Batman Arkham Shadow

The game that made me buy a VR

Game no: 541
Genre: Action
Platform: VR (Meta Quest 3) 
Release Date: 2024

After seeing this gameplay online and the premise of being Batman. I really need to get myself a Meta Quest 3 just to play this game. So after playing this game I can say that this game is one of the best game that showcase why you need to play in VR. This story takes place after Batman Arkham Origins where Batman is starting to work with the police and District Attorney to hunt down a new bad guy called the Ratcatcher. This game takes place in Gotham city and most of the game takes place in Blackgate Prison which you have been before in the past games. As far as the story goes, it is very engaging. There are a lot of Batman deep cuts for died hard fans and for nomal people you would enjoy it as well. A couple of familiar faces also return and you can see their origins before they be who they are. In terms of story this is a good one. This is the fourth of the Arkham games (City, Asylum, Origins, Shadow, Knight and Blackgate) 
 

So gameplay wise, you really are the dark knight. Everything you think Batman can do, you can do it in VR. Using your gadgets such as the Batarang, Shock Gloves, Sequencer and Portable Explosive helps you in your quest. Other than that detective mode returns and there are a lot of areas that you need to scan in order to solve the crime. The basic Arkham mechanics are back. The freeflow system in previous Arkham games is translated well in VR. You put your hands like a fist and push the bad guys one by one. You also have to be quick into dodging other attacks and making different combos like cape toss and 180 flips depending on the enemy type. Returning as well are also the stealth sections where you need to clear a room full of enemies with different perches and grates to navigate 

The thing I love about playing this in VR is the sense of immersion that you get playing at Batman. When you walk and hit and punch you do feel that you are the Caped Crusader.  The use of the gadgets are also well excecuted. As a VR game I didn't get motion sickness at all since I set it to not immersive. The combat was hard but bareable since I set it to easy, and even that I got a good beating. There are a couple of puzzles and climbing sections that I enjoy as well. The Meta Quest controllers comes in 3 buttons so its either a thumbs up, air pistols or a fist. So the hand tracking isn't that preceise. There is also a scene that reminds me of the first Arkham game which is awesome. 

There are a couple flaws in the game as well. Mainly the switch between Batman and Matches Malone. I get that it is part of the story but for evey 20 minutes of being Batman, you spend another 20-30 minutes of being Malone. After a while it really gets old and the Malone sequences are not as fun as becoming Batman. It does however moves the story forward. Besides that, the stealth sections of the game are okay but doing stealth in VR is not as great as playing it on the flat screen. Other than that this game is a perfect VR experince 

Overall I am glad my first VR game was a Batman experince. I really enjoyed every moment of it and eventhough that the game is over, I can say this is the most definitive way to experince becoming Batman. This is going to make my game of the year for this year. I give this game an S-Rank