While there are a lot of great Batman games out there, DC’s Dark Knight will always be limited in ways that other characters like Spider-Man aren’t.
The Batman IP has fared better than most superhero properties when it comes to video game adaptations, but it is still limited by core aspects that don’t apply to heroes who helm other successful games like Spider-Man. Batman and his associates are quite unique, which is something that will likely benefit the upcoming Gotham Knights and its playable heroes, but there are elements of tone and setting that hold the character back in the world of gaming. Specifically, the exclusively nocturnal schedule of Batman and his allies restricts their games from being as flexible as other heroes’.
Anyone who has played the Batman: Arkham games is likely familiar with their general framing and structure. All four main Arkham games take place over the course of a single night, and players need to put a stop to some major threat against Gotham City within that time frame. Older Batman games may have taken players to more well-lit environments but by and large, the Caped Crusader is shrouded in the dark of night. Things are far different for Spider-Man, whose open-world games almost all have dynamic day-and-night cycles, with Peter Parker having traditionally operated as the web-slinger night and day, rain or shine.
The upcoming Suicide Squad game is set in Batman’s Arkhamverse and looks to have daytime gameplay, but it seems like games starring Batman almost always take place at night. Setting aside the fact that this is something that is key to the character, this rigid adherence to this time of day means less freedom in both storytelling and gameplay. If future Batman games were to loosen this restriction, it could open the doors to a game with more flexibility in terms of tone and content, similar to what players are seeing with modern Marvel’s Spider-Man games.
Since video games featuring Batman will almost always take place exclusively at night, there are only two ways that they can be structured: the story can unfold over the course of a single night (as in most Batman games) or it can take place over several nights in a manner similar to Batman movies. The former structure lets Batman: Arkham villains like Scarecrow shine, as they can get inside the Dark Knight’s head in a short period of time, but the latter is almost never chosen as it would result in a choppy game that cuts away from the action every time the sun comes up. Even if the single-night structure can work well in some respects, it can become stale over time and carries other restrictions, such as diverting attention away from Bruce Wayne-centric aspects of the story or taking players to more vibrant, visually distinct areas. Either way, it wouldn’t be right for Batman to mingle with Gotham’s public the same way Spider-Man does, which also may be why Batman: Arkham‘s open worlds all had excuses to remove civilians from the equation.
These limitations aren’t a problem in games centered on Spider-Man, as time can pass freely around the player without the need for any cuts or jarring transitions. Marvel’s wall-crawler can also entertain a great variety of set pieces or cutscenes in various contexts, as they aren’t pigeonholed to a specific time of day. Still, limitations aren’t inherently bad, and there are some ways that the more limited Arkham Asylum was better than Batman: Arkham City, so perhaps the Batman-nighttime relationship is more of a blessing than a curse.
Nick Rodriguez is a Senior Writer for Screen Rant. While vigorously passionate about books, movies, and music, he was particularly drawn to video games since he first laid eyes on Spyro the Dragon and (much to his mother’s distaste) Silent Hill. More recently, his favorites have included Disco Elysium, Red Dead Redemption II, Kentucky Route Zero, and the Mass Effect series. Presently, he spends most of his time typing away in the chilly state of Wisconsin.
