There are precious fewsuperhero open-world games, particularly official releases based on Marvel or DC Comics. Heck, I’m still waiting forMy Hero Academiato announce a single-player open-world project where you create a student and attend classes, akin to something likeHogwarts Legacy. The potential is endless and, sadly, seems likely to remain untapped. WhileSpider-Man has swung his way through New Yorkmultiple times over the decades, everyone’s favorite wall-crawler is pretty much the only superhero who regularly stars in open-world adventures.
Superheroes are the perfect conduits for OP action romps where players get to live out their “saving the day” fantasies. Most popular heroes are even directly tied to specific cities, creating an obvious setting for an open-world. Yet, these styles of games are rare treats (and they are not always treats). So, why don’t we highlight some open-world games that properly make you feel like a superhero? Time to take to the skies and demolish some villains.
Before starting, let’s go over some criteria and things to know:
After a billion releases that are mostly good but play largely the same,Legolicensed games exist in a separate category at this point. Do you likeLegogames? Then giveThe IncrediblesorDC Villainsa try. Whether you love those properties is not even all that important.
Lego Marvel Super Heroeswas pretty novel in 2013, offering an impressive (for the franchise) open-world and a massive roster of Marvel’s legendary heroes to unlock. Yes, most of the characters control the same, but they are divided into groups defined by different abilities, be it flight or magnetic powers. So, the game does just enough to give the heroes some personality and uniqueness, and it is neat to fly through the world like a mini Iron Man or Thor.
Ultimately,Lego Marvel Super Heroesmakes you feel like, well, a Lego superhero.
Ah, the Man of Steel. Superman is the most iconic superhero of all time, even if he might not be every person’s absolute favorite. Naturally, DC has unleashed the legendary Boy Scout on the video game world plenty of times, butSuperman’s best games are team efforts, likeInjusticeandJustice League Heroes, and his solo outings have been reliably disappointing since about the mid-90s.
The thing is, Superman has starred in quite a few open-world/open-ended games, as the idea of flying through Metropolis is inherently appealing; unfortunately, none of these projects were good or even passable. I guessSuperman Returnsis OK at times, but Supes controls rather poorly, which is an issue shared among most of these games.
So, that brings me toUndefeated, a free-to-play superhero game that has roughly an hour’s worth of content. More than anything, this is a proof of concept that should spawn a proper,fleshed-out sequel calledUndefeated: Genesis. While the story amounts to very little and the gameplay loop is repetitive,Undefeateddoes a fantastic job of replicating Superman’s moveset. Flying feels great, and the combat is suitably weighty.
Yeah,Crackdown 2and3have their issues, but these games are just so much fun in an arcade-type way. Sure, they deliver simple aura farming campaigns where you get stronger through your actions (and by collecting orbs), going from a capable agent to a being so effortlessly overpowered that they shed their humanity as they liberate a city of all its deadly gang members.
Crackdowndoes not take itself seriously and mostly sells itself as apower fantasy with a sandboxthat cannot wait to welcome violence. While not giving that much attention to saving random bystanders, the games primarily revolve around street-level crime, and the Agents are effectively superheroes who do not wear capes.
Is the Hulk a hero? Honestly, it depends on the context and storyline. That said, he is one of the most famous comic characters ever. In the last decade or so, Bruce Banner has only featured in team projects likeMarvel’s Avengers, a game that did not capture his destructive might. However, in the 2000s, the Hulk got a few solo runs, andThe Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destructionwas by far the best.
Now, here is the thing:Ultimate Destructiondoes a fantastic job of making youfeel like a powerhouse, which is exactly what the Hulk is. The open-world lets you destroy and demolish with reckless abandon, turning cars into boxing gloves and reducing the military to weaklings who cannot present much resistance. You become the Hulk, but that means you act more like a force of nature than a hero.
When Volition debuted itsGTA-style street gang warfare open-world franchise, nobody could have envisionedSaints Row’s future. The series always loved to get silly, but there is a big leap from a gag weapon to a simulation caused by an alien and a protagonist who is more Kryptonian than human.Saints Row 4said to hell with realism and embraced absurdity, a decision that spoke to my inner desire to smash fools.
Saints Row 4is kind of an odd case, as the Saints leader has many of the big abilities associated with superheroes. While they still use guns,they can more than handle their ownby sending out blasts or picking up enemies with their minds. They can even stomp down and cause an earthquake. They can also run absurdly fast, kind of similar to the Flash. Frankly,Saints Row 4is the ultimate superhero sandbox sim.
That said, you don’t particularly act like a traditional superhero, at least in terms of motives and minute-to-minute actions. Sure, you are technically trying to save the world, but that is mostly limited to the main missions and does not come across that much in the open-world activities. The game being set in a simulation robs some of the tension, too.
Similar toThe Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction,Arkham Citydoes a stunning job of making theplayer feel like Batman. From the smooth-as-butter free-flow combat to the fear-inspiring stealth sections and Detective Mode, you become the thing that keeps Gotham’s villains wide-awake at night. The story would fit seamlessly into the pages of a comic book, and it comes packed with boss fights that showcase Bruce Wayne’s strength, agility, and brain.
Batman: Arkham Cityis perfect for feeling like one specific superhero, a character who is known for his lack of superpowers and reliance on gadgets, intimidation, and tactics. As Batman is the definitive comic book character for a lot of people,Arkham Cityshould be the definitive superhero open-world game for them; however, if you are craving something that captures the OP thrills of becoming an entity capable of extraordinary feats that go beyond humanity’s capabilities, there are slightly more fitting options.Arkham Cityalso exists in a fairly weird world where the streets consist of only thugs; it is explained by the story, but it means Bats is solely beating up people rather than saving them.
Just to be clear,Arkham Cityis probably the best superhero open-world game ever, but Batman is a one-of-a-kind character (ignoring all the many, many copycats).
No other superhero has as manygreat games as Spider-Man, especially when it comes to open-worlds.Spider-Man 2is a classic, andUltimate Spider-Manis one of the best open-world games of the 2000s.The Amazing Spider-ManandSpider-Man 3have their moments, andWeb of Shadowsis an underappreciated gem. While not perfect, these games deliver either ambition, great web-swinging, solid combat, or just witty banter.
Insomniac’sMarvel’s Spider-Manis the full package, a statement that can be said for each entry in the trilogy. Yes, everyone has a few issues with these titles, but they all have fantastic movement, gorgeous visuals, engaging story beats, satisfying combat, and all the costumes you could want. Even more so than Batman, Spider-Man is the quintessential comic book superhero, and Insomniac created the quintessential Spidey games.
Sony needs to bring backinFAMOUS. Frankly, it has been too long. Putting aside their decent stories, these games nail their gameplay and progression, gradually transforming players from young superheroes to gliding deities that have the power of Zeus (in Cole’s case). Each title focuses on abilities that are both visually stunning and narratively empowering, all the while giving players quite a bit of choice in framing their hero’s morality.
While licensed projects have you role-play as established heroes,inFAMOUSgrants way more freedom in creating a hero that feels genuinely your own, even though there are plenty of restrictions in place. The games emphasize interacting with the public more than nearly any other superhero open-world game besidesMarvel’s Spider-Man, which adds greatly to the experience.
