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Batman: Arkham Shadow is the Meta Quest 3 game you’ve been waiting for

Nice console games October 22, 2024 Gaming, Virtual Reality Gaming

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For
many
it
didn’t
sound
possible,
but
having
played
through
about
half
of

Batman:
Arkham
Shadow
I
can
confidently
say
that
developer
Camouflaj
has
smashed
even
the
lofty
expectations
they
set
for
themselves
out
of
the
park.
This
title
isn’t
just
on
track
to
be
the
best
Meta
Quest
or

best
VR
game
of
2024,
it
could
simply
be
the
best
game
of
2024.

Camouflaj
could
have
made
things
easy
for
themselves.
Instead,
they
lit
up
the
Bat
Signal,
stared
down
the
barrel
of
the
internet,
and
boldly
claimed
they
–
in
partnership
with
Meta
–
would
be
bringing
a

full-on,
all-new,
AAA-worthy
entry
in
the
wildly
popular
Arkhamverse
series
to
VR,
and
it
would
run
on
the
standalone

Meta
Quest
3.
No
PC
or
console
is
required.

The
gameplay
is
superb,
the
story
is
engaging
(I’ll
stay
light
on
spoilers
in
this
piece),
and
every
time
I
slip
on
my
Meta
Quest
3
I’m
left
with
this
giddy
excitement
that
leaves
me
unable
to
stop
saying
“I’m
Batman.”
Because
more
so
than
with
any
other
game
before
it,
with

Arkham
Shadow
I
am
Batman.

I
am
vengeance

But
no
matter
how
often
you
utter
that
three-word
phrase,
even
in
the
gravelliest
voice
you
can
muster,
being
Batman
doesn’t
make
you
the

Arkhamverse
edition
of
the
Caped
Crusader.
For
many,
he’s
defined
by
the
series’
iconic
combat,
which
in
the
flat
games
is
almost
a
dance.

It’s
not
just
about
beating
your
foes
to
a
pulp
but
executing
perfectly
timed
dodges,
and
spicing
things
up
–
or
getting
out
of
a
bind
–
with
a
gadget
from
the
utility
belt.
Without
this
element,
the
transition
to
VR
would
feel
like
a
shell
of

Arkham.

Batman:
Arkham
Shadow
|
Official
Gameplay
Trailer
–
YouTube

Watch
On

In

Arkham
Shadow
you’re
throwing
the
punches
yourself
–
even
rewarded
with
additional
damage
if
you
swing
your
fist
a
little
faster
–
and
true
to
the

Arkham
series,

Shadow
won’t
reward
you
for
flailing
your
arms
about.
You
must
honor
the
fight’s
flow.

Straight
punches
alone
won’t
break
down
your
foe’s
guard,
so
the
game
will
instruct
you
to
mix
in
a
left
or
right
hook,
or
a
series
of
strikes
to
disorientate
your
opponent.
And
don’t
get
greedy
when
trying
to
finish
a
downed
foe
lest
you
get
hit
by
an
enemy
taking
advantage
of
your
distraction
–
instead
raise
your

arm
to
block
and
counter
their
strike.
Save
for
counters,
cape
stuns,
and
gadget
attacks,
your
different
punches
have
no
mechanical
advantage,
but
they
do
make
the
fight
feel
much
more
realistic,
and
encourage
you
to
take
a
slower
more
rhythmic
approach
as
you’re
rewarded
for
striking
your
foes
correctly,
not
simply
striking
them.

Taking
a
stealthier
approach
in
predator
mode
can
also
be
a
good
idea,
with

Arkham
Shadow
bringing
those
encounters
to
VR
too.
The
stealth
takedowns
are
so
much
fun,
popping
out
of
a
grate
to
choke
out
a
goon,
or
doing
an
aerial
kick
before
disappearing
in
a
cloud
of
smoke
never
gets
old.

Playing
through
the
game
on
Hard,
I
did
initially
feel
the
combats
were
a
little
easier
than
I
had
hoped
but
as
the
game
progresses,
and
enemies
gather
progressively
more
aggressive
weapons
like
firearms
and
stun
batons,
they
will
put
up
much
more
of
a
fight.
Which
makes
defeating
them
all
the
more
exhilarating.

Is
Batman
the
suit,
or
the
man
inside?

It’s
not
just
the

Arkham
games
that

Shadow
takes
inspiration
from.
It
also
takes
cues
from
the
Telltale
iteration
of
the
character
with
a
heavier
reliance
on
narrative
and
character
interactions
than
other

Arkhamverse
entries.

Picking
up
a
few
years
after
the
events
of

Arkham
Origins,
Batman
has
come
into
his
own
as
the
protector
of
Gotham
but
as
a
new
Cult
of
the
Rat
King
threatens
to
send
the
city
into
chaos
with
their
‘Day
of
Wrath’
the
Dark
Knight
is
on
a
race
against
the
clock
to
thwart
their
scheme
or
risk
losing
his
city.

On
this
mission
you
won’t
always
be
wearing
the
intimidating
cowl,
and
when
you’re
out
of
it
you
have
a
chance
to
interact
with
other
characters
and
roleplay
a
little
with
short
dialogue
trees.

Don’t
expect
your
RP
to
suddenly
alter
the
course
of
the
story,
but
it
does
provide
you
with
a
chance
to
play
into
Batman’s
detective
side
a
little
more
–
beyond
the
detective
scenes
the
game
establishes
–
and
explore
the
world
of
the
Arkham
characters
in
a
more
direct
way
than
simply
finding
a
collectible
with
an
attached
bio
or
side
story.

That
said,
there
are
still
collectibles
to
search
for.
Rat
idols
and
radios
replace
the
classic
Riddler
Trophies;
some
are
looked
for
with
optional
puzzles
of
varying
difficulty,
while
others
are
simply
tucked
out
of
the
way
and
reward
you
for
exploring
off
the
beaten
path
a
little.
If
you
miss
any
of
these
–
or
the
other
collectibles
like
carvings,
memories,
and
my
personal
favourite:
phone
numbers
–
maps
hidden
in
each
area
will
highlight
where
they’re
located
so
you
return
to
pick
them
up
later
in
your
playthrough,
though
some
won’t
be
accessible
until
you
have
the
correct
gadget.

On
the
topic
of
puzzles,
I
love
that

Arkham
Shadow
–
true
to
its
interactive
VR
nature
–
finally
gives
you
solutions
like
monkey
baring
across
pipes.
In
the
main

Arkham
series
there
are
puzzles
which
definitely
felt
they
could
have
been
solved
if
Batman
simply
put
in
the
effort
to
climb
a
surface
or
two.
It
turns
out
he
can
climb,
he
just
gets
lazier
in
the
years
after
the
events
of

Shadow.

The
great
VR
game
we
deserve,
and
the
one
we
need

There
are
a
quick
couple
of
gripes
I
want
to
highlight.

I
did
experience
a
few
minor
bugs
in
my
playthrough.
Some
interactable
items
and
climbable
surfaces
aren’t
correctly
highlighted
in
detective
mode,
I
was
soft-locked
at
a
few
points
which
required
me
to
reboot
the
game
to
a
previous
checkpoint,
and
some
of
the
collectible
phone
numbers
I
found
didn’t
register
or
seem
to
work
(even
though
I
took
screenshots
to
remember
them
for
later).
Nothing
was
game-breaking,
and

Arkham
Shadow
otherwise
ran
smoothly
–
even
reloading
a
checkpoint
wasn’t
punishing
given
how
frequently
they
are
handed
out
–
though
I
expect
there
will
be
a
patch
that’ll
clean
up
a
few
of
these
elements.

It
also
relies
entirely
on
smooth
control
stick-based
motion
rather
than
offering
teleportation
as
an
option.
Gameplay-wise
this
is
the
better
choice,
and

Arkham
Shadow
does
provide
some
motion
sickness-reducing
tools
like
customizable
vignette
intensity
–
which
makes
a
black
ring
appear
around
your
vision
while
you
move
–
however,
it
can
be
a
little
disorienting
to
VR
newcomers.

Thankfully,
none
of
these
issues
could
come
close
to
spoiling
the
fun
of
being
Batman.

I
still
need
to
play
more
of

Arkham
Shadow
to
decide
my
full
verdict
–
I
want
to
see
if
the
story
can
stick
the
landing,
and
if
it
continues
to
keep
scenarios
fresh
or
if
things
eventually
get
stale
–
but
based
on
my
experience
so
far

Batman:
Arkham
Shadow
is
an
incredible
title,
maybe
even
the
best
VR
game
ever
made.
I
don’t
throw
that
praise
around
lightly,

Arkham
Shadow
deserves
this
because
it’s
everything
you
would
want
from
a
VR

Arkhamverse
game,
while
also
adding
enough
of
its
own
unique
gameplay
and
story
elements
to
not
simply
feel
like
a
port
of

Asylum
or

Origins.

If
you
don’t
have
a
Meta
Quest
3
–
either
as
a
VR
newcomer
or
as
someone
with
a
Quest
2
on
the
fence
about
upgrading
–
this
title
is
worth
getting
one
to
play,
especially
as
it’s
currently
being
given
away
for
free
with
new
Quest
3
headset
purchases.
You
could
also
get
a
Meta
Quest
3S
if
you’re
on
more
of
a
budget
as

Arkham
Shadow
is
playable
and
free
with
that
headset
too.

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