Honestly, the ending of Arkham City was a massive punch to the gut. Seeing Batman carry a dead Joker out of the Monarch Theatre remains one of the most iconic images in gaming history. But then, Rocksteady released Batman Arkham City Harley Quinn's Revenge, and it basically took that grief and weaponized it into a two-hour epilogue that is as bleak as it is necessary.
It's short. Let's get that out of the way. You can beat it in a single sitting, maybe ninety minutes if you're rushing. But the impact of it? That sticks. It isn't just a mission pack; it’s a character study on how Batman and Harley Quinn both process loss in the most destructive ways possible.
The Darkest Timeline: What Actually Happens in Harley Quinn's Revenge
The DLC starts a few weeks after the main game ends. Batman has gone full hermit. He’s cold, he’s silent, and he’s clearly not okay. When he goes missing while investigating Harley’s new base of operations in the Shipyard, Robin (Tim Drake) has to go in and find him.
This is where the gameplay shift happens. You spend about half the time as Robin. He’s fun. He has a staff. He’s got a bulletproof shield that feels incredible to use when thugs are unloading lead at you. But the vibe is off. The bright colors of his suit clash horribly with the industrial decay of the shipyard. Harley has basically turned the place into a shrine for the Joker. It’s creepy as hell. There are "memorials" everywhere, and she’s traded her classic red-and-black for mourning black. She’s grieving, but in the way a psychopathic clown would—which means she's trying to kill everyone.
Most people forget that this DLC was actually the first time we got to play as Robin in the open-ish world of Arkham City, even if it was restricted to the industrial district. His movement is different. He isn't as heavy as Bruce. He feels like a teenager trying to live up to a legend who has clearly lost his mind.
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Why the Tone Shift Matters
Batman is different here. When you finally track him down, he’s trapped in a giant Joker-themed sphere. Once he’s out, he doesn't thank Robin. He barely acknowledges him. He’s focused on the mission with a level of detachment that feels genuinely uncomfortable. This isn't the "hero" we saw throughout the main campaign. This is a man who feels responsible for the death of his greatest enemy and the subsequent chaos.
Rocksteady leaned hard into the psychological fallout. Throughout Batman Arkham City Harley Quinn's Revenge, you find these "Harley Statues." If you break them, she screams at you over the intercom. It’s desperate. It’s raw. You realize that while Batman is suppressing his emotions, Harley is letting hers explode outward. They are two sides of the same miserable coin.
The Gameplay Mechanics: Robin vs. Batman
Playing as Robin is the highlight for a lot of fans. His "Snap Flash" gadget is a game-changer for crowd control. You stick it on a guy, wait for the right moment, and boom—the whole group is stunned. It’s a nice contrast to Batman’s "hit them until they stop moving" approach. Robin’s combat animations are more fluid, less brutal, and honestly, a bit more acrobatic.
However, the DLC doesn't really give you enough room to breathe. There aren't many side quests. You’re on a rail. You go from the shipyard to the secret base, fight some dudes, do some light detective work, and then it’s the finale. It’s dense, though. The level design in the "Wonder City" style areas under the shipyard is fantastic.
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The boss fight at the end? It’s... fine. It’s mostly a wave-based survival thing with some robots thrown in. But the narrative tension carries it. Harley is trying to blow the whole place up with you, herself, and her "babies" (the brainwashed thugs) inside. It’s a suicide mission.
A Detail You Might Have Missed
If you look closely at the environment during the final segments, you can see a positive pregnancy test on the floor near Harley’s old costume in the main game, but in this DLC, there are dozens of negative tests scattered around. It’s a subtle, incredibly dark storytelling beat. It implies that her "pregnancy" teased in the main game was a false positive or a delusion. It adds a layer of tragedy to her character that makes her vendetta feel even more personal. She didn't just lose her lover; she lost the future she thought she was having.
Is It Still Worth Playing in 2026?
With the Suicide Squad games and the newer DC projects out there, people often overlook these older expansions. But Batman Arkham City Harley Quinn's Revenge is essential for a few reasons:
- It bridges the gap to Arkham Knight. You see the seeds of Batman’s psychological breakdown.
- It’s the best version of Harley. Before she became a semi-heroic protagonist in later media, she was a terrifying, grieving villain. This DLC captures that perfectly.
- The atmosphere. The snowy, industrial gloom is peak Arkham.
It’s not perfect. The lack of a free-roam option for Robin after you finish the story is a huge bummer. You're just... done. Back to the main menu. It feels abrupt. But maybe that's the point? The story of Arkham City doesn't have a happy ending. It just ends.
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Things to Do After You Finish the Story
Don't just delete the game once the credits roll. There’s actually a bit of meat left on the bones if you’re a completionist.
- Find all the Harley Statues. There are 30 of them. Finding them all triggers unique dialogue that fleshes out Harley’s descent into madness.
- Check the nursery. Go back to the manager’s office in the Steel Mill (in the main game) after finishing the DLC. The changes in the environment are haunting.
- Master Robin’s combat. Take what you learned in the DLC into the Riddler Challenges. His move set is actually deeper than the short campaign lets you explore.
The legacy of Batman Arkham City Harley Quinn's Revenge is its refusal to give the player a "win." You save the day, sure. You stop the bombs. But Batman is still broken, Harley is still insane, and the Joker is still dead. It’s a grim, beautiful piece of DLC that reminds us why the Arkham series set the gold standard for superhero games. It isn't about the capes; it's about the scars.
If you're revisiting the series on a modern console or PC, don't skip this. It’s the punctuation mark at the end of a very long, very dark sentence.
Next Steps for Players:
If you’ve just finished the DLC, go back into the main Arkham City map and visit the Crime Alley memorial. The dialogue there changes slightly based on your progress, and it provides a quiet moment of reflection that fits the somber mood of the epilogue perfectly. After that, jumping straight into the opening cinematic of Arkham Knight makes for a seamless, albeit depressing, narrative experience.