Batman: Arkham Shadow Review

2024 got off to a rough start for Arkhamverse fans. After waiting eight years for a new game from Batman: Arkham developer Rocksteady, fans have been served Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguea continuation of the live service of Arkham universe that was panned by critics and immediately abandoned by gamers. How disastrous Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was, many saw the announcement of the virtual reality game Batman: Arkham Shadow like salt in the wound. Although it may not be a traditional home console Batman: Arkham game, I can confidently say that fans of the franchise are pissed Suicide Squad they owe it to themselves to give Batman: Arkham Shadow a go

Set between the events of Batman: Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, Arkham Shadow begins on the 4th of July and sees Batman face the threat of the Rat King – a mysterious enemy with a band of devoted followers who has made some apocalyptic threats to Gotham City. Players must solve the mystery behind the Rat King and save Gotham, all while playing through the eyes of Batman himself.

Arkham Shadow it's not the first crack at a VR Batman: Arkham game, but while Arkham VR it was more of a technology demonstration, Arkham Shadow is a full-fledged video game. It's a 10+ hour experience that checks them all Arkham game boxes. Some may have rejected it immediately Arkham Shadow because it's a VR game, but that's a mistake. Arkham Shadow it's the real deal and the closest thing we've gotten to a real new one Arkham game since 2015 Arkham Knight.

Batman: Arkham Shadow it does a brilliant job of translating the hallmarks of the traditional home console Arkham games in the VR space. Going into this, my biggest concern was that the game wouldn't be able to Arkham combative justice, the trademark of the franchise, but what is achieved here exceeds all expectations. Switching to a first-person perspective means a completely different approach Arkhambrutal hand-to-hand combat of his, but developer Camouflaj made the jump while still retaining the rhythmic essence of Arkham the mighty struggles of the franchise. Although, instead of pressing buttons to beat up the bad guys, players have to literally punch them, with various visual cues implemented to add extra depth to the proceedings.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a true Arkham experience

Yellow indicators appear to give players direction as they hit the many enemies they encounter Batman: Arkham Shadownot unlike rhythm games or boxing fitness apps. Players receive a warning when another enemy is about to attack and are given a chance to swing their arm in that direction to block the strike. As the game progresses, enemies incorporate knives and armor, which add extra steps to combat, such as dodging knife attacks by physically deflecting and stunning enemies armored with Batman's cape. The combat in this game made me sweat because of higher difficulties; Arkham Shadow fighting is fun and it works like a real workout.

Given how iconic ArkhamHis fight is, I think you would be right was the most important thing for Arkham Shadow to achieve and it says a lot that he succeeds in this endeavour. But there are many more Arkham games than fighting. Atmosphere is another key component, and fortunately Arkham Shadow also delivers there. Arkham Shadow is a Arkham complete game, with its dark, moody environments, impressive attention to detail, and clever references to the greatest Arkham universe. Simply put, Arkham Shadow has the vibes fans expect from a Arkham game.

As we explore Arkham ShadowIn his game world, players have a lot more to do than beat up bad guys. Detective Vision is used to investigate crime scenes, as in the main games, with players examining objects for clues. Detective Vision is also useful for Predator sections where stealth is favored over direct hand-to-hand combat. Players can easily swing from perch to perch, hunting down each guard in the room one by one in a way that feels exactly like the Rocksteady games.

Arkham Shadow is a perfect translation of Arkham virtual reality gameplay. Fans will be happy to know that it expands on its story as well. The Arkham the games have always won a lot of praise for their gripping narratives and shocking twists and Arkham Shadow deliver. The game is full of surprising revelations and offers an interesting backstory on key Batman characters. I don't want to go into details because I believe Arkham fans should experience this story for themselves, but rest assured it's one that lives up to the other games in the franchise.

That being said, the game is not without its flaws. There are some major drawbacks that prevent it from reaching the same heights as Arkham Asylum and Arkham Citythough the good news is that some of the game's bigger issues will hopefully be fixed through patches.

Forget Rats – Batman: Arkham Shadow has a bug issue

Batman: Arkham Shadow it's a buggy game. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to restart a checkpoint because of a progression error that made it impossible to continue. Story events wouldn't trigger, Batman's hand wouldn't close into a fist, doors wouldn't open, and all sorts of other issues frequently occurred during my playthrough. In a few particularly annoying cases, Batman got stuck in walls. The sheer number of bugs would be absolutely damning in other games, but Arkham ShadowIts frequent checkpoints mean players can reload their last save to fix problems and virtually never lose any progress. These issues are still frustrating, but they're more of a minor annoyance because of how easily they're fixed.

Arkham Shadowits bugs will almost certainly be fixed with future updates, and at that point it will become an even better game. One issue that won't be fixed, however, is over-turning. The vast majority of Batman: Arkham Shadow takes place in Blackgate Prison, with lots of repetitive gameplay sections and repeated estates players have to go through. In one area, players essentially repeat the same Predator takedowns over and over, but with slightly more and better armed guards, and it starts to get boring. There are also several long story sections where players are stuck standing and listening to characters talk, which isn't boring because the writing and performances are great, but it can get tiresome for a standing VR game like this. praise Arkham Shadow because it gave players a long-lasting experience, but at the same time, I think its pacing would have benefited from slowing things down a bit.

Along with a full size story, Arkham Shadow it also has interesting side content to check out in the form of battle challenges, optional puzzles and hidden collectibles. Like the other one Arkham games, Arkham Shadow reward players who go off the beaten path. Combine that with an upgrade system that continually expands Batman's combat options and Arkham Shadow it's easily one of the deeper VR games I've played.

Even still, some hardcore Arkham fans may remain unconvinced. The fact that Arkham Shadow is exclusive to the Quest 3, and the Quest 3S headset can even it out More skeptical. However, I believe Arkham Shadow it's definitely worth picking up a Quest 3 or 3S headset for die-hard fans of the franchise, as long as they plan to check out other VR apps and games, of course. Batman: Arkham Shadow is legitimately high Arkham game, one that largely lives up to the standard set by the Rocksteady trilogy. A few patches will go a long way in the achievement Arkham Shadow even better, but even now, it's an easy recommendation for Quest 3 and 3S owners.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is now available for the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets. Game Rant was provided with the game and Quest 3 headset for review.