Batman: Arkham Shadow Review

2024 is off to a rocky start for Arkhamverse fans. After eight years of waiting for a new game from Batman: Arkham developer Rocksteady, fans have been catered for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguelive continuation of service Arkham A universe that was panned by critics and promptly abandoned by players. With how disastrous Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was, many saw the announcement of a virtual reality game Batman: Arkham Shadow like salt on the wound. Although it may not be a traditional home console Batman: Arkham The game, I can safely say that fans of the franchise are upset Suicide squad obliged to give to themselves Batman: Arkham Shadow to go

Between the events of Batman: Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, Arkham Shadow begins on July 4th and sees Batman battling the threat of the Rat King, a mysterious foe with a gang of loyal followers who have hurled several apocalyptic threats at Gotham City. Players must solve the mystery of the Rat King and save Gotham, playing through the eyes of Batman himself.

Arkham Shadow this isn't the first crack at VR Batman: Arkham game, but for now Arkham VR was more like a technical demonstration, Arkham Shadow it's a full-fledged video game. It's over 10 hours of experience that tests everything Arkham game boxes. Some may have been fired immediately Arkham Shadow because it's a VR game, but it's a bug. Arkham Shadow this is the real deal and it's the closest thing to new Arkham Game from 2015 Arkham Knight.

Batman: Arkham Shadow does a brilliant job of broadcasting the hallmarks of a traditional home console Arkham VR space games. Avoiding this, my biggest concern was that there would be no way to do this in the game Arkham the trademark of the franchise is martial justice, but what is done here exceeds all expectations. Switching to a first-person perspective means a completely different perspective Arkhambrutal hand-to-hand combat, but developer Camouflaj made the leap while still keeping the rhythmic essence Arkham hard fighting franchise. Although instead of pressing buttons to take down the bad guys, players have to literally punch them with various visual cues that add extra depth to the process.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a true Arkham experience

Yellow indicators pop up to give players some direction as they take down the many enemies they encounter in Batman: Arkham Shadownot unlike rhythm games or fitness boxing programs. Players are alerted when another enemy is about to attack and given the option to wave their hand in that direction to block the attack. Enemies use knives and armor as the game progresses, adding extras to combat, such as dodging knife attacks by physically leaning and stunning armored enemies with Batman's cape. The combat in this game made me sweat on the higher difficulties; Arkham Shadow combat is fun and doubles as a real workout.

Given how iconic ArkhamI believe that the most important thing for him was the fight for justice Arkham Shadow perform, and it speaks volumes that he is succeeding in this endeavour. But there is much more Arkham games than fights. Atmosphere is another key component, and thankfully Arkham Shadow delivers there as well. Arkham Shadow appears Arkham game through and through, with its dark, moody environments, impressive attention to detail, and clever references to more Arkham universe Simply put, Arkham Shadow has the vibe fans expect from Arkham game

During the study Arkham ShadowIn the game world, players have a lot more to do than beat up bad guys. Detective Vision is used to investigate crime scenes, just like in the main games, where players examine objects for evidence. Detective Vision is also useful for Predator sections where stealth is preferred over direct hand-to-hand combat. Players can easily move from one location to another, hunting each guard in the room one by one just like in the Rocksteady games.

Arkham Shadow this is a perfect translation Arkham gameplay to virtual reality. Fans will be happy to know that this extends to his story as well. The Arkham games have always been highly praised for their gripping narratives and shocking twists, and Arkham Shadow delivers. The game is full of amazing discoveries and offers an interesting backstory on the key Batman symbols. I don't want to go into details because I think Arkham fans really need to experience this story for themselves, but rest assured that it lives up to the other games in the franchise.

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

Forget rats – Batman: Arkham Shadow has a bug problem

Batman: Arkham Shadow it's a bug game. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to restart a checkpoint because of a progress error that made it impossible to continue. Story events wouldn't trigger, Batman's hand wouldn't clench into a fist, doors wouldn't open, and various other issues frequently cropped up during my playthrough. On a few particularly nasty occasions, Batman got stuck in walls. The sheer amount of bugs would be horrendous in other games, but Arkham ShadowFrequent checkpoints allow players to reload their last save to solve problems and lose little to no progress. These issues are still frustrating, but they're more minor thanks to how easy they are to fix.

Arkham ShadowThe bugs will almost certainly be fixed in future updates, at which point the game will become even better. One problem that won't be solved is excessive recoil. The vast majority of Batman: Arkham Shadow is set in Blackgate Prison, with lots of repetitive gameplay sections and multiple players having to make their way through the estate. In one area, players essentially repeat the same attacks on the Predator multiple times, but with slightly more and better armed guards, and it starts to get questionable. There are also some long story sections where players are stuck standing around listening to characters talk, which isn't a bad thing because the writing and execution are great, but can get tiring for a VR game like this. I praise Arkham Shadow for offering players a complete experience, but at the same time, I think its pacing would benefit from cutting things down a bit.

Along with the full story, Arkham Shadow there's also interesting side content to check out in the form of battle challenges, additional puzzles, and hidden collectibles. Like the second one Arkham games, Arkham Shadow rewards players who stray from the beaten path. Combine this with an upgrade system that constantly expands Batman's combat capabilities, and Arkham Shadow easily one of the deepest VR games I've played.

Even still some hardcore Arkham fans may remain unconvinced. The fact that Arkham Shadow is exclusive to Quest 3, and Quest 3S headsets can match them more skeptically. However, I think Arkham Shadow definitely worth picking up the Quest 3 or 3S headset for die-hard fans of the franchise, provided they also plan to check out other VR apps and games. Batman: Arkham Shadow is legitimately large Arkham a game that largely lives up to the high bar set by Rocksteady's trilogy. A few patches will go a long way Arkham Shadow even better, but even now it's a simple recommendation for Quest 3 and 3S owners.

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