Best Story-Heavy Games To Play If You Love The Batman Arkham Series

Highlights

• The Arkham series revolutionized superhero gaming with excellent combat and engaging stories that every fan will enjoy.
• Despite some flaws, Shadow of War offers a fun experience with a unique Nemesis system and brutal combat mechanics.
• Hogwarts Legacy is a must-play game for Harry Potter fans, featuring an authentic setting and a fantastic magic combat system.

For the longest time, people felt like no decent superhero gaming franchise would ever exist. Sure, Spider-Man 2 was received positively by many people, but there weren’t really many other titles that had taken off otherwise. Thankfully, in a time when superhero games were frowned upon, Rocksteady Games decided to release a Batman game with a combat system that would be revolutionary and an absolute blast to play through.

Arkham Asylum is only one of the four games in the series, featuring excellent combat and a story that would appease even the most critical comic book fan. This franchise deserves all the praise it has received, and it’s only a given that people would want to play more games in the same vein after they’re done with the Arkham series. Thankfully, there are more than enough titles that players can access if the adventures of Bruce Wayne end up being so memorable that they find it hard to move on.

Updated on March 30, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: The disastrous launch of Suicide Squad has made it clear that fans of the Batman Arkham series aren’t pleased by the direction Warner Bros. took with the iconic franchise. Despite its impressive visuals and excellent story presentation, the tiresome gameplay of Suicide Squad coupled with its boring live-service trappings compelled more people to check out the Arkham games instead of trying to get into a title that prioritized profits over passion. The Batman Arkham games are one-of-a-kind, and players who want to check out similar story-heavy games will be spoiled for choice in this regard.

22 Middle-earth: Shadow Of War

A Great Lord Of The Rings Game With A Brutal Version Of Arkham’s Combat

Shadow of War is a decent sequel to the critically acclaimed Shadow of Mordor that made things bigger and bolder than ever before. The Nemesis system is one of the most unique ways to make a bunch of procedurally-generated enemies feel as different as possible, and it’s a shame that Warner Bros. decided to patent this system instead of letting games be influenced by the boundless creativity it offered.

The improvements and additions to the gameplay in Shadow of War made it a fun title to check out, even if some people felt like the endgame was poorly designed and structured to force players into opting for microtransactions. Still, that’s a small blemish in an otherwise wonderful game set in the rich fantasy world of The Lord of the Rings. The counter-based combat system is something Arkham fans are pretty familiar with, and it helps that the combat elevates the brutality to the max too. The story that comes with Shadow of War is also sure to keep players engaged, even if they aren’t overly familiar with the Lord of the Rings franchise.

21 Hogwarts Legacy

Exploring Hogwarts In The Past Is Great, And The Story Is Incredibly Compelling

Fans were salivating for a Harry Potter game that made the most of the IP instead of just half-heartedly adapting the books. The announcement of Hogwarts Legacy was as exciting as could be, and fans were more than amazed by the brilliant rendition of Hogwarts and the surrounding countryside in 1890. The story and voice performances could feel a bit too bland at times, but that is a small price to pay for what is otherwise an amazing game.

The authentic setting is further bolstered by one of the best magic combat systems in a video game that wears its Arkham inspirations proudly on its sleeve. Cycling through numerous spells and exploiting enemy weaknesses is a gameplay loop that never ceases to be engaging. Longtime fans of Harry Potter are sure to enjoy what’s on offer here, and gamers looking for something similar to the Arkham series will have their itches scratched if they decide to give this title a go.

20 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

A Highly Underrated Assassin’s Creed Game Set In Victorian London

It’s a shame that so many people consider Syndicate to be the sole catalyst that prompted Ubisoft to reinvent the formula of the Assassin’s Creed games, when in actuality, there were several factors that led to this change. This especially hurts for fans of the game who know just how much of a blast it is to roam around Victorian London as Jacob and Evie Frye.

The twins are some of the most entertaining main characters in the series despite adhering to certain cliches. The story itself is peak Assassin’s Creed with a host of entertaining personalities to interact with, even if the ending leans a bit too heavily into the series’ overarching story, which has never been its strongest point.

19 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

A Natural Evolution Of Peter And Miles’ Tale, Featuring Venom In A Central Role

Expectations were high for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to blow everyone out of the water when it launched, and Insomniac Games didn’t disappoint. Peter and Miles shared an amazing journey, full to the brim with many twists and turns that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Everything from combat to traversal was expanded upon, making for what is easily one of the greatest open-world superhero games of all time. The fact that so many people find it comparable to the Arkham series in terms of quality is a testament to how high Insomniac has set the bar for Spider-Man games.

18 Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy

A Charming Tale Full Of Jokes And Camaraderie

No one expected Eidos Montreal to knock it out of the park with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The game’s previews weren’t really all that impressive, and people feared that this title would be nothing more than another forgotten chapter in Square Enix’s pitiful attempts to make a decent Marvel game. However, when Guardians of the Galaxy was finally released, fans were floored by the supreme quality of its writing.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a joyful game with great combat and a fun story that will keep players hooked until the very end. This rendition of Star-Lord and his gang is a great one that is full to the brim with wacky hijinks and incredible set pieces that are a blast to witness first-hand. It’s unbelievable that this game didn’t meet sales targets since Guardians of the Galaxy is something truly special that any fan of good superhero games should check out.

17 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

An Incredible Spider-Man Game Involving Multiple Spider-Men

Many people feel that Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best game to ever feature this iconic web crawler. However, when the games featuring this character were still of varying quality, Shattered Dimensions came out of nowhere and showed players how imaginative and bold a Spider-Man game could really be.

The fact that this is the only multiverse Spider-Man story in the video game medium is baffling, considering how popular the idea of a Spider-Man multiverse is right now. Even now, after all the advancements made in the realm of superhero video games, there’s something about Shattered Dimensions that’s infinitely appealing, and it’s sure to impress fans of the Arkham series.

16 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Documents Miles’ Journey As A Fledgling Spider-Man

Most people scoffed at the idea of a standalone expansion to Marvel’s Spider-Man. While the validity of the game’s price can definitely be questioned, there’s no denying that the game itself is a blast to play through. Miles’ unique powers are fun to mess around with, especially since stealth is now genuinely viable to complete some of the game’s many encounters.

The powers Miles had access to and the heartfelt story on offer made it easy to see why fans were hyped to the moon and back for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Though the sequel is more popular, fans of the Arkham series will find a lot to love about Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

15 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Nathan Drake’s Beautifully-Structured Swansong

The Uncharted series ended on a positive note thanks to the brilliance of A Thief’s End. It was easily the most fleshed-out and technically amazing chapter in the entire series, featuring a great story that fans still love to this day. Nathan Drake’s character felt the most human in this game, and his dynamic with Elena and the other characters in the series — including a newly-introduced brother in the form of Sam Drake — was a joy to explore.

The fact that the game looked downright photorealistic at times made the experience all the better, along with the gameplay enhancements that gave the action a modern edge that was missing for quite some time. The end result is an incredible game that caps off Nathan Drake’s journey on a high note.

14 Disco Elysium

An Incredible Story-Driven CRPG With No Combat

Disco Elysium features one of the most thought-provoking and engaging narratives around. The game poses a ton of questions about the nature of governments and society as a whole, with The Final Cut taking the quality of the game up a notch with amazing voice acting across the board.

Disco Elysium is a unique RPG in the sense that there’s little to no combat in the game. Instead, dice rolls exist for normal actions, and failure isn’t punished in the slightest. In fact, these fail states make for some of the most memorable moments in the entire game.

13 Horizon Zero Dawn

A Post-Apocalyptic World Where The Lead Character Tries To Uncover The Mystery Behind The World’s Collapse

Horizon Forbidden West might be a great game and a worthy sequel, but most people consider the former to be stronger from a story point of view. After all, the natural way in which Horizon Zero Dawn‘s story evolved along with the scope of its world is a masterclass in narrative design.

Horizon Zero Dawn‘s narrative isn’t perfect by any means, with stilted character design and forgettable side characters bogging down the experience at times. However, these flaws are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things and shouldn’t be enough to deter those who are interested in checking out the series.

12 Red Dead Redemption 2

A Deeply Moving Yet Gritty Experience

It would be impossible to talk about great story-heavy games without mentioning the brilliant Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s no wonder that so many players consider this game’s narrative to be one of Rockstar’s finest, and this is high praise considering the studio’s amazing track record.

Red Dead Redemption 2‘s story tackles various themes and features some of the most iconic moments in gaming. Arthur Morgan is one of the best video game protagonists of all time, with the character somehow managing to have his own personality while also serving as a fitting surrogate for the player.

11 Her Story

A Unique FMV Game With A Deep, Mysterious Narrative At The Helm

Her Story is one of the most unique indie games ever created. At a glance, the idea of searching through a video repository and finding random clips might not sound like the most intriguing concept around, but Her Story‘s amazing narrative perfectly complements this wonderful gameplay loop.

The end result is one of the greatest indie titles of all time. Players will have a blast as they connect the dots of this wonderfully complex narrative, before getting their minds blown by some of the many revelations present in the story.

10 Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor

A Game Set In Tolkien’s Universe That Surprised Everyone With Its Gritty Story

When Shadow of Mordor was announced, people didn’t really know what to expect. The hype surrounding the game was pretty muted for the most part. That is until the game was finally released, and people understood what was on offer.

Shadow of Mordor featured crunchy combat, fun gameplay mechanics, and a truly unique mechanic in the form of the Nemesis system. The latter allowed each and every player to find unique personalities in the form of Orc captains and chieftains all over their game.

9 Marvel’s Spider-Man

One Of The Best Spider-Man Games Ever Made And Stories Ever Told

If people want a Marvel game to play after going through four stellar DC ones, then Marvel’s Spider-Man should be right up their alley.

It was clear that Insomniac Games had a ton of love for Spider-Man, and this could be seen in every little thing featured in this title. While it’s true that Marvel’s Spider-Man wasn’t really pushing any boundaries as an open-world title, it still ended up executing everything that was already established in the franchise with excellent precision and finesse, making for an enjoyable experience from start to end. Though the story of Spider-Man is one that most people are familiar with, the narrative of this game doesn’t feel stale whatsoever.

8 Sleeping Dogs

An Excellent Story Featuring An Undercover Cop And His Struggles

The idea of playing a game in an open-world city as an undercover cop is already interesting enough as is, but what makes Sleeping Dogs even better is that this interesting premise is the second-best part of the game.

The combat of Sleeping Dogs is truly excellent and an absolute blast to experience, especially for people who wanted the combat of the Arkham games to have more environmental takedowns. This, coupled with an excellent DLC, meant that Sleeping Dogs is definitely going to entertain the player in pretty much every department.

7 Batman: The Telltale Series

Telltale’s Amazing Take On Batman And How Bruce Wayne Struggles To Maintain Both Sides Of His Life

If what the player ultimately wants is more Batman games with great storylines, then they can’t really go wrong with Batman: The Telltale Series.

With a more story-centric approach this time — something that is to be expected with any Telltale game — and a larger focus on Bruce Wayne as a person as opposed to a billionaire, Batman: The Telltale Series ends up being a fascinating look into the life of the Caped Crusader.

6 Infamous Second Son

A Fun Action-Packed PlayStation Title With An Engaging Story To Boot

Infamous is basically the answer to the question — what if people got superhero-like powers in the modern world but didn’t necessarily have to act like superheroes?

Infamous: Second Son enables players to pick the path they want, be it good or bad. This allows for a story with high replayability that is carried by energetic gameplay that is definitely quite satisfactory when everything works out in a near-perfect manner.

5 South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Trey Parker And Matt Stone’s Classic Humor In A Video Game Format

There’s a possibility that players might be bored with the whole superhero schtick. This has already happened in the modern world, what with the prevalence of superhero movies, TV shows, and the like completely invading the mainstream.

If people want to see the superhero genre be parodied and ridiculed, then South Park: The Fractured But Whole is the perfect game to try out. With the efforts of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, it’s only a given that the story of this title is going to be as crisp as an actual South Park episode, which is more than what can be said for most serious AAA projects.

4 Alan Wake

A Dark, Brooding Adventure Where A Novelist’s Stories Come To Life

With the success of Alan Wake 2, some gamers may be curious to see where it all started for the protagonist of the story, and the original Alan Wake is a great example of Remedy’s brilliance.

The atmospheric nature of Alan Wake, coupled with the uniqueness of its combat, makes for a gaming experience that is unlike anything most people have ever encountered before. For fans of story-heavy games, this title is a must-play.

3 Spec Ops: The Line

A Chilling Narrative That Focuses On The Horrors Of War And The Desensitization Of Video Game Violence

With the sheer manner in which war shooters have completely taken over modern video games, it can be hard to try and find a title in this genre that actually provides a halfway-decent storyline.

Thankfully, when it comes to Spec Ops: The Line, the story isn’t just good, but it’s the focal part of the game. Everything in the title serves as a way to tell a brilliant plot that will make many people question their train of thought when playing any violent video game further down the line.