10 Things All Superhero Games Can Learn From Batman: Arkham
6. Make It Stylish
The Arkham games stylistic use of the Unreal engine makes for a look unmistakably 'Batman' in nature. Pale greens cross with dark greys and moody blues to create a colour palette that adds to the overall ambience of the story. Not only does it make the game look gorgeous, but it fits the atmosphere superbly and adds to the feeling of being an inhabitant of Gotham City. These noir-esque tones wont suit every character, but it goes to show what having a clear visual style can do to elevate a game. Both Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk have received highly-stylised titles with a cel-shaded look in Ultimate Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction - a great element of two very fondly remembered superhero games. Not only does a unique art-style add visual flare to a title, but it also presents bold opportunities to explore the rich settings that comic-book characters often inhabit. Raven Softwares X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series are both great examples of titles mining much of the creative wealth that is presented with a comic-book adaption - the latter especially. DC and Marvels universes dont just solely take place on earth, but also across plains of parallel dimensions and galaxies, and with the graphical update that current-gen consoles now provide us the potential for visual dynamite has never been greater.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
