Batman: Arkham Shadow Meta Quest 3 Review

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Fast Facts

Let’s Done the Cowl and Cape

I have been a long-standing praiser of VR. When done well, the medium is as transformative as it is immersive. At times, when the game is made well, you forget you are in VR and the game washes over you like a warm current, it can be truly breathtaking. I played the original Batman VR game on the PSVR many moons ago and have been looking forward to trying the new, Meta Exclusive Batman: Arkam Shadow. Grab your cowl, grab some Batarangs and let’s investigate!

From a story standpoint, players of any of the Arkham games, VR or flat, will slide straight in. There is a plethora of characters we all recognize, even if it’s a bit before they became who we all know and love. Harvey Dent, Harley, The Gordons and even the game’s main threat, the Rat King all make a virtual appearance. While some of it felt well-trodden, the Rat King stuff, some of the characters being early in their career and the VR presentation all made it feel fresh and new.

Two ViewPoints

Most of the game is set between a prison (as a character I will not spoil) and running around sewers as the Dark Crusader. It was a lovely change of pace having these two different viewpoints and powersets to swap between always kept things fresh. Don’t get me wrong, I always revelled donning the suit again but a change of pace here and there never hurts. Having all those groovy toys, gizmos and tools never gets old and doing sections without them made me feel naked, so to speak.

The thing that struck me most bout this title over the last VR implementation is the combat. How Camouflaj has translated one of the best video game combat systems to VR is truly magical. Don’t get me wrong, it has the odd bit of fluffiness here and there but as a whole and in VR it is truly majestic. When the initial tutorial hit and I saw we were fighting, my first thought was “Oh here we go, here’s where it breaks!” However, I am happy to report that I loved it, the combat was fluid, perfectly serviceable and felt like the traditional Arkham combat system. You have my applause, it’s superb.

A Near-Arkham Like Combat System, in VR!

Gripping the two triggers on a controller and punching while facing a baddy will shoot you forward and smack them in the gut. After that you are given a kind of suedo-minigame of sorts, needing certain punches and combos to take the enemy down. On top of this is layered blocking, counters, combo-building, enemies that have shields and gadgets to work into every combo and you have something that succeeds in making a VR version of the Arkham combat system we all love. It’s mind-blowing and it really works.

Along this 15 hour-ish main thread, you will have puzzles, which can be tricky and collectables to hunt along the way. Add to this the traditional stealth sections I love and you have quite an amount of content to keep your Dark Knight wishes fulfilled. Blowing up walls, laying traps and clearing a room of enemies never felt so good and in VR it truly makes you feel like ‘The Bat’ and I will never tire of this feeling. Ever.

From a performance perspective, I felt with this being a Quest 3 exclusive, the title looked and felt superb. It looked better than the PS3 versions of Arkham and ran with a much smoother framerate. The immersion and tactility of it all is massive and with zero tracking problems or hitches to report, it’s a technical marvel. Unlike the PSVR version, with no camera or cables, the tracking and general VR implementation were miles ahead and I had no issues whatsoever. It’s just a shame I had to break to charge my headset, which I had to do several times. Well worth it though and a break from sweaty VR can never be a bad thing.

Quite Simply, One of the Best Titles on the System

I found Batman: Arkham Shadow of the best VR titles I have played on the platform. It felt like a ‘full’ game rather than a tech demo like the first title and I think it’s well worth your hard-earned cash. It is enjoyable from start to finish and well worth the plaudits and awards the game has so far. If you love Batman, it’s a no-brainer and even if you don’t the gameplay and immersion are worth the entrance fee alone. Right gamers, I am back off to prison to ruff up some VR fools, laters!

Rapid Reviews Rating

4.5 out of 5

4.5

If you would like to purchase Batman: Arham Shadow, you can find it here.