Games: A Matter of Family

A Matter of Family is the first story DLC for Batman Arkham Knight, throwing you into the boots of Batgirl prior to the events of Arkham Asylum. The Joker has kidnapped Commissioner Gordon on Valentine’s Day, luring Batgirl and Robin to an abandoned amusement park as part of a plan to kill them as a sadistic Valentine’s gift to Batman. 

Right from the get-go the DLC establishes Batgirl as a powerful figure who while not as strong as Batman makes up for it with speed and cunning. However other than the strength reduction and speed boost, Barbara doesn’t play all that differently than Bruce feeling a bit like a reskin. Batgirl also has less gadgets at her disposal, though this is compensated with more of a reliance on her hacking abilities. This feels true to her character, tying into her future role as Oracle. After a time using the same hacking abilities becomes a bit tiresome and it would have been nice if more variety had been added to the system.

The structure of the story is also very constraining, you some cops who are being held hostage using stealth, Robin finds a bomb which is surrounded by goons you have to take down before you can disarm it. This is then repeated a few times before you go face the Joker. All in all the story lasts about half an hour, pretty short considering the price tag. 

The dual play system is carried across from Arkham Knight, allowing you to switch between Batgirl and Robin during certain fights. I found this to be the most enjoyable new addition to the main game and am glad to see it appear again here. It is also well used in the final showdown, pitting the two heroes against the Joker and Harley Quinn. Thankfully Batgirl isn’t allowed to drive the unwieldy Batmobile, giving gamers a nice reprieve from that torment.

While A Matter of Family is a nice addition to Arkham Knight, considering the short playtime and lack of variety it isn’t an essential purchase by any means. Batgirl ends up feeling like a lesser version of Batman, as opposed to a hero in her own right. It isn't necessarily a bad mission but still ends up feeling pretty flat in comparison to the main game. I only hope that future DLC for Arkham Knight feels like more of a rewarding experience, if for nothing else than to make that season pass feel worth it.