Building A Better Superhero Game

How To Save The World In Just A Few Steps

By David Gallaher

Superhero games tap into something primal: the fantasy of power, justice, and the ability to reshape the world. Having written superheroes and designed game mechanics around them, I’ve seen firsthand why people love inhabiting legendary characters—and where many games miss the mark.

The Appeal of Playing a Superhero

Superhero games succeed when they make players feel like the character they’re controlling. It’s more than just superpowers—it’s about embodying the ethos of that hero.

Batman isn’t just about combat; he’s about preparation, strategy, and fear. A great Batman game isn’t just Arkham-style brawling—it’s detective work, stealth, and making criminals nervous before you even throw a punch. Conversely, Spider-Man thrives on agility, momentum, and improvisation. Players don’t just want to fight as Spidey; they want to swing through New York, experiencing the rush of being untethered, free, and constantly adapting.

The best superhero games don’t just replicate abilities—they replicate identities. That’s why Marvel’s Spider-Man feels different than Batman: Arkham Asylum, and why Infamous and Prototype offer distinct takes on power and consequence.

The Missed Opportunity: Secret Identities

Most superhero games focus on the costumed identity, but they ignore something crucial: the person under the mask. That’s a mistake because secret identities offer something superheroes don’t—access, relationships, and consequences.

Peter Parker has a very different relationship with J. Jonah Jameson than Spider-Man does. Clark Kent can investigate in ways Superman never could. Bruce Wayne can manipulate Gotham’s elite in ways Batman wouldn’t dare. That duality creates tension, conflict, and unique gameplay opportunities.

Imagine a game where you had to balance both lives. Where ignoring your day job had consequences. Where failing to show up for a date as Peter Parker meant more than just missing out on dialogue—it meant affecting your personal relationships, changing how allies responded to you, and influencing the world around you.

A Batman game where you had to make choices as Bruce Wayne—attending galas to maintain your public image, funding Gotham’s recovery, choosing which social issues to back—would add layers of complexity and immersion that go beyond punching henchmen in the face.

Different Superheroes, Different Playstyles

A great superhero game doesn’t just give you powers; it gives you problems that only that hero can solve. That means different characters require different mechanics.

• Superman: Invincibility is a challenge. The best Superman stories aren’t about whether he can win a fight, but how he chooses to fight—and how that affects the people around him. A game focusing on morality, collateral damage, and how much power to use would be more engaging than just another brawler.
• Daredevil: With his heightened senses, a Daredevil game should be built around perception—hearing heartbeats, feeling vibrations, sensing lies. Combat should feel like controlled chaos, rewarding players for trusting their instincts rather than just reacting.
• Doctor Strange: Magic should be more than just firing off energy blasts. A Strange game could use reality-warping mechanics, forcing players to manipulate time, space, and dimensions to outthink opponents rather than overpower them.

What Makes a Great Superhero Narrative?

The best superhero stories aren’t about power; they’re about responsibility. That’s why Spider-Man’s “With great power comes great responsibility” resonates decades after it was first spoken. The best superhero games lean into this, making players feel the weight of their choices.

Marvel’s Spider-Man did this beautifully—forcing Peter to choose between saving the city and saving Aunt May. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series showed how difficult moral choices could define a player’s experience. A great superhero game should do the same—making players earn their victories, rather than just doling out power fantasies.

The Future of Superhero Games

The next evolution in superhero games will go beyond just open-world brawlers. We’re on the cusp of games that explore identity, choice, and the consequences of power in ways no medium has before. Imagine a superhero RPG where choices as the secret identity shaped the powers, relationships, and missions of the costumed persona. Imagine a game where players had to weigh not just how to win—but whether winning was the right thing to do.

Superheroes are more than their powers. The best games understand that—and give players the chance to be the hero, not just wear the cape.