Batman Arkham Shadow is the most recent installment in the highly beloved Arkham series. Despite being significantly different from its predecessors, it manages to be one of the series’s most immersive and memorable titles. The big question, however, is how it measures up to other games in the series.
Batman Arkham Shadow’s story takes place during Bruce Wayne’s early years as Batman. Specifically, it is chronologically set between Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game’s narrative unfolds six months after Arkham Origins.
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On the night of the Fourth of July, Batman is forced to walk the backstreets of Gotham City after a new threat called the Rat King emerges and starts a cult hellbent on bringing the city to its knees. This leads to mayhem and a series of riots. Like always, Batman is determined to take down this new threat, even going as far as to head into Blackgate, disguising himself as a prisoner, after learning his faceless target could be found there.
Batman’s intensity and ferocity against the forces of evil and his relentless pursuit of the culprits are visible and just as intense in Batman Arkham Shadow as they are in other games. As a fan of the series, it’s easy to point out how hard it is to replicate these core aspects of the Caped Crusader, especially as other media portraying the character fail so often. This is just part of why Arkham Shadow excels so well as a Batman game.
The gameplay immerses players fully into the world of Batman Arkham Shadow.
The narrative is another excellent highlight. It starts out by familiarizing players intimately, from the back streets of Gotham to dingy alleyways and intricately layered rooftops. As the game progresses, you see more notable places, like the Gotham precinct, and most importantly, get full access to Blackgate in the most detailed way possible. Players also meet iconic characters and learn more about Bruce Wayne, Gotham, and many character origins. The story has a lot of intense and engaging moments and is elevated by the excellent performance of the voice actors, the game direction, and especially the soundtrack.
Due to this, the story of Batman Arkham Shadow is a major highlight of the game. But what really makes it work is its structure as a VR game. Every moment is emphasized by being completely first person. This can be seen during cinematic moments, dialogue, and even when navigating the many well-designed areas of the game. All these elements make the narrative way more memorable, even more so than some games in the series, like Batman Arkham Origins.
Additionally, despite Camouflaj being new to the Arkham series, the developer did a magnificent job of making the narrative feel natural. As someone who often marathons the series, the addition of Arkham Shadow is enjoyable and surprisingly seamless.
Batman Arkham Shadow makes you feel like Batman in almost every way. Every gameplay element is designed almost perfectly to make the experience as immersive as possible. To use gadgets, you use motion controller gestures that are similar to gestures Batman would use. These include touching the side of your head to bring up detective mode, reaching for your belt to use Batarangs, and gesturing with both arms to glide from ledge to ledge. Combat is also really fun, especially when brutal takedowns are executed on enemies from Batman’s perspective. These elements make gameplay that much more engaging in all the right ways.
How does it line up against the rest of the series?
However, with all its positives, Arkham Shadow’s experience has some drawbacks. While detailed and quite immersive, the visuals still don’t hold a candle to those of Arkham Knight or even Arkham Origins. Other aspects, like the fire effect blending awkwardly with different objects and some models lacking detail, lessen the visual experience.
What’s more, the combat, while one of the coolest parts, gets repetitive halfway into the game. Finally, the limitations of the headset, specifically its strict VR play area that prompts annoying visual warnings when you come out of it, and the Quest 3’s painful 2-hour playtime, severely impact the overall experience. Because of this, in terms of approachability, Arkham Shadow is the most demanding game of all. This raises the question of how Arkham Shadow compares to other games in the series and whether it’s even worth playing as a series fan.
Kicking off the series is Batman: Arkham Asylum, setting the foundation for modern superhero games with its tight combat, stealth mechanics, and atmospheric storytelling. The game’s confined setting in Arkham Asylum created a tense, immersive experience, making players feel like Batman.
Batman: Arkham City expanded the world, giving players an open Gotham to explore. With refined combat, deeper side missions, and a gripping story. It remains a fan favorite and one of the best superhero games I’ve ever played. Following this was Batman: Arkham Origins, which added a fresh take on Batman’s early years with an exciting story and intense boss fights.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate brought the Arkham experience to handheld devices with a 2.5D Metroidvania-style approach. While not as deep as the mainline games, it featured engaging exploration, detective work, and solid combat. The story also touches on Batman’s early career and Blackgate Prison.
A good entry point for those curious about VR.
Finally, Batman: Arkham Knight perfected gameplay with the Batmobile. It offers stunning visuals and an impeccably thrilling and engaging narrative that leads to a memorable conclusion to the series.
Batman Arkham Shadow’s gameplay doesn’t measure up to any of the aforementioned games, and its platform has limitations. However, it still holds its own in many ways and offers a lot to the franchise. The game provides an amalgamation of outstanding elements seen in each of these games, providing a game that all fans of the franchise would love. Regarding narrative and immersion, Arkham Shadow trumps every title that portrays a younger Batman.
It is much more engaging than Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. However, it doesn’t quite surpass the overall experience of the core trilogy the series is known for. Despite this, Batman: Arkham Shadow is undeniably worth playing as a fan of the Arkham series. I’d also go as far as to say that, along with Half-Life Alyx, it is one of the must-play VR games that should not be missed if you even have a slight curiosity about VR games.
All in all, Batman Arkham Shadow deserves its place in the Arkham franchise. And while it’s hard to compare it to some of the juggernauts, it provides an experience you won’t find in any of the other games. It deserves all the love it gets and perhaps even more.
Batman: Arkham Shadow is available now for the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S.
