Released over ten years ago, Batman: Arkham City continues to be considered one of the best video games dedicated to the bat man.
Merit not only of an intense plot and a gameplay that redefined the action-adventure genre, but also of a maniacal cure for details, often hidden in the eyes of the most distracted players.
One of these details is located within the Harvey Dent Court, better known as two faces, and once again shows how much Rocksteady has been able to merge narration and environmental design.
At first glance, the building might seem only another gloomy and de malldotta location of the open -air prison that is Arkham City. However, observing a carefully, a visual element as subtle as it is significant emerges: the entire court is divided in half, just like the face of its owner.
The right section of the building, in line with the “defaced” side of two faces, appears worn, dirty and degraded, with peeling walls and ruined furnishings. The left side, on the other hand, reflects the “clean” half of the criminal, with floors in order, well maintained walls and a total aspect more cared for.
This stylistic choice is never explicit in dialogues and does not appear in any mission as a central element: it is there, silent, to tell the duality of the character through the architecture itself.
It is a perfect example of how the setting can be used to deepen the psychology of an antagonist, without the need for direct explanations.
Discovered like this are the demonstration of how much Rockstedy’s work goes beyond the frenetic action and memorable bosses fight. The world of Arkham City is dotted with references, references and environmental details that reward the most attentive players, helping to create a sense of consistency and depth that few titles manage to achieve.
That it is discovered at the first exploration or during a subsequent run, the two -sided court remains one of those moments when the environmental design becomes a powerful narrative tool, capable of telling an entire story with a simple division of spaces.
