Arkham Asylum

Arkham Asylum has a long and troubling track record of being quite easy to get out of.

And soon, it’ll be even easier to get into.

That’s because in June 2023, a big-budget immersive experience named after the infamous Gotham City puzzle factory is coming to London. It seems that the people at Warners & DC have been spurred by the success of their restaurant Park Row, because they’re throwing their weight behind this venture too, teaming up with the theatrical specialists at Myriad Entertainment to put it all together.

The plan is to recreate Arkham itself somewhere in our fair capital, and to fill it with all manner of theatrical twists, augmented reality, immersive wizardry, and comic-loving punters.

They’ve written an all-original storyline for the experience in which Bats himself has gone missing, ushering in a good ol’ crimewave in Gotham. Fortunately, ambitious psychiatrist Jeremiah Arkham has a foolproof, logistically sound plan to help restore order – he’s going to give each and every citizen of Gotham a psychological examination in the Asylum itself. And, as a citizen of Gotham, that basically makes you the main character.

It’s all still several months away, but it seems like there’s going to be a fairly open-plan structure to it, with interaction being highly encouraged. You can’t get away with idly observing here. You’ll essentially be aiming to escape from the asylum, searching for clues, interacting with familiar characters (Scarecrow, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and “many more” are promised), and generally being totally immersed. And in case you were worried, they’re very much leaning into the dark, gritty DC universe vibe, setting a firm 18+ age limit on the show.

And just to pay a little deference to the fact that this is set in a psychiatric hospital, the producers are teaming up with mental health charity CALM in order to raise both funds & awareness for the organisation’s life-saving services.

So, for maybe the first time in its long fictional history, Arkham Asylum actually will be doing its job.

NOTE: Tickets for Arkham Asylum are on sale now for an initial booking period starting in June 2023. It’s strictly an 18+ experience, so not one for the kids. Tickets start at around £65 – you can find out more, and book HERE.

Arkham Asylum | Somewhere in London

Love immersive experiences? Check out The Burnt City…