Batman: Arkham Shadow review: the Bat’s best game since Arkham Asylum

I’m zipping done nan streets of Gotham pummeling rioters erstwhile I perceive a classical villain monologue. The Rat King is prattling connected astir his scheme to destruct nan city’s elites, a reside I’ve heard truthful galore times that he’s go achromatic noise. Then suddenly, I’m successful his crosshairs. He questions Batman’s domiciled arsenic a conscionable vigilante, coating him arsenic an hold of sadistic authoritarianism. What makes Batman different from a crooked bull utilizing excessive force? Suddenly, my beatdowns connected cowering goons don’t consciousness truthful satisfying.

With Batman: Arkham Shadow, a VR continuation of Rocksteady’s beloved series, developer Camouflaj isn’t conscionable retired to create nan cool superhero powerfulness imagination that fans person ever dreamed of. That would beryllium excessively easy. Instead, its thought of making players embody Batman involves putting nan dense weight of work connected your shoulders. Is being a leader simply astir beating nan snot retired of villains? When is justness conscionable a smokescreen for unchecked violence? You can’t protect your organization if you ne'er extremity to understand who inhabits it.

Batman: Arkham Shadow rises to its challenging position arsenic an Arkham sequel by telling what whitethorn beryllium gaming’s champion Batman story. It does that while delivering immoderate champion successful people creation that smartly translates almost each portion of its console counterparts to VR. But each superhero has a weakness, and Arkham Shadow’s vulnerabilities travel successful nan shape of nan kinds of bugs and finicky controls that still show that VR has immoderate demons to fight.

Day of wrath

Arkham Shadow kicks disconnected successful nan mediate of a riot, arsenic nan mysterious Rat King has riled up Gotham’s “lowlifes” (i.e., its thoroughfare rats) to emergence up against nan city’s powerfulness structures. Batman leaps into action by beating each criminal successful show into a bloody pulp to quell nan unrest. That’s not a peculiarly effective solution, moreover if it lets nan vigilante consciousness for illustration he’s dished retired justice; it only delays nan Rat King’s looming “Day of Wrath” and brings Batman nary person to figuring retired who is orchestrating it.

It mightiness conscionable beryllium nan champion Batman communicative ever told successful a video game.

It’s a fierce opening that puts nan very conception of Batman connected trial. He’s painted arsenic a flawed leader who is much obsessed pinch nan conception of reward than really helping people. That sets nan shape for Arkham Shadow’s fantabulous communicative premise: Bruce Wayne realizes that he’s retired of touch pinch nan existent criminals of Gotham and decides to spell undercover, posing arsenic a criminal and getting himself locked successful Blackgate Prison. He gathers intel from chap prisoners during nan time and breaks retired astatine night, returning arsenic Batman to find nan prison’s secrets.

Through that setup, Camouflaj tells a communicative that’s overmuch kinder to Gotham’s criminals. For nan astir part, Batman isn’t beating up inmates; his foes are tyrannical situation guards, employed by backstage subject contractor Tyger. Right from Bruce’s entranceway into Blackgate, we’re shown guards harassing prisoners. The prison guard humiliates them complete a loudspeaker, claiming that they’re location to beryllium punished, not rehabilitated. As I’m exploring early on, I walk a captive minding his ain business successful a shower. He’s approached by guards and beaten successful his underwear. Moments for illustration that show a much nuanced superhero communicative that intends to understand really systems of powerfulness push troubled group to go bad.

Camouflaj

That reasoning doesn’t conscionable use to its lowly arsonists and muggers, but its supervillains (and nan ones yet to beryllium born) too. Flashbacks excavation into Harey Dent’s troubled childhood, showing his conflict to flight an abusive father. We don’t meet Harley Quinn here; we’re learning astir Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a situation therapist trying to do bully for her patients, but who finds herself perpetually belittled by her peers. In confiding pinch Batman, she wonders if she would yet find immoderate respect if she put connected a disguise of her own. It’s not conscionable a tease of what we mightiness get successful a sequel, but an acknowledgment that these larger-than-life heroes and villains are pushed to that constituent for a reason.

Set those thoughtful thematic threads speech and you’d still person a gripping Gotham detective communicative built astir a existent mystery. The Rat King whitethorn beryllium nan villain, but his personality is simply a tangled secret. The communicative smartly intersects pinch classical Batman characters for illustration Carmine Falcone and Jonathan Crane to continually bring successful caller puzzle pieces that fresh into nan communicative successful astonishing ways. With its streamlined runtime that cuts disconnected each nan fat, it mightiness conscionable beryllium nan champion Batman communicative ever told successful a video game.

Become nan bat

The communicative feels for illustration it was particularly built astir VR, arsenic Arkham Shadow is each astir inhabiting Batman amid a spot of a therapy session. Almost each constituent from Rocksteady’s console games translates to first-person here. There’s fluid combat, ziplining, gliding, collectibles locked down tricky puzzles, detective mode investigations, and more. If anything, nan limitations of nan tech are a blessing. Camouflaj opts for a concise 12-hour acquisition that’s overmuch person to Batman: Arkham Asylum than immoderate of its different games. With nary open-world distractions aliases a glut of broadside missions, nan attraction is solely connected exploring Blackgate pinch nan lightest Metroidvania touch.

Arkham Shadow tells a continuous communicative alternatively than 1 segmented into missions, but it’s 1 that’s smartly divided by a cleanable structure. Each day, I commencement by exploring nan situation arsenic my change ego, Irving Malone. That’s nan much communicative driven portion wherever I get to cognize nan inmates. When nighttime falls, I sneak retired of my compartment and don nan cowl, bringing successful classical Arkham exploration arsenic I unlock doors pinch my decoder, zip done vents, and pummel rooms afloat of guards. I telephone successful caller devices arsenic I spell that unlock much of nan prison, for illustration nan Batclaw aliases Shock Gloves (why Batman doesn’t conscionable bring each this cogwheel pinch him astatine erstwhile is simply a spot of video crippled logic that’s beyond me). It’s a satisfying loop that lets maine unlock much secrets each night, getting nan astir retired of a compact space.

I hardly request tutorials for astir actions; I cognize precisely what to do.

What’s particularly awesome is really good Arkham staples person been reimagined pinch mobility controls successful mind. Some ideas are no-brainers. When I assistance a controller to my caput and property nan trigger, I activate Batman’s signature detective mode and tin hunt for clues. That shines successful VR, arsenic it really feels for illustration I’m sleuthing astir a room. Almost everything feels intuitive and earthy successful that way, from looking up astatine a ledge to find its zipline constituent to pulling a grate disconnected a wall and sliding it aside. I hardly request tutorials for astir actions; I cognize precisely what to do.

The overmuch harder task Camouflaj had was translating Rocksteady’s accelerated and fluid third-person combat to VR, but nan workplace rises to that situation shockingly well. Arkham Shadow almost plays for illustration a boxing game. When I’m surrounded by enemies, I fastener connected to 1 and plaything my arms to punch. I can’t conscionable flail wildly, though; onscreen prompts show maine what guidance I request to deed from, really to move my caput to dodge weapon slashes, and which guidance to punch offscreen successful bid to antagonistic an incoming hit. It takes a spot of getting utilized to. At first, it feels a small stilted arsenic I’m punished for hitting enemies excessively fast, and early enemies thin to guidelines and hold for their move to attack.

Camouflaj

Once I sewage nan bent of it, though, I was afloat connected committee pinch nan physicality of it all. I consciousness for illustration a prize combatant arsenic I deed enemies pinch jab combos aliases throttle them into nan ground. Later, I study really to usage my cape to stun enemies, tally complete their heads to leap astatine them from behind, and unleash sadistic finishers by building up my combo meter. The aforesaid ideas use to stealth, arsenic I tin sneak up connected a defender and choke them retired by ratcheting their caput from broadside to broadside aliases perch supra a guard, driblet down connected them, and drawstring them up. When I study to execute some fights and stealth encounters properly, I find I’m capable to drawstring my moves together successful a measurement that feels arsenic fluid arsenic connected console, but pinch much powerfulness down my hits.

That physicality isn’t conscionable fun; it’s important to making nan communicative work. In that opening series wherever Batman goes connected a criminal-busting spree, nan powerfulness of nan infinitesimal is calved from my ain domiciled successful it. I’m practically panting erstwhile I’m barreling done foes. I consciousness nan anger coursing done maine pinch each punch I throw. Understanding that aggression — really primal it tin consciousness to propulsion a punch — is cardinal to getting wrong Batman’s ain caput arsenic he grapples pinch whether aliases not his usage of unit is warranted aliases if he’s taking thing retired connected group who don’t merit it. I wouldn’t spell arsenic acold arsenic to opportunity that Arkham Shadow gives Batman its Last of Us infinitesimal (especially since it’s still a communicative wherever nan villain has a constituent until they don’t), but it gets close.

VR woes

It’s nary agelong to telephone Arkham Shadow an eager VR game, conscionable arsenic Camouflaj’s Iron Man VR was successful 2020. But arsenic immoderate seasoned VR personification will show you, awesome standard comes pinch awesome strain. Even connected a caller Meta Quest 3S, Arkham Shadow is often pushed to its limits. Exiting a paper will sometimes nonstop nan crippled retired of whack for a moment. Stuttering tends to popular up if steam is adjacent aliases sometimes erstwhile entering a caller room. My playthrough featured respective abrupt crashes, though nary ever group maine backmost excessively acold acknowledgment to predominant autosaving.

It’s not difficult to understand why Arkham Shadow’s seams consciousness truthful fragile; it’s a ocular feat. In its introduction, I’m taken aback nan first clip I spot Gotham’s skyline towering complete me, pinch grotesque neon lights poking done nan hazy sky. Blackgate Prison is likewise menacing. Its heavy metallic walls building complete maine erstwhile I’m strolling done nan yard. A fewer concessions are made pinch textures present and there, particularly successful nan underground tunnels connecting nan situation to a makeshift Batcave, but it’s astonishing to spot nan gothic architecture of nan Batman beingness truthful afloat realized successful VR.

Whether aliases not you’re consenting to unrecorded pinch immoderate occasional surface tearing aliases resets is up to you …

The truth pinch VR successful its existent authorities is that it’s a matter of compromises. It’s for illustration playing a crippled built for early location computers. Something for illustration Karateka could scope beyond a computer’s imaginable to bring rotoscoped pixel animation and cinematic framing techniques, but it couldn’t play euphony while thing was moving connected nan screen. With a crippled for illustration Arkham Shadow, Camouflaj is consenting to play things loose pinch stableness successful bid to present an awe-inspiring standard that pushes nan mean forward. Whether aliases not you’re consenting to unrecorded pinch immoderate occasional surface tearing aliases resets is up to you, but nan spectacle mostly outweighs nan symptom points.

What’s harder to forgive is immoderate finicky mobility controls that are still each excessively communal successful VR. Some flaws are frustrating, but expected. All of my cogwheel is located connected different parts of my body. Sometimes I’ll scope to drawback my Batarang and extremity up pulling retired a fume explosive instead. All of Batman’s devices tin beryllium utilized successful combat (I tin propulsion retired my explosive spray and tag an enemy, which is sickly satisfying), but they tin beryllium truthful difficult to propulsion up successful accelerated encounters that I opted not to usage them astir of nan time.

Other issues consciousness much avoidable, but are nan merchandise of a developer pinch a batch of ambition. Arkham Shadow relies connected arsenic galore motions arsenic it tin to support nan escapade emotion tactile, but those tin butt heads astatine times. To glide complete short distances, for example, I request to dispersed my arms for illustration wings while hopping disconnected a cliff. Unfortunately, pulling an limb up to my caput level is besides really I activate detective mode. I’d often find myself plummeting to my decease complete and complete arsenic I tried to fastener down nan nuances of those motions. I still don’t deliberation I ever afloat nailed it by nan end.

Camouflaj

As frustrating arsenic these moments tin be, I was consenting to judge nan trade-off because Arkham Shadow still feels up of its peers successful astir respects. It’s a VR crippled that does everything successful its powerfulness to do Rocksteady’s imagination justness alternatively than grinding it down into a bite-sized “experience” aliases compromising its cinematic strengths. I’m gladsome Camouflaj went that way moreover astatine nan disbursal of method perfection, because Arkham Shadow has a captious Batman communicative to show that’s worthy of nan scope. Even then, it’s smart astir wherever to spell big. There aren’t a batch of spectacular supervillain moments for illustration Marvel’s Spider-Man 2; it keeps its communicative down connected a quality level to present a much grounded communicative astir really acold you tin push personification down earlier they emergence up.

When Arkham Shadow was first announced, I retrieve scratching my caput erstwhile Camouflaj revealed that its large bad was nan Rat King. It’s a spot of a goofy villain to attraction connected erstwhile looking astatine Batman’s heavy rogues’ gallery. After nan credits, rolled, however, I realized it was an inspired prime that nan communicative needed. We unrecorded successful a world of rats, pinch truthful galore group near to scavenge successful nan gutters while nan able pain nan world astir us. We only past connected their array scraps. One rat isn’t overmuch of a threat connected its own, but tangle capable tails and you’ll beryllium sorry you ever crossed one.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is retired now connected Meta Quest headsets.