I know what you’re wondering: does the VR Batman game make me feel like Batman? Well, the answer is no. Never once in Batman: Arkham Shadow’s long playtime did I feel like I had a billion dollars, and without that the simulation will never be complete. That said, it did do a remarkably good job of making me feel like I was playing an actual Arkham game by including all of the signature elements of Rocksteady’s legendary series: literally punchy combat, intricate metroidvania-style level design that unlocks more and more as you gain new abilities, and some genuinely tricky optional puzzles.
It’s a little clumsy and buggy at times, but enough of it translates well to VR that it’s more like a real game than a gimmick – and the mystery story pays off well without retreading too many of the Arkham series’ plots. And sure, while grabbing at your sides and raising your arms to glide around on your cape may look absolutely absurd to anyone who happens to be in the room with you as you play, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t pretty fun. This sequel to a prequel is wedged into the space between Arkham Origins (and Arkham Origins: Blackgate ) and Arkham Asylum – a time period where a younger Batman is bluntly but capably voiced by Roger Craig Smith rather than the late, great Kevin Conroy .
After a brief intro sequence in Gotham’s sewers and rubbing elbows with Jim Gordon and a young, one-faced Harvey Dent, we go undercover into Blackgate Prison, where Batman first .