Hey, so I know that a bunch of us actually don’t have VR or are all that interested in getting into it, but that new VR Arkham Batman game looks pretty good, right? Shown off at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024, Batman: Arkham Shadow seems like a pretty decent follow-up to the Arkhamverse, and one done in an entirely new way.
The thing that was always working against this game was going to be the constraints of VR. In the past, VR experiences have been pretty limited, but what everyone loved about the Arkham games was how much players felt like they could inhabit the Batsuit. You were able to move, talk, and fight like Batman, fulfilling the childhood dreams of millions. To trnslate that into VR, players would have to be able to feel like they were in the iconic hero’s boots.
At first glance, Arkham Shadow appears to get things right. It follows the pursuit of the Rat King in a direct sequel to the Warner Bros. developed prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, and passes on vibes alone. However, the game also looks pretty great in motion. Movement doesn’t seem to be limited, and it even features an adapted version of the Arkham series’ signature freeflow combat. From the moment that the trailer begins, we’re treated to first-person scenes of Batman grappling an enemy close to him and then uppercutting them into the air. A few seconds later, Batman is on a perch (as he often is in these games) and punching a goon’s lights out before letting them dangle for their friends to see.
Additional scenes show off other familiar sights, such as the ability to glide through the city streets, fly into enemies and greet them with a divekick, and even get a glimpse at how detective vision will work. In first-person combat, you appear to be able to use all of Batman’s same old tricks, including Batarangs and his explosive gel. When an enemy goes to attack him, the HUD shows the blue counter icon found across the Arkham series as well as indicator as to where the attack is coming from, just in case the foe isn’t onscreen. A lock-on function looks to help close gaps and be more accurate with your strikes in virtual reality.
The Arkham Shadows trailer also provides a small glimpses at how puzzles and movement work. In one scene, Batman toggles his detective vision to be able to look over a crime scene and find a hidden compartment. This is the good shit that’ll have people champing at the bit to dive into a new Batman game, and might even sell people on VR.
I’m not one of those folks who are antsy to jump into VR. In fact, I’ve often balked against the whole medium for its inaccessibility, but even I’ve got to admit that Arkham Shadow looks quite good. Maybe not enough to make me buy a headset entirely to play it, but if experiences of this depth are becoming more widely available in VR, I don’t see why I shouldn’t splurge on it sometime down the line.
Batman: Arkham Shadow is coming to Meta Quest 3 later this year in October.