Harley Quinn's Revenge makes for a good side mission but doesn't deliver anything exciting
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360 (Review 800MS), PC
Genre: Action
Release Date: May 29, 2012
SPOILER ALERT: Harley Quinn's Revenge takes place after the events of the main story and this article may contain sensitive information about the plot.
After the release of similar forms of DLC by providing new characters tackling the same challenge maps Rocksteady has finally delivered a story based DLC called Harley Quinn's Revenge. Harley Quinn's Revenge adds 2 hours of gameplay for $10 in an attempt show how the Clown Price of Crime's right hand and lover is coping with her tragic lost. Harley Quinn's Revenge uses the same formula that made Arkham City great to create a distinguished side story that unfortunately doesn't answer any questions.
Picking up after the events of Arkham City Harley Quinn's Revenge, Harley has undergone a mental breakdown after the recent passing of the Joker and an unexpected tragedy of her own. Harley was relocated to a new location to undergo psychological treatment only to escape, take over Joker's gang, and now is holding several cops hostage. Harley isn't the only one going through a difficult time as Batman has been having a difficult time managing the death of his nemesis and love, Talia al Ghul. The Dark Knight went to investigate and rescue Gordon's men but hasn't been seen or heard of for two days, and now it's up to Robin to rescue Batman.
Harley Quinn's Revenge is an assortment of familiar gameplay and a fresh take on the single-player experience. Unlike Batman Robin uses a different assortment of moves and gadgets that include a staff that can morph into a bullet-proof shield, a zip-kick, and Snap Flash stun traps. However unlike Batman Robin cannot permanently disable weapons or perform an inverted takedown, but nevertheless brings a fresh style to the single-player experience. However you won't be playing as Robin entirely, in two instances you will take control of the Caped Crusader to know how Batman ended up in such a precarious situation and how he completes his mission. After playing as Batman for a large portion of Arkham City it was novel to listen to Robin talk to Oracle, investigate areas, and become Batman's savior.
Harley Quinn's Revenge is a standalone mission and doesn't attempt to stray from that. You can't explore Arkham City as Robin in search of side quest and are limited to the Steel Mill when you take control of Batman. You are given a fully upgraded Batman and Robin to play with so those starting Arkham City can instantly play without any prior obligations. There are 30 Harley Balloons located throughout the DLC, which stack through multiple playthroughs, to encourage a small amount of exploration.
The objectives you tackle throughout the DLC will instantly feel familiar. Staying true to Arkham City you will be clearing rooms of enemies, defusing bombs, interrogating significant targets, and investigating areas. Varied enemy types are littered throughout each objective but it seems that the developers attempted to saturate every concept within the main campaign into this small side mission.
Although Quinn's revenge is a fun side story it never truly answers any of the questions provided. When playing throughout the DLC almost every character was concerned with Batman's psychological state after the lost of his love Talia al Ghul and the Joker but never get to see it, instead Batman remains stoic. Questions are asked but never answered; instead we'll have to wait to see what happens to the Dark Knight in these times of hardship.
Harley Quinn's Revenge is a fun couple of hours that doesn't add anything new to Batman: Arkham City, but is nevertheless fun. Playing as Robin was a fresh experience, similar to playing as Catwoman, allowing for a new take on Arkham City. The missions follow a simply formula but are expected from a DLC. Harley Quinn's Revenge may not be the best but it is a great addition to Batman: Arkham City.