A new batch of screenshots from the upcoming Arkham sequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, have made their way online. The upcoming game is a prequel to the previous two Rocksteady games, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.
Origins will be developed internally by Warner Bros, and if the screenshots are any indication, the new developers are working hard to maintain the look and feel of Rocksteady's installments.
The game takes place in a period of Batman's career where he has yet to become the iconic hero that he is in Arkham Asylum. While he's still a capable crime fighter, he hasn't encountered some of his greatest foes, and even the police don't quite know whose side he's on.
The screenshots show off Batman doing what he does best: kicking criminal butt; while also teasing the appearance of one of the hero's archnemesis, Black Mask. In the comics, Black Mask's true identity is Roman Sionis, and coincidentally, he was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. Similar to Bruce, Roman's parents were also wealthy Gotham City socialites. Not only that, but his parents were killed, leaving their fortune to him, just like Bruce Wayne's.
However, this is where their stories diverge. Unlike Bruce Wayne, who turned his grief into motivation and became the Batman, Roman Sionis squandered his parents' wealth and drove the family business in bankruptcy. Sionis's humiliation and rage pushed him into the criminal underworld, becoming the "Black Mask," and taking control of a sizable portion of Gotham's organized crime syndicates.
Just how closely Arkham Origins will follow this backstory remains to be seen, but it seems fairly likely that Black Mask is finally going to get a starring role in a Batman game.
Batman: Arkham Origins will be released on October 25 for the Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, and Wii U. It should be on display at this year's E3 ahead of that launch.
