The Riddler

The Riddler is a supporting character in the 2009 video game, Batman: Arkham Asylum. The Riddler contacts Batman via radio and gives him the task of completing 240 "Riddler Challenges" spread across Arkham Island.

Biography
With an obsessive need for attention, Edward Nigma is determined to be the most outlandish of Gotham City's criminals, concocting elaborate series of clues and riddles around his crimes. Batman has proven a worthy opponent, capable of deducing the Riddler's plans, but Nigma is dedicated to creating a mystery the Dark Knight will not be able to solve in time.

Attributes:
 * Genius intellect
 * Driven by a need to test his wits against law enforcement by leaving clues to his planned crimes
 * Compulsive need for attention

Batman: Arkham Asylum
The Riddler was one of the many inmates who escaped Arkham Asylum after the Joker took control of the island. The Riddler made his way to a hidden location in Gotham City and contacted Batman by hacking into the communication signal the Dark Knight used to contact Oracle. In order to boast his superior intellect, the Riddler had organized a series of riddles around the island, ranging from a number of small trophies hidden in out-of-the-way spots to elaborate perspective puzzles. After escaping, he challenged Batman to find these, along with the additional challenge of solving riddles that described specific objects in various rooms. Batman steadily solved every riddle, with the Riddler boasting his superiority to begin with but slowly becoming more enraged with Batman. Before solving the last few riddles, Batman located the Riddler's signal and notified the police of his whereabouts. After solving his final riddle, the Riddler began to implement Gotham's "greatest riddle." But before he could do so, the GCPD broke into his hideout on 229 O'Neil Avenue in Old Gotham. The police arrive there and arrest Riddler as he quotes to Batman that he cheated on his riddles.

Challenges
Each unique set of locations in the game (e.g. one building or one of the island sections) has a number of associated Riddler Challenges, which can be solved to earn XP and unlock bonuses, such as character profiles, character trophies, and challenge mini-games. There are several distinct types of challenges:




 * Riddler trophies: These green question-mark statues are scattered all over, sometimes out in the open, sometimes hidden in difficult-to-access areas.
 * Riddles: More or less cryptic clues describing specific locations or objects. To solve the riddle, the described object or scene must be visible on-screen and must be "scanned". These range from obvious (One riddle simply name-drops Prometheus and requires Batman to scan a wanted poster for the villain) to the cryptic (one riddle mentions the "end of days" for a murderer, referring to the cell where the Calender Man sleeps).
 * Joker Teeth: The Joker has scattered a lot of "chattering teeth" gag toys, often in groups of two or three. To fulfil the challenge, a certain number of teeth (5, 10, 20) must be destroyed.
 * Perspective riddles Two halves of a question mark have been painted on the scenery (only visible in Detective Mode). When viewed from the right perspective, they line up to form a whole question mark, which can be scanned to solve the riddle.
 * Interview tapes: Audio tape reels containing patient interviews and doctor's notes can be found in many locations, giving insight into some of the major characters in the game.
 * Chronicles of Arkham: All over the Island there are scribbled messages on decorative stones, in the same spiralling style that Amadeus Arkham once used. Batman must scan these messages to decode them.
 * Riddler maps: Each location set contains one map which reveals the approximate placement of all the other challenge items, by placing floating question marks on the in-game map.

Some of the items are initially inaccessible and can only be accessed after Batman has collected a specific gadget. Since this requires revisiting locations when the actual plot of the game does not require it, the game allows the player to continue exploring the island, even after the reaching the end, in order to achieve 100% completion.

Riddles
The many riddles and puzzles the Riddler has scattered through Arkham include cryptic clues describing specific locations or objects. To solve the riddle, the described object must be visible on-screen and must be "scanned". The Riddler will pose actual riddles for Batman to solve in specific areas throughout Arkham, who will be notified as soon as he enters a room. These riddles are generally solved by one of two ways but the means in which you solve them remains the same. Batman will either need to find a specific object the Riddler is talking about or find a disjointed question mark symbol and line it up from a certain perspective.

After receiving the first message from the Riddler in the Intensive Treatment Lobby, Batman must turn around and look to the left of the ladder for a portrait of Warden Sharp, scanning it to solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 1: "Don't cut yourself on this sharply observed portrait."

Before leaving the Intensive Treatment Lobby, Batman must look around the windows of the offices in the middle of the room to solve this puzzle. He's looking to put together a hidden question mark. It's body will be separated from the period. Batman must use Detective Mode to find the body of the question mark on a window of the office, then turn around until he has lined up the dot on the wall just underneath the body. When it looks like a "?", Batman must scan it to complete this riddle.
 * Riddle 2: "A puzzle has many sides, but only some are visible."

To solve this riddle, Batman must enter the Utility Corridor of the Intensive Treatment Center. When he enters the guards' locker room, Batman must listen for the sound of a radio and find it. Batman then must look at the dial on the radio to locate the name Jack Ryder, scanning it to complete the riddle.
 * Riddle 3: "You don't know Jack about Gotham. Tune in to find out."

In the Cell Block Transfer Corridor of the Intensive Treatment Center, Batman must use the Cryptographic Sequencer to unlock a door on the right. Batman may proceed up the stairs and look at the framed picture on the security guard's desk, scanning it to solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 4: "Hook up with the relatives before you're transferred out of here."

To solve this riddle, Batman must jump down on top of the locked elevator the Scarecrow used to escape in the Intensive Treatment Center. Crawling through the ventilation shaft here, Batman will find a cave littered with paperwork, scanning the blueprints to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 5: "Dr. Jonathan Crane plans on elevating fear to new depths."



When Batman revisits the Transfer Loop in Intensive Treatment, halfway through as he heads east is an office that Batman needs to crouch to get into. Once inside, Batman must turn around and scan the advertisement of Penguin's Iceberg Lounge to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 6: "A top hat and tails is the only dress code for this party in the North."

Batman must use the Explosive Gel on the breakable wall in the main area of the Patient Pacification Chamber and then scan Maxie Zeus's cell to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 7: "Even I was shocked when I saw how Maxie Zeus was treated!"



To find this riddle-clue, Batman must be in the Holding Cells where the game began. Batman must enter the Riddler's cell with the green question marks on the wall, scanning the interior to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 8: "Where would you find my home sweet home?"

Batman may look across the water from the clock tower in Arkham East toward Gotham City. To solve this riddle, Batman must look for the Wayne tower along the skyline (the one with the giant W on it). He must scan the tower to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 9: "Gotham's greatest family towers over the city."

Batman must stand on the top edge of the clock tower in Arkham East and look south to see the body of the question mark on the roof below to find this riddle. The hidden period is on the ledge of the platform. Batman must line the two up in his vision and scan them to complete this riddle.
 * Riddle 10: "My challenges appear to those with the correct position in life."

Near the cemetery entrance in Arkham East, there is a lit-up tombstone with the name Amadeus Arkham carved onto it. Batman may scan this headstone to complete the riddle.
 * Riddle 11: "The legacy of this island has been well and truly buried."

To decipher this puzzle, Batman must stand outside the ruined building, by the archway in Arkham North. If Batman triggers Detective Mode and looks up, he will be able to see the body of a question mark on the underside of the top of the archway. After lining this up with the dot which is on the ceiling above it, Batman can scan the question mark to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 12: "Now I see it, now you don't!"

At the north end of this area is the the locked gated entrance to Arkham Asylum. Just to the right of it is a see-saw with the hats of Tweedledum and Tweedledee on it. Batman must scan this to solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 13: "Tweedledum and Tweedledee SAW it, can you SEE it?"



Once Batman has hacked into western guard station at Arkham North, he will notice the old Harvey Dent campaign flyers plastered on the the back wall. Scanning these will solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 14: "Let's face it, there are two Dents on the wall."

When Batman grapples up to the balcony above the entrance to the Penitentiary at Arkham West, it is here he can look down to see the body of a hidden question mark. Batman will need to line this up with the period which is on a railing of the balcony. Batman must line it up, then scan it to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 15: "Do you see what I can see? No? Then maybe I am in a stronger position."

With the Range Amplifier upgrade for the Cryptographic Sequencer Batman can hack into the room above the Cell Block entrance to the Penitentiary. Within are the bodies of three unfortunate victims of Mr. Zsasz, arranged to be seated around a table. Scanning them will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 16: "Zsasz is counting on you finding his work."

If Batman will grapple onto the horizontal beams in front of the Arkham East doors, he can look up to his left and use the Ultra Batclaw to pull the breakable wall down. Batman can then grapple into this alcove and scan the canisters of fear gas stored here to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 17: "Does Scarecrow's gas break down barriers as it drives you insane?"

In the the northwest area of the lowest level of the Sanitarium is a cell littered with bones. Batman must scan it to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 18: "Tick! Tock! News flash! Someone is not getting out of here alive."

There is a breakable floor, on the second level of the Sanitarium. Batman may blow it open with his explosive gel, then use Detective Mode to see the question mark along the rim of the hole. There's a period on the floor below at a slanted angle. lining the two up and scanning them will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 19: "A question can only be answered from a new perspective. Don't you agree?"

To find the answer to this riddle, Batman must visit the the front desk of the Medical Facility, located in the southern section of the Medical Foyer hallway. Here, the plaque on the wall is easily located with the Waynes' name on it. Scanning it will solve the Riddler's clue and also allow Batman to unlock the Alfred Pennyworth Character Trophy.
 * Riddle 20: "Is the generosity of our benefactors on the Wayne?"

After rescuing Dr. Chen in the Surgery Room of the Medical Facility, Batman may grapple to the upper balcony (where the Joker's men had been waiting to ambush him) and locate the whiteboard with the night shift schedule for the Arkham staff. Scanning the board (With Thomas Elliot's name on it) will complete the riddle.
 * Riddle 21: "Shhhhhh! Rumors persist that Tommy Elliot operates in Arkham. Can it be true?"

After clearing the Patient Observation area of the Medical Facility of the toxic gas, Batman can enter the small room with an easily-breakable roof and scan the newspaper clippings about Firefly on the old cabinet door to solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 22: "Was this Firefly too hot off the press?"

After Batman awakes back in the Morgue after defeating the Scarecrow for the first time, he may look on the tray near the middle of the room for a jar labelled with the nickname of Warren White. Batman must zoom in using his cowl's vision and scan the words "Great White Shark" on the jar to solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 23: "What silent killer of the oceans can be found in a tiny jar?"

Osito (Spanish for "little bear") the teddy bear of a young Bane, can be found on the table in the Experimental Chamber of the Medical Facility next to a secret map left by the Riddler. Batman may scan the bear to complete this riddle.
 * Riddle 24: "Is this bear the Bane of his life?"



Batman can use the vent above the Morgue elevator doors in the Sanitorium to enter the elevator shaft and drop down to the lower level. Crawling through the vent closest to the base of the elevator shaft, Batman will enter Secure Access. From this vent system, he may drop down into the locked office of former Arkham doctor Harleen Quinzel, plastered with pictures of the Joker and untouched since Quinzel's dismissal. Scanning these pictures and cluttered desktop will allow Batman to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 25: "Are you going to take your hat off to Harley, Bats?"

After taking out the Joker's goons in the Main Hall of the Arkham Mansion, Batman may step into the short hall on the right and scan the portrait of Commissioner Gordon on the wall to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 26: "Who is the main man in the main hall?"

To complete this riddle, Batman must scan the many circles scrawled across the interior in the abandoned cell of the late Amadeus Arkham, located in the North Corridor of the old Arkham Mansion.
 * Riddle 27: "Did Amadeus go mad, or was he just dizzy?"

After taking out the three thugs attempting to break into Penelope Young's Office, Batman can head up the stairs and scan the corpse of Ra's al Ghul sticking halfway out of the freezer to solve this riddle. The corpse vanishes towards the end of the game.
 * Riddle 28: "It'll be a cold day in hell when this Ghul rises again."

Batman must scan Black Mask's original wooden mask, mounted on the wall in Dr. Young's Office, to solve this puzzle-clue.
 * Riddle 29: "How do you mask your feelings without losing control?"

When Batman enters the Southern Corridor of the Arkham Mansion, on the left wall is a glass display case with a top hat and a dusty collection of the Penguin's umbrellas encased within. Batman must scan it to solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 30: "What does a bird need in the rain?"



Across from where Batman fights the first stun baton-wielding thug in the East Wing Corridor of the Arkham Mansion, there is a glass display case with Catwoman's mask and clawed gloves mounted within. Scanning it will solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 31: "A game of cat and mouse can be painful."

In the Warden's Office, Batman can scan the dummy Scarface, put on display by Sharp in the glass case on the southern wall, to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 32: "Isn't the Warden too old for a puppet show?"

In the West Wing Corridor of the Arkham Mansion, Batman may use the Cryptographic Sequencer to unlock the door to the south. Now he must the Line Launcher to zip over the electrified floor. Once inside this small room at the end of the corridor, Batman can look at the psychiatric files of Hugo Strange on the ground to the left, labelled "Strange Files." Scanning these files will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 33: "Our Records show that a Strange transfer request was made in this room."

Standing in front of the mirror of the restroom in Cells Access of the Penitentiary and scanning Batman's reflection will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 34: "How do you reflect on your successes and failures, Batman?"

After obtaining the Cryptographic Sequencer from Warden Sharp in the Security Control Room of the Penitentiary, Batman will go back down to the lower level of the area and pass by the glass cell of Clayface. Scanning Clayface as he impersonates Warden Sharp, James Gordon, or Aaron Cash will decipher the riddle.
 * Riddle 35: "A case of mistaken identity?"



When Batman returns to the Main Cell Block from The Green Mile, he can enter the western section of the cell block, where the Joker has released the more unsettled patients housed there. Entering the first cell on the right, Batman will find himself in the cell of the Calendar Man. Scanning the scattered calendar days covering the cell will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 36: "This room is the end of days for even the most celebrated killer."

Up the stairs and about halfway down the hall in Controlled Access of the Penitentiary, is the infamous cell of Two-Face, mirroring his duality. Upon entering the cell, Batman will see the "Vote Harvey Dent" poster on the wall. Scanning this campaign poster will solve the Riddler's latest clue.
 * Riddle 37: "What has four walls, two sides, and one ex-DA?"

After locking Harley Quinn in a cell in the Penitentiary's Extreme Incarceration, Batman can stand in the middle section of the three formerly-electrified floors here and look to the southeast to see Mr. Freeze's cell, covered in ice. Scanning the cell will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 38: "All alone in your cell? Why don't you break the ice with the most dangerous prisoners?"

From the small upper office to the north in the Guard Room of the Penitentiary, Batman may look south with Detective Mode on and spot this question mark across the way. Lining up the body with the period and scanning it will complete the riddle.
 * Riddle 39: "When is something right in front of you, but still hidden from you?"

After clearing the toxic gas from the Guard Room, Batman can drop into the room below him. Toward the east will be a bulletin board. Once Batman scans the wanted flyer of Prometheus the riddle will be solved.
 * Riddle 40: "Prometheus, Arkham guards' most wanted and most hated."



Once the Joker has seized Arkham East, the Botanical Gardens will come under his control as well. Looking to the left as Batman steps out into the larger portion of the Glasshouse Entrance, he will see two dead security guards crumpled around a bench, apparently posed there by Zsasz. If Batman scans them, he'll solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 41: "Is the number up for these guards?"

Riddle 42: "This fiendish puzzle literally appears out of thin air."

At the air duct in the Southern Corridor of the Arkham Mansion, Batman may turn around once he is inside the air duct and stand on the edge of the ducts while looking down. Using Detective Mode, Batman will see the body of the question mark below while the period is on the edge of the air duct. Once Batman lines the two up and scans them, the riddle will be solved.

Riddle 43: "What time is tea time in Wonderland?"

Along the second level of the Botanical Gardens, Batman will find the Mad Hatter's tea set balanced on one of the back wall plant pots. If Batman scans the tea set, he'll solve this riddle.

Riddle 44: "Remember the Waynes? How could anyone forget?"

Batman will pass a park bench in the middle of the Statue Corridor of the Botanical Gardens. If Batman examines the plaque on the bench, it's a dedication to Thomas and Martha Wayne. Scanning the plaque will complete the riddle.

As Batman crawls through the vent shaft away from the Flooded Corridor of the Botanical Gardens, there is a grate in the floor Batman can look through as he passes over it. The Ratcatcher's equipment are stored here. When Batman scans the gear, the riddle will be solved.
 * Riddle 45: "The Ratcatcher needed more than just his charm to lead his army."

About crossing the bridge in the Abandoned Corridor of the Botanical Gardens, Batman can cling to the column to the left and shimmy around to the left, then pull himself onto the platform here. Heading north along this platform and crawling under the broken part, Batman will arrive at the site of a hidden question mark. Batman may look down when he reaches the end of this platform. He'll see most of the question mark on the edge of the platform he is standing on but the corner of it is down below. Lining them up and scanning them will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 46: "This challenge can only be seen by those with a different view on life."

Batman must walk south down the dead end hallway in the Flooded Corridor in the Botanical Gardens to find a bench with a handful of broken toys on it, having being taken apart by the Arkham inmate Humpty Dumpty. Scanning the toys will solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 47: "Looks like all the king's horses trampled all the king's men."

In the eastern half of the Flooded Corridor is a beheaded statue of Constance Arkham, vandalized by Martin "Mad Dog" Hawkins. Batman must find the small gold plaque on the base of the statue and look at it in first-person view to see that "Mad Dog" has been etched into it. Batman must scan the plaque it to solve the riddle.
 * Riddle 48: "Is this a tribute to what a mad dog left behind?"

In the Aviary, just to the northwest of a ledge in a wall and a little lower Batman will spot a skeleton in a cocoon that is webbed to the wall, a reference to Killer Moth. Scanning the skeleton in first-person mode will solve the Riddler's clue and also allow Batman to unlock the Killer Moth patient report.
 * Riddle 49: "There's no closet in the Gardens, so someone is using the roof instead."

In the security guards' control office, on the upper level of the Main Cell Block, is The Ventriloquist's tommy gun mounted on the wall. Batman must scan the machine gun to solve this riddle.
 * Riddle 50: "Two people, one voice, no gun?"

As Batman continues to solve all 50 riddles and collect the items, Riddler initially taunts him with the "slowness" of his progress, but becomes increasingly agitated, as the amount of solved riddles rises. He accuses Batman of cheating, possibly by looking up the riddles on the internet. Once enough riddles have been solved, Batman manages to deduce Riddler's current location and transmits it to the Gotham Police.

Final Audio Recording
After Batman has solved the final riddle, the Riddler will panic. The following recording is released as the Riddler is thwarted.

The Riddler: "What?"

(The Riddler realizes that Batman has just solved his final riddle.)

The Riddler: "You did it?? You must have cheated. There is no way you could have beaten me."

The Riddler: "Well, you asked for it, Batman. My final challenge for the whole of Gotham is just seconds away....Wha?"

(Sirens begin to sound in the distance.)

The Riddler: "Sirens! The police! You cheated, Batman. You couldn't have outsmarted me!"

(Several policemen pound on the door)

Police Officer: "Police! open up."

The Riddler: "No!"

Police Officer: "I said open the door, now!"

Police Officer: "Now!!"

(There is a splintering of bolts as the police knock down the door.)

Police Officer: "Down on the ground! Down on the ground!"

(Several more policemen burst into the Riddler's hideout.)

The Riddler: "No!!"

The Riddler: "Tell me! how did you work out where I was?? Do you hear me? I, Edward Nigma, will....argghhh."

(The Riddler struggles against the police officers and one strikes him with a nightstick.)

Patient Interviews
Patient Interview #21, May 27th In the first patient interview, Dr. Penelope Young confronts the Riddler on the matter of writing threatening riddles on his cell walls. The Riddler, on the other hand, states that one should have to be severely paranoid to derive threats from harmless riddles. He asks Dr. Young if he can test one on her, to which she agrees. The Riddler asks the well known riddle: What walks on four legs, then two legs and finally three? Dr. Young answers with the correct answer of a human being: crawling on all fours as a baby, walking on two as an adult and finally uses a cane in old age. The Riddler commends her on her answer yet states that correct one is a baby for all three. He claims that it's true a baby crawls on all fours but if you cut off its legs it can only move with two, give it a crutch and it can hobble along on three. Dr. Young, obviously disturbed, asks how the Riddler can joke about such things, to which the Riddler replies "Easily doctor. It's not my baby..."

Patient Interview #39, July 29th The second interview begins with Dr. Young still undecided of whether to use the Riddler for the Titan process. Dr. Young begins by wanting to ask about the Riddler's childhood which she believes his fascination of riddles began and would also explain his compulsive behavior. Reluctantly, the Riddler agrees, stating the his father hated him and always called him a moron, causing the Riddler to try and prove him wrong. As a result he entered a contest at school, a $20 prize for the child who solved an almost impossible logic problem. The Riddler claimed that "I won of course" yet his father kept yelling "You must have cheated! Admit it you moron, you cheated!". He swore he didn't and his father beat him for lying. Dr. Young, feeling pity for the Riddler, is sorry to hear about the incident to which the Riddler replies "Don't be. He was right"

Patient Interview #44, August 21st In the third interview, Dr. Young attempts to discuss the Riddler's large variety of riddle-based schemes in his career which resulted in numerous deaths. The Riddler claims that society should be thanking him, for ridding the city of the stupid and the ignorant. He goes on to claim that if the citizens of Gotham was smarter, his riddles would be mere distractions for amusement, to which he tells Dr. Young that he'd be sure she would be able to solve them. He then turns his attention to a family photo on Dr. Young's desk causing Young to panic and call for security.

Patient Interview #55, October 4th The fourth interview has Dr. Young trying to delve into the Riddler's obsession with Batman. The Riddler on the other hand claims they're merely observations. Observations that Batman is himself a criminal and no different from criminals such as Two-Face, the Joker or even himself. He states that Batman must be stealing from the criminals he defeats in order to pay for his high-tech equipment and vehicles and that he must also be bribing Commissioner Gordon so as to keep the GCPD off his back. When Dr. Young states that most see him as a hero, the Riddler becomes enraged with her, causing Dr. Young to call in the guards.

Patient Interview #76, January 16th The final interview with the Riddler has Dr. Young state that she can no longer put up with his mood swings and will be transferring him to Dr. Gretchen Westler. The Riddler appears incredibly cheerful, much to Dr. Young's surprise. After asking why he feels this way, the Riddler states that he's "always in high spirits when he's about to be released". Young becomes confused as the Riddler can't go for parole for another three years. The Riddler seems to ignore this statement, going on that the first thing he'll do is go to a particular Italian restaurant, hoping that the Joker hasn't destroyed Gotham by then. Dr. Young becomes particularly worried that the Riddler may have had contact with the Joker, who had escaped a few weeks earlier. The Riddler states that he heard something about Joker's future plans for a "surprise party" involving Batman, saying "you know Joker, yak yak yak". Dr. Young demands that the Riddler tell her what he heard, as lives are stake. The Riddler finally replies, "You forget doctor, I'm the one that asks the riddles..."