Placed in charge of the facility is Arkham psychiatrist Professor Hugo Strange, who uses the TYGER mercenary group to control the city.
Inside the city, prisoners are given free rein as long as they do not attempt escape.
As neither Arkham Asylum nor Blackgate Prison are in any condition to hold inmates, Sharp buys out a large section of Gotham's slums to create "Arkham City", a city-wide superprison to hold every inmate from Arkham and Blackgate. Quincy Sharp, the former warden of Arkham Asylum, has taken credit for stopping the Joker and used that notoriety to become mayor of Gotham City. Plot īatman: Arkham City takes place approximately one year after the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Challenges from the Riddler will also be present, but it will require additional effort to locate these, such as through interrogation of men loyal to the Riddler. However, Rocksteady's art director David Hugo stated that the use of Detective Mode will be changed to an "augmented reality mode", as they found players had completed Arkham Asylum using Detective Mode all of the time. The player also has access to a criminal database that tracks the major villains across the city that is used within Detective Mode and the forensic puzzles. The game incorporates more puzzle elements the use of Batman's "Detective Mode", which highlights elements such as enemy skeletons and clues on-screen, is used to perform forensic analysis at crime scenes, such as tracing the origin of a sniper round. Most of Batman's gadgets can be used in a quickfire setting, adding to Batman's increased move set: he can now attack aerially, counter multiple attacks simultaneously, catch objects thrown during combat before throwing them into enemies, stun enemies to the ground, and deliver a focused beatdown attack.
The game uses an improved version of the "Freeflow" combat system from Arkham Asylum, in which Batman can move quickly between enemies, stringing attacks together until all enemies are unconscious. Batman can use his cape to glide through the city, as well as his grapnel gun to reach high ledges. The player takes control of Batman as he traverses Arkham City. Batman: Arkham City, like its predecessor, is a third-person perspective action video game that incorporates elements of stealth and predator tactics.