What a future Batman game can learn from Spider-Man PS4
Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4 became an instant hit when it came out. When playing the game, it’s clear that Insomniac was inspired by the Batman: Arkham series of games.
There are things that Spider-Man does better than the Arkham games that could definitely be implemented into the next open-world Batman adventure. Here’s what the next Batman game should learn from Marvel’s Spider-Man:
Stop Taking Place Over One Night
When Batman: Arkham Asylum released in 2009, it was immediately considered to be one of, if not the best superhero game ever. It revolved around The Joker releasing the inmates of Arkham Asylum and Batman having to stop it in the span of one night. It was a pretty straightforward game deserving the benefit of the doubt that everything is happening in such a short span of time.
After Asylum, the games started getting bigger to the point where the one-night premise has become laughable. In Arkham Knight, there is absolutely no way Batman could go through the story, do all the side missions, and lock up all criminals within one night.
When playing Spider-Man, it was so refreshing when the story took place over a realistic amount of time. The passage of time allowed room for the characters to develop naturally. It was also nice that Spider-Man could explore the city during the day, afternoon, and night. While all four Arkham games have great stories, a Batman story that has room to breathe past just one night would be welcome.
Play as Bruce Wayne
The Peter Parker sections in Spider-Man were some of the best parts of the story because it further developed his character into someone relatable. It was intriguing seeing the relationships Peter had with Mary Jane, Aunt May, Miles Morales, and Otto Octavius. While there have been small sections of Bruce Wayne sprinkled throughout all four Arkham games, there clearly hasn’t been enough.
Insomniac’s creative director Bryan Intihar stated that their favorite Spider-Man stories are the ones where Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s worlds collide. Imagine a Batman game where the story of the man behind the mask was just as important? The Telltale Batman game explored that, but those games focused more on the story rather than the gameplay. Imagine in between nights working as Batman, there are sections of the game that focus on Bruce’s relationships and endeavors. It would be a great opportunity to tell a story that develops the characters over time that can humanize the hero, while also connecting both sides of the character.
A Complete, Lively Gotham City
Arkham Island in Batman: Arkham Asylum was truly an amazing setting with a dark gothic atmosphere filled to the brim with personality and history. Then Arkham City came around, where the setting was a blocked off section of Gotham where criminals can run rampant. It was great, but when Batman wasn’t beating up criminals, it felt kind of dead. Arkham Origins and Arkham Knight had that same problem as well.
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Spider-Man’s version of Manhattan felt alive and players could explore a pretty accurate recreation of the city. Insomniac built a realistic city that just so happens to exist in the rich expansive Marvel universe. While Gotham is a fictional city, the developers could be creative and definitely find a way to bring the city to life. In each game, Batman could look off into the far distance and see the actual Gotham City, but it’s never quite been explorable.
If Gotham City is fully explorable in the next Batman game, it also needs to feel alive. Insomniac did a great job of making their world feel alive all the time. Civilians were always walking around and there was city traffic going on all the time. The open worlds in Batman games always feel like it’s just you against the villains. Gotham City in other mediums feels like its own character and the games have been lacking that. An open world Gotham with civilians inhabiting a living breathing world similar to Spider-Man’s Manhattan would be awesome. Just don’t expect Batman to take selfies.
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Marvel’s Spider-Man and the Batman Arkham games are truly spectacular superhero games. Spider-Man may have taken an element or two from those Arkham games, but it also managed to introduce new interesting story/gameplay mechanics that instantly made it a unique experience. Whatever Rocksteady or Warner Bros. Montreal has in store for the next Batman game, hopefully, they learned a thing or two from the webhead.