum, City, or Origins) in one night, between sunset and sunrise. This includes completing the main story and as many of the side quests as you can before the main story is concluded (some side quests cannot be completed until after the main story). I have attempted this with all the games and found that it is possible to beat each of them in one night.
I do not cheat by breaking the game. I use all the information I can to play the game as it was intended to be played and still beat it before the sun comes up. The only game I could not complete was Arkham Knight. It is simply too large and its story too long for it to be beaten in one night. That said, I would love to be proven wrong.
There are a few things I would recommend if you’re willing to take on the Arkham Challenge. First, plan out your strategy for getting the Riddler trophies. You can surprisingly get a lot of them early on in the games, which is good considering the open worlds get more dangerous and difficult to traverse as the nights progress.
Second, time of year is important. If you try this challenge during the summer, you’ll have far less time than in the winter. Remember, it goes from sunset to sunrise, not a minute before or a minute after. I’ve only managed to beat Arkham Asylum in the summer. City and Origins are games I save for the winter.
Third, make an event out of it! Invite friends to hang out the whole night, have snacks, and pass the controller around so that everyone plays a bit. Maybe even get a smaller, second TV to play Batman movies in the background to add to the overall experience. While the Arkham games are all single player games, you can still get a fun, group experience out of them.
Fourth, practice! Taking your enemies out quickly is probably second in saving time, next to gathering as many Riddler trophies as you can early on. If you’re good with your combat and predator skills, you can easily shave off an hour or more to your play through.
Fifth and most importantly, have fun! While it is a self-imposed challenge, it is meant to be a fun one. Like I suggested above, inviting a few friends over that are Batman fans could really add to the overall experience. You’ll be surprised with how fun it is to be the Batman.