The Batman: Arkham the franchise has had an incredible run since hitting the scene in 2009 Refugefor banging directly into a brick wall Suicide squad earlier this year (Oh, and who could forget the confusingly non-canon Knights of Gotham).
Now for the first time since 2016 Orderly returned to VR with Shadow of Arkham. I won’t leave you in suspense! This time everything went quite well.
Let me get straight to the point: this is a legitimate first-person action-adventure game called “Arkham” that will take you between 10 and 15 hours to complete, depending on what you expect from it. If you haven’t played a “AAA VR” game in a while, it’s been a while since we’ve seen tech demos take up space on digital storefronts. Shadow of Arkham is basically on par Arkham Asylum in terms of scope, complete with a connected exploration map, Easter eggs, timed challenge rooms, and collectibles.
The idea is that you’re still playing a younger version of Batman, voiced by Roger Craig Smith (from in-game dialogue we learn that several years have passed since Beginnings), Before-Refuge. I’ve always been a fan of Smith’s take on the character, and his experience as a prolific voice actor allows him to flesh out the character in engaging ways that I won’t spoil here. He’s still a “younger” and overall angrier Batman, which distances himself nicely from Kevin Conroy’s iconic performances. Setting it in this time frame allows the band to add a little more of their own character, rather than just trying to recreate the main one Arkham trilogy.
This time it’s the week of July 4th and Batman must infiltrate Blackgate Prison and stop a villain called the “Rat King” who is gathering the masses of Gotham to take on various city officials. Portions of Gotham City are available as a sort of introductory tutorial that will familiarize you with the game’s locomotion systems as well as its spine-chilling combat mechanics (and this time you’ll hear it up close). According to creator Camouflaj, Rocksteady developers were part of the development process Shadow of Arkham, and it shows.
What surprised me was how carefully designed this game was to make it feel like it was mainline Arkham game. Counterattack, the sound effects, the atmosphere, it all comes together in a reminiscent way Asylum/City/Knight trilogy. Speaking as someone who got into the hobby seriously in 2015, VR has come a long way. Playing a game like this in 2024 is still mesmerizing, with branching environments, puzzles that only make sense in the VR space, and an intriguing mystery on par with Rocksteady’s other projects.
Where Shadow of Arkham What really sold me as a Batman fan was the ability to incorporate more real detective elements into the story (and I’m talking beyond the concept of a recurring detective vision). Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal have already done this to great effect Arkham that’s true, but it’s nice to see the tradition continue. Except the recent Matt Reeve Batman effort, we don’t see Bruce putting his detective skills to the test as often as we should.
To be clear, the “free combat” system that Refuge helped cement collaborations with other contemporaries such as Assassin’s Creed 2 returns, as do the stealthy “predator” sections. Batman has access to a grappling hook, an explosive gel gun, batarangs, smoke bombs and a decoder: as well as other gadgets that can be accessed through the XP and in-game upgrades menu. In fact, it’s basically all you need to be whole Arkham– a similar experience, and everything is easily accessible by grabbing it by Batman’s chest, arms and waist. Some VR games can go overboard with too many gadgets (including over-the-shoulder gestures), but this amount of tools seems just rightgiven that they all serve a specific purpose in gameplay.
Shade it is carefully crafted by both of them Arkham and Batman fans, full of Easter eggs and references. Walking through the GCPD building is one thing IN Beginnings and giggle at the sight of a few signs, but wandering around a place in VR, grabbing a newspaper, reading it, and then turning it over to read more is something entirely different. Getting around is really straightforward thanks to the grappling hook (which can also bypass manually climbing ladders if you’re not into that), and there are tons of accessibility options for people who aren’t yet used to full movement in VR. Grabbing your cape and opening your arms like an idiot to glide is also a lot more fun than it could be.
Combat is straightforward, satisfying and surprisingly therapeutic as a real featherlight workout. To attack someone, you will make a real fist and swing at the enemy while looking at them. To “counter” simply extend your hand towards the aggressor just before they connect, even if they are off-screen (indicated by an icon in your field of view). Sounds uncomplicated, right? Well, yes, but it’s also a lot of fun once you get it done Elite Beat Agents/Beat Saber elements such as hitting combos with giant icons resembling rhythm games or swinging appear specific directions for finishers. All of these concepts combined together make the game engaging, especially when you start encountering elite enemies.
I have some hang-ups. Some of the game’s cast members can’t actually sing due to lack of material, especially characters you meet for the first time IN Shade. The story tries to pack a lot in at the beginning, but slowly pulls back and focuses on Batman’s investigation into the Rat King. It’s a shame that a few more characters weren’t added, but there’s a clear lack of restraint here, which is commendable.
The gameplay is a bit crazy at times, which can happen in select extensive games, not just in the VR industry. There were a few times where enemies could see me above an object even though they were completely obscured by it, and I had a few clipping issues (namely with grates making them fall back to Arkham series in abundance). Another issue forced me to quit and reload the game, which put me on the correct side of a broken door.
Although I’m skeptical about VR Orderly (I wasn’t sure how this would actually play out when it was announced), Camouflaj has more than proven to be a major player in the AAA VR space, and Oculus Studios has yet another feather in its cap with Shadow of Arkham.