“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” or so Leo Tolstoy could say of the Batman family. It’s hard in any family jockeying for a spotlight. It must be harder still in a team of masked hooligans centered around its paternal namesake. The same proves true for Batgirl. The prequel to Rocksteady Studios’ tumultuous last chapter in the Arkham universe, Batgirl: A Matter of Family can’t help but feel painfully estranged from the heights of inspirations, bemusing fan-service or not.
Set some years before the Joker’s fateful defeat in Arkham Asylum, A Matter of Family sees the Clown Prince of Crime and new partner, Harley Quinn, holding Gotham’s Commissioner Gordon hostage in (where else?!) an abandoned amusement park. His arrangement’s simple. Should Batman show up, the Commissioner dies. Thus, it’s Batgirl and Robin to the laborious rescue.
Developed by the folks behind 2013’s Batman: Arkham Origins, A Matter of Family looks and feels like its fellow Arkham entries, though thankfully free of any game-breaking bugs. The graphics are sharp and the combat solid as Warner Bros. Montreal could make within the DLC’s reduced space. Batgirl kicks as hard as her counterparts, albeit it with a cooler, faster flair to accommodate her lighter frame while our skinhead Robin shares the acrobatic sensibilities of his Arkham City incarnation. Both play splendidly, if not just as refreshing alternatives to Batman.
The park itself is the DLC’s biggest star, as much as it’s worth. A mess of walkways and nightmarish carnival rides designed atop an oil rig, the size of the Joker’s nutty base of choice is roughly that of Arkham Asylum’s outdoor grounds. As it so happens, the park’s fondly reminiscent of the same claustrophobic environment. The rig’s tighter spaces house a number of collectibles in the form of chattering teeth, the Joker’s visage taunting you through the park’s television sets. It all falls far short of the Asylum’s abundant easter eggs, though it does play host to one almost-jump scare.
The park’s design allows for a few interesting distractions in the space it’s given. The story also has you rescuing a number of other hostages spread throughout the three different park sections, which you can do in any order. Enemy takedowns will prove a treat for stealth-purists while a gliding sequence provides a puzzle of sorts. An oddly irresponsive ferris wheel segment and a bloated merry-go-round beat down are the hardest challenges you’ll find in A Matter of Family, which is to say not terribly. The DLC’s an otherwise quick finish in the time it’d take a single lunch break.
At around 45 minutes long, A Matter of Family clocks in at just the time it takes to begin. The plot revolves around the Joker-esque shenanigans typical of his character with a few thinly veiled references to the grim consequences of Batman: The Killing Joke as well as our heroic duo’s alleged relationship. That Mark Hamill once again reprises the made-up madman is the DLC’s sole joy, though it’s one that capitalizes on his presence in A Matter of Family‘s last and only boss battle in amusing fashion.
For however long it lasts, A Matter of Family’s an empty doggy bag of nostalgia that’s far from filling. It’s a crying shame for as much as it attempts for an expansion its size, most of all its heroine. Alone, it’s nowhere close to being worth the $40 season pass and until it becomes standalone DLC for a fraction of that, everyone but owners of Batman: Arkham Knight’s Deluxe Edition should consider passing on the all-too short-lived adventures of Batgirl.
