At the time of its original release the Batman Arkham series really was one of the most visually stunning video game franchises around, and that culminated with the release of Arkham Knight, the third game in the trilogy.
The first game, Arkham Asylum, nailed down the overall aesthetic that the trilogy was going to lean into, only on a considerably smaller scale that didn't allow players to explore the fullness of Gotham.
Arkham City changed all of that and made it clear just how much difference the open-world could make, also allowing the development team to really unleash all of their artistic talents to create a big, beautiful version of the famous city.
Arkham Knight brought everything to a close, adding some very impressive features that felt like a real progression on the previous release. Though the PC version infamously had some major issues, few could deny just how stunning Batman looked in Rocksteady's impressively realised version of Gotham.
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The developer absolutely nailed the overall mood of the Batman franchise while at the same time providing stunning visuals, beyond just the pitch darkness that many have gone with when dealing with The Dark Knight.
As such, it might not seem like a prime candidate for a remaster when they aesthetic still holds up so well, but there's always room for improvement, and a new fan made remaster has given the game a stunning upgrade on its base look.
Arkham Knight Looks Stunning in 8K
Over on YouTube, tech creator Digitial Dreams regularly shares footage of games with major visual upgrades on their original and intended versions. Their next target was the aforementioned Arkham Knight, and they've managed to get it running with an extreme graphics mod that gets the game as close to photorealistic as I have ever seen it.
The 8K resolution also helps move things along, with significant ray tracing elements vastly improving both the lights and the darks in any given scene.
Weather bonus
Weather effects are the big beneficiaries in this approach, adding considerable realism to the rain which, particularly in the case of Batman, is important for establishing mood.
The YouTuber makes everything he uses available to the public for free, so all you have to do is join the Discord in the description to get access.
The only catch, of course, is that you will need an exceptionally beefy PC and display to replicate it, or you won't have any FPS to speak of.
Topics: Batman