Summary

• Batman: Arkham Shadow offers a new VR-friendly version of Freeflow combat, featuring iconic characters and classic gameplay elements.
• The game takes place between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, showcasing an impressive cast of villains and letting players be both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
• Improved movement mechanics in Batman: Arkham Shadow create a more immersive experience compared to the clunky teleportation style of Arkham VR.

A new trailer for Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live showcase, finally providing a first look at the Meta Quest 3 exclusive title's gameplay, and it looks like the Batman: Arkham VR game I wanted back in 2016. Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham VR took place between Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight with a mystery story that showed Batman's descent into madness - something that played a major part in Arkham Knight's story but was even more intense when told through the eyes of the Dark Knight himself with the added immersion of VR.

While Rocksteady isn't at the helm of Batman: Arkham Shadow, likely due to the studio's commitments to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Iron Man VR developer Camouflaj and Oculus Studios are working in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC to tell a new story within the Arkhamverse. Batman: Arkham Shadow takes place between WB Games Montréal's prequel Batman: Arkham Origins and the game that kicked off the series, Batman: Arkham Asylum, with Roger Craig Smith reprising the role as the Caped Crusader from the former.

Batman: Arkham Shadow Features An Impressive Cast Of Characters

And Seems To Let Players Play As Both Bruce Wayne & Batman

The story focuses on the rise of a new threat in the form of the Rat King. While he resembles the comic villain Ratcatcher with a very similar costume and gimmick, he seems not to be the same character as Otis Flannagan (aka. Ratcatcher), who can be heard offering to bring the Rat King to Batman. Several other villains were also shown in the gameplay trailer, such as Lock-Up, The Ventriloquist, and Jonathan Crane, who seems to be turning into an early version of Scarecrow from the previous story trailer.

Harley Quinn also appears as a psychiatrist who has yet to be corrupted by the Joker, and it seems like players will not only interact with some of these characters as Batman, but as Bruce Wayne as well, something that the Arkhamverse games haven't spent too long dwelling on, but rather makes me reminiscent of Telltale's approach to its Batman games, where both Bruce and Batman played a role in different events, and the aforementioned Iron Man VR, which had a mix of moments as Tony Stark to break up the superheroics.

Batman: Arkham Shadow's Movement Looks Far Smoother Than Batman: Arkham VR's

Batman Is No Longer Limited To Teleporting Around Locations

Unfortunately, due to the technical limitations of the time - it was developed for the first PSVR and was later ported to PC VR headsets - I find Batman: Arkham VR a somewhat clunky VR experience now, especially when revisiting it after playing more modern titles. Although it was relatively normal for VR titles at the time, Batman: Arkham VR had an overreliance on teleporting to get around locations, especially as the original PSVR used the PlayStation Move controllers that didn't feature thumbsticks for movement like most modern VR controllers do. This wasn't amended in the PC port either, as I've tried playing the Steam version via my Meta Quest 3.

Therefore, a lot of the movement involved dipping in and out of black screens constantly, whether it was to "walk" to another location or to grapple to another area, and I find this breaks up the overall immersion, which is a shame as its story was decent. VR has come a long way now in how players can move and explore worlds, and Batman: Arkham Shadow's gameplay reveal is a clear example of this, as Batman can be seen moving around locations far more naturally.

While the grapple gun returns in Batman: Arkham Shadow, it doesn't cut to black when being used. Instead, it can be seen zipping up to ledges, gargoyles, and cranes in real time to plan an attack, something that is crucial in the series' stealth-heavy Predator missions. Batman can also be seen jumping into battle and gliding through the streets of Gotham with far more fluid gameplay that feels natural for the character. This is hardly surprising considering Camouflaj's previous work on Iron Man VR, which had extremely fluid movement, with flying sequences and aerial dogfights being a highlight in that title.

Batman Is No Longer Limited To Detective Work In VR

Series Staples Return In More Action-Packed Gameplay

While I understood the approach at the time due to the limitations of the VR hardware of 2016, I was always a bit disappointed that Batman: Arkham VR seemed to miss out so many elements that were synonymous with the Arkhamverse games by that point. The story was limited to purely focusing on the detective side of the Dark Knight as he solves a murder mystery.

Detective Vision returns in Batman: Arkham Shadows, and seems to be signaled by players moving their hand up toward the headset.

While there were set pieces in the Batcave, Arkham Asylum, and high above the rooftops of Gotham, along with the option to throw Batarangs and wield other gadgets, one of the most recognizable elements of the Arkhamverse, Freeflow combat was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the only time Batman does confront his Penguin and his henchmen in Batman: Arkham VR, he drops a smoke grenade, the screen cuts to black, and the sounds of a fistfight play out before Batman interrogates Penguin.

This couldn't be further from the case in Batman: Arkham Shadow, as Batman can be seen not only taking down enemies with stealth tactics such as corner and inverted takedowns but also with a new, VR-friendly version of Freeflow combat. I was never expecting the full Freeflow combat of Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Origins, and Arkham Knight to appear in a VR game due to the sheer skill Batman has as a fighter, so it would have to be more accessible to most players, and Arkham Shadow seems to have found a way to handle this.

The classic counter mechanic still appears, only now it's with the use of icons telling players where an enemy is attacking from and giving them enough time to physically dodge and counter. There's also a combo meter and several quick-fire gadgets, such as the Batarang, Batclaw, and Explosive Gel, to rack up the numbers in quick succession. As a side note, as a long-time Batman: Arkham fan, it was extremely satisfying to hear the enemies shouting, "It's the freakin' bat!" once again as Batman jumped them.

The Electrocutioner's Shock Gloves, which were present in Batman: Arkham Origins and could stun enemies and deal high levels of damage, are also present once again in Batman: Arkham Shadow, being activated in a boss battle and when taking on groups of thugs. They did appear in Batman: Arkham Knight as a display piece in the GD evidence locker, but there wasn't an option to use them in that game.

I understand why some people are disappointed that the next canonical entry in the Batman: Arkham series is not accessible to many, as VR isn't as common a gaming platform as PC and consoles, and it's narrowed down further by being a Meta Quest 3. As someone who owns this VR system, however, I am looking forward to its release this October, as it finally looks like a true adaptation of what I loved in the previous games translated into a first-person perspective.

Source: Meta Quest/YouTube