Batman: Arkham Shadow Review

The Arkham series has long been touted as making you “feel” like Batman. Well, Batman: Arkham Shadow is a VR game, exclusive to the Meta Quest 3, so does that continue the trend, and if so, how well? It stars legendary voice actor Kevin Conroy in his final role before his passing, so at least it has that no matter how I end up feeling about the game.

Set less than a year after Batman: Arkham Origins, Arkham Shadow sees Batman on the trail of the Rat King, a mysterious new villain who has galvanised the criminal class under his banner in an effort to change society. If not for the guns and violence, he might have a point…

Right off the bat, I should say Arkham Shadow is much less of a metroidvania than previous titles. If you’re expecting something open with a bunch of areas opening up every time you get an upgrade like the previous titles, you’ll be disappointed. There is an element of that in places, however, so it’s not as if developer Camouflaj has thrown out the entire playbook.

As well as putting on the cowl of the Bat-Man of Gotham, you’ll also take on the guise of Bruce Wayne’s undercover criminal identity, “Matches” Malone. This is still near the start of Batman’s career, so the Matches identity is brand new and so lacks the illicit credentials of a career ne'er-do-well. Matches also lacks the gadgets, so rather than a grappling gun, he’s got to climb if he needs to be up high.

Being a VR game, you won’t just be holding A and pushing up if you want to climb. Find a hand-hold and grab it, then find another for the other hand, like if you went and tried to climb a real wall. Ladders, monkey bars, poles, it’s all on you. Traversing Gotham City can be quite a workout, and that’s before you get into some fisticuffs with some ruffians!

So, you have combat timing down to a tee in previous Arkham titles? Try it when you’re using your own fists to throw down. Combat still requires timing, but that’s not all, since you often have to use the correct hand to swing in the right direction! It’s no good swinging a left when the game is indicating an uppercut, it can take some getting used to. And when you’re in a melee with five or six henchmen it can get frantic really easily, despite a visual indicator that lets you know someone is swinging a fist your way. There are upgrades and gadgets, of course, but they can only help so much.

Gadgets have their places on the Batsuit, rather than everything being in the utility belt. Batarang on the chest, smoke bomb in the gauntlet, decrypter on the hip… Honestly, I’m just glad that it’s not all around the waist, because you can play the game entirely seated, and like most people my chair has arms. Those can get in the way when going for hip items, and sometimes I don’t want to be standing to play a game.

In one of the latest updates, Camouflaj has added challenges and a character gallery. The challenges are, let’s just say, a challenge as you try to take out a room full of people without being spotted, for example. The character gallery has a static 3D image of each character and a brief bit of information about them. But, these aren’t the only neat additions, as one of my favourite things was already in Arkham Shadow: payphones. Dotted around the game you will find phone numbers, on posters or paperwork, and if you find a functioning payphone those numbers will work! It gets you through to automated phone systems or answering machines, but it’s great. I lost a chunk of time just redialing one number to hear all of the options…

To be fair, I lost time to several interactions throughout the game. Rather than listening in to criminals from a rooftop, you might overhear a conversation happening as you sneak through a passageway. I almost always stopped to listen, because it’s all quite compelling stuff. All of the writing is really enjoyable as you learn more about the various characters in the Arkham series, and as the mystery of who the Rat King is continues to unwrap.

Graphically, Arkham Shadow definitely looks like an Arkham title. Everything is gritty and dirty, with a retro aesthetic so you’re not quite sure what year it’s supposed to be. Since you’re getting up close and personal with people (you could lean in and kiss Jim Gordon), the character models look great.

Sound design is another highlight in this box of highlights, with the aforementioned Kevin Conroy reprising his role. There are a few Arkham alumni, but unfortunately not all of them. Mark Rolston, the voice of Deathstroke, and Martin Jarvis, who voices Alfred Pennyworth, are here, though Rolston is on Jim Gordon duty whereas Jarvis is still Alfred. As a comic book fanboy, I still giggle about that, not gonna lie. There are plenty of voices new to the franchise, but some continuity is nice to have (not that Jim “Six Voice Actor” Gordon can complain).

Rounding things out, Batman: Arkham Shadow has secrets to find and tapes to listen to, so it really is a VR Arkham title in almost every way. I can’t recommend it enough, even with the tough combat, because you can even play it while seated and everyone wants a chance to be Batman.