Batman: Arkham Shadow Review — Be The Bat

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a game that has revitalized my interest in both the Arkham series and VR gaming. With a story that stands with the best in the series, incredible graphics that I did not know were possible for VR technology, and the most immersive Batman experience you can hope to get. Batman: Arkham Shadow is truly a game that deserves all of the awards it has gotten and more. Just make sure to set up a pretty generous VR boundary when you play, because this game runs a higher-than-average risk of wall punching.

Before I get into the meat and veggies of this review, I just want to point out that I was not only provided a review copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, but also the Meta Quest 3 VR headset needed to review it. These were provided by Camouflaj, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Shadow. Without it, I would not have been able to give this game a try or be pleasantly surprised by what it has to offer.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is something of a prequel to the Arkham series, taking place before Arkham Asylum but after Arkham Origins. It tells the story of the Rats, an anarchist movement in Gotham, their riot, and a younger Batman, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, and Harvey Dent, as Batman tries to piece together the identity of the mysterious Rat King and end the riots. The story explores the early tensions between these iconic characters and the way the chaos in Gotham slowly builds into the powder keg we see in later games. There is a lot of storytelling here that fans of the series will appreciate, with plenty of Easter eggs and callbacks to the larger Arkham timeline.

Batman: Arkham Shadow’s story is as good as any Arkham game that came before it. While maybe not as instantly memorable as Asylum or Arkham City, the game hits all of the classic Batman and Batman: Arkham beats that fans of the franchise are going to be expecting. It does a great job of building suspense and introducing new characters to the Arkhamverse, as well as reusing old and developing origin stories for some who show up later in the series. There is a careful balance here between fan service and new storytelling, and while not every moment hits with the same intensity as the franchise’s high points, there is a consistent sense of intrigue and character development throughout the game.

All of the familiar Batman: Arkham series gameplay elements are there: gliding, zip-lining, group combat, stealth, and investigation. All of it, while feeling incredibly faithful to the other games, has been reimagined in VR to create an incredible, immersive experience.

Combat is, by far, my favorite aspect of the game, and boy, can it trick you into working out. If you are familiar with Arkham games, you know that the combat often sees Batman outnumbered, relying on counters and fast attack combos to clear a room. Batman: Arkham Shadow does an incredible job of translating these mechanics into VR, using notifications and hand movements to block attacks, even those that come from behind. When it comes time to strike back, the game is equally as faithful to Arkham’s combo system, giving you directional inputs on an enemy that you match by actually punching them in quick succession. Hitting them the right way is just as important as hitting them fast, as you will quickly learn to throw out five-hit combos as fast as possible to take a thug out before you get interrupted. It can really get the blood pumping and turns every encounter into something that feels dynamic and reactive.

At times, I wish the combat were a little less demanding when it came to specific directional inputs. Sometimes, it just feels right to throw an uppercut at a thug, but doing so will throw off your combo because it is not the direction the game wants you to hit them. On the other hand, I can see how this is the VR equivalent of specific combo inputs, so I will let it slide. The combat overall is really fun, and I appreciated that it was a bit of a workout, even when I accidentally slammed the controller into my finger.

The Arkham series’ stealth gameplay is wonderfully preserved in Batman: Arkham Shadow, with stealth takedowns executed the same way but with the inclusion of specific hand motions instead of button inputs. It was actually a little jarring to me just how similarly the game played, and how familiar it felt to stalk about a hurdle of gargoyles as I slowly whittled down a group of armed thugs. The only thing that felt different was the perspective, looking through the eyes of Batman instead of over his shoulder. That shift changes everything in a way that is hard to describe until you experience it. The tension feels more immediate, and the sense of danger is much stronger when you do not have that third-person distance.

Some aspects of the game do not translate perfectly, mostly because VR technology is still a little awkward or otherwise harder to adjust to. In segments where detective mode was required, I found it hard to sit in the blue perspective for very long and struggled to read text as presented to me during this time. Segments that required gliding were a little awkward, too, as I found that the hand motion required to pull out the cape took a bit of getting used to in order to pull off perfectly. That said, with a bit of patience and repetition, it becomes second nature, but it is definitely not as smooth as some of the other mechanics.

It is hard to design a game around actual, real-life player movement, and that occasionally showed in Batman: Arkham Shadow. I had a few moments where I would clip through the environments or end up in an area where movement was not possible, which thankfully led the game to move me back, where I was free to traverse. This often happened while fighting enemies, with some thug attacks pushing me through the game’s boundaries, or some awkward movement commands causing me to clip through objects on the floor and be flung out in correction. While it never completely broke the game for me, it was a reminder that VR, as immersive as it is, still comes with a few growing pains.

All in all, Batman: Arkham Shadow is one of the most compelling VR games I have ever played and a worthy entry in the Arkham franchise. It has a few slight imperfections, but it is bold, fun, and incredibly engaging, a must-play for anyone who owns a headset and loves Batman or the Arkham series.

Try Hard Guides was provided a Meta Quest 3 with a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow for this review. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Batman: Arkham Shadow is available on the Meta Store.