There’s a tendency for VR games to be seen as gimmicks—forgettable spin-offs of better-known franchises. Indeed, the last attempt at Batman Arkham VR was exactly that—little more than a vaguely interactive movie. That’s not the case here though. Arkham Shadow is an ambitious, full-length outing (expect 10 to 15 hours playtime) with a satisfyingly layered and twisting narrative. It has time and space to flesh out its world, giving players a chance to spend as much time out of the Batsuit as in it, with Batman undercover in Blackgate Prison in his “Matches Malone” persona for much of the game.
It boasts an expansive cast of allies and enemies to encounter (some of whom, given Shadow’s placing as a prequel, have yet to take their place in Batman’s rogues gallery), and even packs in a bit of star power in the voice acting—Roger Craig Smith returns to voice Bruce Wayne/Batman with gravel-voiced menace, while Elijah Wood takes on the role of a pre-Scarecrow Jonathan Crane. There’s nothing gimmicky about this.
It’s all bolstered by robust gameplay mechanics that truly make you feel as though you’re Batman, like never before. Camouflaj has masterfully adapted every pillar of what made the conventional Arkham games great—stealth, combat, investigations—into an immersive, first-person VR experience.
Little touches such as activating Detective Mode—a visual filter highlighting clues in the environment—by raising a controller to the side of your head, soon makes you feel like you’re actually wearing the infamous cowl, while stealth play is a real delight. Skulking through the shadows and taking out the Rat King’s acolytes, sneaking out from an air vent to take down a grunt or hoisting them up high to dangle helplessly from a perch, it’s easy to feel like the very urban legend Batman cultivates for himself.
When stealth isn’t an option, melee combat creates the same wonderful flow state as the original Arkham games. You’ll directly pummel foes one-on-one, switching between uppercuts, jabs, thrusts, twin-fisted slams and more to break through defenses, then weave seamlessly into real-time blocks and counters as you juggle groups of enemies.
Courtesy of Meta/Camouflaj
Courtesy of Meta/Camouflaj
An alert to the side of your vision indicates incoming blows—flick an arm to the side and you’ll intercept the off-screen attack, instantly pulling your attention to the next foe, while sweeping your arm without squeezing the Quest controller’s triggers brings your cape up for a deflecting blow. All the while, you’re building up charge for devastating finishers that land with punishing gravity. That you’re doing it all with your own fists, rather than tapping buttons on a controller, makes you feel like an unstoppable badass.
Throw in the ability to start off an encounter with a brutal glide-kick or a well-aimed Batarang, or to disorient enemies with smoke bombs, and it’s enough to make you think you really could take on a dozen masked assailants in real life. You can’t, so don’t try, but fights here offer just enough exertion that it feels like a workout—a body combat class the game throws in every so often, making for a play experience that’s only possible in VR.
Virtually Unbeatable
That’s the magic of Arkham Shadow—it brilliantly balances an experience console and PC gamers expect with the immersive elements that are unique to VR. While there are plenty of other great games in VR already—Asgard’s Wrath II, The Room VR, and of course Beat Saber, to name just a few—they’re all preaching to the converted, the comparative few who’ve already gotten on board with virtual reality gaming. Batman, arguably the world’s most popular superhero, brings that ever-elusive crossover appeal though. With the promise of an untold story in one of his most popular settings, this has the potential to attract new players, bringing them into the VR ecosystem.
Sure, to an extent, Camouflaj is just playing the hits here, remixing the best bits of Rocksteady’s original Arkham games for VR—there’s even a host of collectibles to hunt down, scattered around Gotham by the Rat Cultists in the same manner that Riddler Trophies were in earlier games, often requiring a puzzle be solved or new bit of Bat-tech be acquired to reach. There’s comfort in that familiarity though, making it easier for players to make the VR transition.