Batman: Arkham Shadow review: an almost flawless VR experience

Batman: Arkham Shadow is simply a full-on AAA VR acquisition that everyone pinch a Meta Quest 3 aliases 3S should try, and group who don't person either headset request to get 1 to play this game.

Why you tin spot TechRadar We walk hours testing each merchandise aliases work we review, truthful you tin beryllium judge you’re buying nan best. Find retired much astir really we test.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is simply a masterclass successful what a VR crippled should be. It thrusts you into an immersive acquisition pinch gameplay that encourages realistic fighting activity and interacting pinch your situation successful ways a level console title could ne'er offer, and nan narrative-driven enigma is packed pinch emotionally powerful scenes that’ll person you forgetting you aren’t really Bruce Wayne for a moment.

These elements culminate successful an acquisition that I ne'er wanted to put down. Every 1 of my Arkham Shadow play sessions would statesman pinch maine unplugging my afloat charged Meta Quest 3, and extremity pinch maine taking it disconnected because my artillery had deed zero.

The only letdown from this different flawless VR game is Arkham Shadow is chocked afloat of glitches.

The immense mostly are insignificant – ocular defects present and location – and thing really game-breaking is easy solved by resetting to nan past generously doled-out checkpoint (meaning I mislaid astatine astir 10s of advancement immoderate clip I had to reload). However, a fewer bugs adjacent nan finale caused my crippled to clang partway done what felt for illustration a important flashback (when I rebooted nan title I had skipped it, pinch nary measurement to rewatch it) and nan last challenging puzzle of nan escapade became an utter vexation arsenic I was forced to replay it half a twelve times because interactable items wouldn’t behave decently causing maine to neglect (with it only being solved by different difficult reset).

Batman: Arkham Shadow is easy up location pinch nan champion VR games ever, location are moreover arguments to beryllium made that it’s nan champion VR crippled of each time. It's specified a delightful acquisition I’d count it among nan apical games of 2024, period. Everyone pinch a Meta Quest 3 aliases Meta Quest 3S should play it whether they sewage it free pinch a caller headset acquisition aliases not, and those of you who person antecedently dismissed VR should earnestly see getting a Quest 3 to effort this crippled (and past research everything other nan level has to connection for illustration Vendetta Forever, Asgard’s Wrath 2, and Walkabout Mini Golf).

Unfortunately, nan glitches person to sound it down a peg correct now – which is why it’s not getting a five-star people contempt my praise. I’m judge successful a period aliases 2 erstwhile nan holes person been patched it’ll beryllium perfect, but arsenic it stands coming it’s not rather there.

Ready for a brawl

Now that I’ve frontloaded my only rumor pinch Arkham Shadow, let’s get into everything that makes it typical starting pinch combat.

Arkhamverse titles are defined by their fighting, a flowing creation of blows interspersed pinch combo finishers and gadget trickery. Beyond moving nan camera from 3rd to first person, Arkham Shadow is simply a cleanable recreation of this strategy pinch fights emotion utterly thrilling.

To build up your combo you must do much than simply fling your arms wildly, alternatively for illustration a boxer you must operation up your consecutive punches pinch hooks aliases a speedy flurry of blows arsenic nan crippled instructs you. You’ll besides want to dodge retired of nan measurement of attacks aliases punch to antagonistic them and support building your combo. And conscionable for illustration immoderate different Batman game, you tin trust connected a well-timed Batarang aliases mini explosive to disorientate your enemies to gain a fewer other points successful your combat scorecard and level up faster.

Leveling up allows you to upgrade your skills, armor, and gadgets – pinch my favourite being a speedy takedown action for weapon enemies that person you propulsion disconnected a sadistic finishing rustle aft dodging their swipes.

There’s besides nan iconic predator mode stealth sections successful which Batman is encouraged to return a much discrete attack – silently taking enemies down by choking them retired while they’re not looking aliases suspending them from perches.

These much puzzle-like combats require a substance of patience and out-of-the-box reasoning to lick them silently, though you tin ever trust connected a speedy smokescreen if stealth isn’t your forte.

Once you person mastered your predator and combat skills you tin put them to nan trial successful 3 prize situation scenarios respectively. They’re short and saccharine but springiness you a chance to genuinely flex erstwhile you’ve unlocked each upgrade and vanished nan campaign.

Who is nan Rat King?

Speaking of, while I’ll support things spoiler-lite, cognize that nan Arkham Shadow communicative is simply a dainty – moreover Batman ace fans will get caught up successful nan Cult of nan Rat King enigma that will support you guessing until nan credits roll.

One large deviation Arkham Shadow takes from nan remainder of nan bid is simply a decent chunk of your clip (I’d opportunity astir 15 to 20% of nan game) is spent retired of nan suit. This gives you nan chance to interact pinch members of Gotham City connected a much quality level, moreover RP arsenic Bruce Wayne a spot pinch speech choices. This isn’t nan Batman Telltale game, your actions won’t effect nan story’s result astatine all, though it will alteration a fewer interactions and make it consciousness for illustration you’re capable to put your stamp connected Batman.

Through its Batman, and non-Batman, encounters, Arkham Shadow does good to carve retired its return connected nan series’ friends and Rogues Gallery too. Given nan title's placement betwixt Origins and Asylum developer Camouflaj is somewhat restricted successful what it tin and can’t do. Jim Gordon, for example, can’t beryllium killed disconnected because we cognize he survives into early entries.

You wouldn’t announcement these constraints while playing, however. The compelling communicative has a believable flow, and Arkham Shadow finds clip and abstraction to show america a different broadside to nan likes of Jim Gordon, Harleen Quinzel, Harvey Dent, and others while still making them consciousness for illustration nan characters we emotion (or emotion to hate).

While you tin get much up adjacent and individual pinch nan Arkhamverse lore successful this entry, fans of nan series’ collectibles which reward you pinch prize side-stories and inheritance info will admit nan litany of secrets hidden successful Shadow.

There are Rat King Idols and Broadcasts to destroy, diligent tapes to recover, memories of Arkham Origins to recollect, and carvings to decipher. Each is hidden conscionable retired of sight, down a tricky puzzle, aliases requiring you to travel backmost later erstwhile you’ve picked up a gadget successful Asylum’s Metroidvania style.

Collectathons tin consciousness tedious, but gathering up each point was a batch of nosy pinch a really coagulated operation of puzzles relying connected uniquely VR gameplay aliases elemental encephalon teasers – aliases successful immoderate cases, not truthful simple.

Gathering them each arsenic I did should mean Arkham Shadow will past you betwixt 10 and 15 hours, which is astir arsenic agelong arsenic nan run of Arkham Asylum with a broadside quest aliases 2 thrown in.

Should you play Batman: Arkham Shadow?

Play it if...

Don't play it if

Accessibility

Like different VR games, Arkham Shadow requires a adjacent magnitude of movement. You tin play it seated utilizing nan tallness calibration mounting (though opinionated is much immersive), but you will request a afloat scope of arm activity to prosecute pinch nan combat and its mobility puzzles.

Additionally, this crippled tin only beryllium played pinch soft power instrumentality activity giving it a ‘Moderate’ people connected Meta’s comfortableness scale. Even though I’m a VR seasoned astatine this constituent I still get mobility sickness very easy truthful this did interest me, however, I recovered that pinch nan vignette turned to mean I was capable to play for hours – virtually nan full artillery life of my Meta Quest 3 – without emotion sick. Absolute newcomers whitethorn want to get a small much utilized to VR earlier diving successful rather truthful deeply, but from my experience, nan deficiency of teleportation activity shouldn’t beryllium a awesome accessibility issue.

How I tested Batman: Arkham Shadow

For this reappraisal of Batman: Arkham Shadow I achieved a 100% completion complaint – that intends I recovered each collectible and vanished nan story. I had intended to simply complete nan main quest, but I recovered nan acquisition truthful gripping I wanted to compression each past driblet of Batman I could retired of this title. I besides played connected Hard trouble which provided a decent challenge. If you’ve played Arkham games aliases a fewer VR action titles earlier this is nan level I’d recommend.

To reappraisal it I did effort nan crippled connected my Meta Quest 3S, but nan immense mostly of nan clip I utilized my Meta Quest 3. It’s nan modular headset outfitted pinch nan Razer caput strap and facial interface for added comfortableness – thing I greatly appreciated during my hours-long play sessions.