Comic book video games have come a very long way over the past decade and a half. They've gone from missable movie tie-ins to some of the biggest releases each year, and that reputation is due in large part to the Batman: Arkham series. Rocksteady rejuvenated the entire superhero game genre with its main Batman trilogy, and when the core series came to an end, Insomniac continued to carry the proverbial torch with the excellent Marvel's Spider-Man. Now, with Insomniac's efforts blossoming into a franchise all its own, Batman and Spider-Man stand at the top of the superhero genre's mountain of success.
While Insomniac's Spider-Man games have been great successes in their own right, there's no denying that the Batman: Arkham series laid the foundation that Marvel and Sony have since built on. The Arkham series thrived on innovative game mechanics that were not only new for superhero games, but third-person action games in general. Inspirations were bound to be taken somewhere along the line, and Marvel's biggest hero adapted well with a flavor all its own. With that in mind, it's worth taking a look at how the Batman: Arkham series and Insomniac's Spider-Man games match up.
Comparing Combat Of Spider-Man And Batman: Arkham
One of the shining features of the Batman: Arkham series was its fluid combat, interwoven with stealth sequences that let players feel like the intimidating hunter that Batman is. Building combos through crowds of goons was consistently satisfying, and using Batman's various gadgets to get a leg up on enemies encouraged creativity. Out of all of Batman: Arkham's successes, its combat is one that many fans consistently praise.
In the case of the Spider-Man games, combat is similarly based on building up combos through a rapid succession of hits, but there is a noticeable difference in how Spidey moves compared to Batman. Whether it's Peter Parker or Miles Morales, Spider-Man is much more acrobatic and can make ground-level fights aerial in an instant. While there are inspirations from Arkham, Insomniac has made some clear distinctions through Spider-Man's unique specialties compared to the Caped Crusader.
Comparing The Stories Of Batman: Arkham And Spider-Man
Comic books stories can range widely from character to character, and that becomes very clear when comparing the stories of Batman: Arkham and Insomniac's Spider-Man games. One of the key differences is how each game approaches its story by making a narrative built around adaptation, or going in a completely original direction. Batman: Arkham would fall into the former category, as much of its original narrative beats are built around adapting other comic storylines like Death in the Family or The Killing Joke. There are certainly still original moments, but the Arkham games were not afraid to give fans direct comic references.
Spider-Man takes more of the latter approach, as the story within the games so far has been largely original. It gave many of Spidey's villains all-new origin stories, and many elements of Peter Parker himself have rarely been seen in other media. Both approaches could be seen as risky, but Rocksteady and Insomniac pulled it off in a way that resonated with a lot of fans.
How Batman: Arkham And Spider-Man Shine As Superhero Games
While the Batman: Arkham series and Spider-Man games could be picked apart forever on what one does better than the other, there's no denying that they have both managed to succeed as exceptional comic book games. Combat mechanics aside, they both let gamers live out the fantasy of becoming their favorite superhero in a way that hasn't been done before. Any game can let players take control of a superhero and run around with their powers for a few hours, but where Arkham and Spider-Man excel is in making players feel connected to these iconic characters.
With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League expanding the world of Batman: Arkham, and Marvel's Spider-Man setting up a highly anticipated sequel, the current wave of successful superhero video game seems like it will continue for a long time. Just as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought superhero films to the forefront of the film industry, hopefully superhero video games will continue to rise to astronomical heights.
Marvel's Spider-Man is available now on PS4 and PS5.