A free Batman game has quietly arrived on Amazon Luna

Amazon is marking the second season of its animated Batman series with a free game on Luna. It requires neither a console nor a gaming PC, and a dedicated controller is not necessary either.

Batman: Caped Crusader Chronicle s sends players into Gotham City alongside the Dark Knight, investigating crimes across 11 episodic cases. The stories include familiar villains such as The Joker and Scarecrow, while detective-focused minigames support groups of up to three friends.

There is one important requirement for multiplayer: at least one participant must have an Amazon Prime membership and a smartphone that can run Amazon Luna, Amazon’s cloud-streaming service. The Batman title is included in Luna’s GameNight range, a collection built around social and party games.

Luna’s growing selection suggests Amazon is keen to encourage more Prime members to try the service. Its current catalogue also includes the choice-driven superhero adventure Dispatch, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Jackbox Party Pack. Amazon has acknowledged that many subscribers do not realise these games are available to them.

To make the library easier to discover, Amazon recently added a Luna tab within Prime Video. It may still take some searching to locate, despite the service offering substantial games such as Fallout 4 and Alan Wake 2 for streaming.

For readers exploring the wider arcade and gaming news scene, Luna’s phone-based approach is a long way from a traditional cabinet. Those considering a dedicated setup can compare arcade machines, investigate space-saving bartop arcades or learn what to look for in the arcade machine buying guide.

The 1940s noir-inspired series itself remains a more uneven proposition. It does not consistently match Batman: The Animated Series, although its first season was strong. Season two arrived on July 31 with 10 episodes and delivers a mixed dose of nostalgia, reaching its predecessor’s best moments only occasionally. The Joker is a standout, however, and may be enough of a draw for some viewers.