Superhero games have had their ups and downs over the years, with many flops and memorable successes. Fans may struggle with loving the idea that they can get into the shoes of these larger-than-life characters, especially since many attempts to successfully put gamers in said footwear don’t feel right.
Batman games haven’t always been at the forefront of the superhero gaming genre, but the Caped Crusader spent the first two decades of the 21st century as DC's main representative. From the famous Arkham franchise to the other gaming appearances Bruce Wayne has made over the past few decades, Batman games tend to offer riveting experiences for gamers to dive into, but not all of them are easy.
GameFAQs has been used as a reference since the site has a difficulty meter. As the score varies depending on the console, we will list the version in the heading. Also, just one entry per game.
8 Batman: Chaos in Gotham (GBC)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 3.64/5
Batman: Chaos in Gotham
- Released
- April 17, 2001
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Digital Eclipse
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Color
- Genre(s)
- Action, Platformer
A somewhat forgotten Batman game, Chaos in Gotham is a fairly traditional example of the Dark Knight's handheld adventures on the Game Boy line of consoles. A 2D action-platformer with simple combat and level design, Chaos in Gotham is a fun diversion that lets you take on quite a few of Batman's most iconic villains, as the premise involves an Arkham Asylum breakout.
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Honestly, this game is not excessively difficult for a GBA action-platformer, and most people will probably not struggle too much to get through the campaign. That said, the controls are finicky enough that some frustration could set in, and mistakes are punished harshly.
7 Batman: Vengeance (GBA)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 3.82/5
Batman: Vengeance
- Released
- October 15, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, PC, PS2, Xbox (Original)
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Ah, remember the days when publishers would use the same title for both home and handheld games, despite them being entirely different? Well, Batman: Vengeance serves as a prime example, as the only thing the GBA release shares in common with its bigger sibling is a somewhat similar presence. Most people are probably familiar with the PS2/GameCube/Xbox/PC version, which is a fairly easy 3D beat 'em up that also features quite a few different gameplay styles and sections. Although somewhat rough to revisit, Vengeance was arguably the best Batman game when it came out.
The GBA title is a completely different beast, although it also tries to incorporate variety into its gameplay. Ultimately, most of the campaign is a traditional 2D action-platformer starring a version of Batman who goes down surprisingly quickly. The controls aren't fantastic, which makes the difficulty seem worse than it is.
6 Batman & Robin (PS1)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 4.07/5
Batman & Robin
- Released
- August 5, 1998
- ESRB
- T for Teen - Animated Violence
- Developer(s)
- Probe Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original)
Some games are difficult because they are designed to test a player's expertise, demanding that they become true masters if they want to complete this journey. They are hard but satisfying, and you have all the tools you need to overcome an obstacle, while failure is typically down to user error.
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Then, there is Batman & Robin, a game that delivers its difficulty entirely through poor controls. Set in Gotham City and divided into days when you can complete missions, Batman & Robin was ambitious for a movie-licensed game, and it followed a sandbox structure that would not really be attempted again until Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The graphics are impressive for a PS1 title, and the world has a surprising amount of things to do. You even have three playable characters who are different enough from each other to be worth trying.
However, none of that matters, as Batman & Robin is just a pain to control.
5 The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Genesis)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 4.24/5
The Adventures Of Batman And Robin
- Released
- 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
Not to be confused with Konami's SNES game, The Adventures of Batman & Robin on the Genesis stands as its own entity, one that leans into run-and-gun mechanics. Although not the only Batman title to touch this genre, The Adventures of Batman & Robin adopted it the best, and it also managed to retain the high skill ceiling synonymous with these types of releases.
Although the SNES game is no walk in the park, the Genesis release is consistently harder, to the point that some levels cross the line and become annoying. At times, Batman feels a bit too weak, especially considering The Adventures of Batman & Robin forces him to deal with a lot of enemies at once.
4 Batman: Dark Tomorrow (GameCube)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 4.38/5
Batman: Dark Tomorrow
- Released
- March 18, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Kemco
- Platform(s)
- Xbox (Original), GameCube
- Genre(s)
- Action, Puzzle, Mystery
Somewhat similar to Batman & Robin, Batman: Dark Tomorrow's challenge comes from unintuitive controls, frustrating mechanics, terrible camera, and unfair difficulty spikes. Notorious for being the Caped Crusader's worst game, Dark Tomorrow wastes a pretty good story on gameplay that is so anti-fun that it is damn near impossible to recommend it to anybody.
Seriously, even if you are a Bats completionist who is also a glutton for punishment, Dark Tomorrow might still be a step too far. At most, I'd recommend watching the cutscenes on YouTube, as that allows you to enjoy the only decent part of the package.
3 Batman Forever (PC)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 4.45/5
- Platforms: SNES, PC, R-Zone, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, DOS
- Released: 07-10-1995
- Developers: Acclaim Studios London
The Tim Burton films continued without him throughout the rest of the 1990s, and games based on each of them were bound to follow. Batman Forever hasn't stood the test of time like the film, but as a game, it remains a great example of how brutally unforgiving a video game can be. This goes for whichever version of the game players attempt to take on, though the PC version was considered the most challenging of the lot.
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Batman Forever had all the elements of a great fighting game, but it introduced many platforming elements that gave the controls a confusing nature. While some players were able to get to grips with it, Batman Forever doesn’t have a much better reputation today than the film it was based on.
2 Batman (1986)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 4.46/5
Batman (1986)
- Released
- 1986
- Developer(s)
- Ocean Software
- Publisher(s)
- Ocean Software
- Platform(s)
- ZX Spectrum, PC, MSX, Amstrad CPC
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The concept of a Batman game is as old as The Legend of Zelda franchise. The first Batman game was developed in 1986 for basic PC models. Set in an isometric 3D universe, the game featured Batman attempting to collect the various pieces of the Batmobile in order to put it back together and save Robin.
Despite being aged, this Batman game is fairly interesting in that it introduced some early gaming features, such as a precursor to the save system, and it was considered a classic at the time. Despite this, trying to play this 1986 game now is difficult as the style of video games has moved on a great deal, and the short length of the games at this time made it necessary for them to be challenging. If gamers somehow manage to find this game, they are sure to be in for a tough time.
1 Batman Returns (Atari Lynx)
GameFAQs Difficulty Score: 4.59/5
Batman Returns
- Released
- 1992
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Nintendo Entertainment System
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
If the games based on the 1989 Batman film were challenging, they were nothing compared to the games based on Tim Burton's cinematic Batman outings. Batman Returns was released alongside the sequel in 1992, developed separately by different companies for different systems, and they are all difficult. The Sega CD, Genesis, and SNES versions are probably the most famous, and the first two are definitely among the hardest Batman games. However, they absolutely pale in comparison to the Atari Lynx's Batman Returns, which is so difficult that it can almost venture into unplayable territory at times.
Visually impressive for the time, Batman Returns is a zoomed-in side-scrolling beat 'em up that starts punishing and gets progressively harder with each new level. Most games from this era are notoriously difficult, but this title often feels unfair, to the point that I would only recommend it to die-hard fans who really want to experience Bruce Wayne's most painful gaming adventure.
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