So we found out not to long ago that Batman: Arkham Knight would be rated a solid ‘M’ for Mature, the first mature rating in the entire series. Now the ESRB has gone ahead and revealed what exactly caused the increase in rating. Of course be careful for potential spoilers when reading:
“This is an action-adventure game in which players primarily assume the role of Batman as he battles several villains spreading chaos across Gotham City. Players traverse a variety of locations around Gotham while battling thugs, examining crime scenes, and occasionally rescuing hostages. Players engage in melee-style combat using punches, kicks, and gadgets (e.g., batarangs, explosives). Enemies cry out in pain when struck, and some takedowns are highlighted by brief slow-motion effects and loud impact sounds. Some sequences allow players to use tank-like vehicles with machine gun turrets and rockets to shoot enemies; a vehicle’s wheels are also used to torture an enemy in one sequence. Cutscenes depict characters getting shot (on and off camera) while restrained or unarmed. Large bloodstains/pools of blood appear in crime scenes and in the aftermath of violent acts; one room depicts a person torturing a character on a bloody operating table. During the course of the game, players can shoot unarmed characters and a hostage. Neon signs in a red-light district read ‘live nude girls’ and ‘XXX.’ The words ‘b*tch,’ ‘gobsh*te,’ and ‘a*s’ appear in the dialogue.“
Now lets go ahead and analyze one specific thing in that description, the character who apparently uses firearms. If you know anything about Batman lore, then I think you can assume that’d be Jason Todd aka ‘The Redhood‘, a former Robin who was “killed” by the Joker in the comic book arc ‘Death in The Family‘. Eventually he came back via Ras Al Ghul’s Lazarus pit. Now that assumption isn’t exactly farfetched, especially since the character has his own playable DLC coming with the game. But other than that, we can see the last installment in the series is going to be far more gritty than it’s predecessors. Only time will tell if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
SAUCE: ESRB