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

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.

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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.

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By  Harley Rowland

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.