| Batman: Arkham Shadow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Camouflaj |
| Publisher | Oculus Studios |
| Director | Ryan Payton |
| Producer | Aaron Whiting |
| Designers | Ryan Darcey Bill Green |
| Artists | Matt Kohr David Lam |
| Writers | Brendan Murphy Alexander O. Smith |
| Composers | Kazuma Jinnouchi Nobuko Toda Chris Burgess Seth Wright |
| Series | Batman: Arkham |
| Engine | Unity[1] |
| Platforms | |
| Release | October 21, 2024 |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
| Mode | Single-player |
Batman: Arkham Shadow is anaction-adventurevideo game developed byCamouflaj and published byOculus Studios. It is the secondvirtual reality game in theBatman: Arkham series (followingBatman: Arkham VR) and a narrative sequel toBatman: Arkham Origins andBatman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013).Arkham Shadow was released for theMeta Quest 3 andMeta Quest 3S on October 21, 2024, to largely positive reviews.
Set six months after the events ofArkham Origins, the game's story follows a younger and less experienced Batman, who attempts to stop a mysterious villain called the Rat King from destroyingGotham City on theFourth of July, and depicts his transition from a violent and vengefulvigilante into a symbol of hope. The story also partly focuses on the history of Bruce Wayne's relationship with his childhood friend, Harvey Dent, as well as the events that led to Dent's transformation into the duality-obsessed criminal,Two-Face.
Batman: Arkham Shadow is anaction-adventure video game played from afirst-person perspective. In the game, the player assumes control of Batman, who must stop a new villain called the Rat King from unleashing chaos in Gotham City. The rhythmic, free-flow combat from the previousArkham games returns inShadow, allowing Batman to attack, stun and counter.Combining these three main abilities can keep Batman attacking while moving between enemies and avoiding being attacked himself.[2] The stealth predator sections are also back. Batman can activate Detective Vision to identify the locations and the patrol patterns of all enemies in an area, andstealth tactics such as silent takedowns, inverted takedowns and hiding in grates can be used against armed enemies. He also has a large arsenal of tools, such assmoke bombs andbatarangs to aid combat.[3]
The game's structure is similar toBatman: Arkham Asylum (2009), in which Batman explores a series of large but confined spaces. Batman can glide from heights using his cape, and use hisgrapple gun to climb onto higher ledges. As players progress, they gain new gadgets and tools, enabling them to reach previously inaccessible areas.[4]
Set six months after the events ofBatman: Arkham Origins and three months after the events ofBatman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013), the game follows a young but confident Batman (Roger Craig Smith) who must prevent the Rat King from executing public office officials such as District AttorneyHarvey Dent (Troy Baker) and Police CommissionerJim Gordon (Mark Rolston) and unleashing chaos inGotham City on theFourth of July. Allies of Batman include his loyal butlerAlfred Pennyworth (Martin Jarvis), philanthropistLeslie Thompkins (Mara Junot), Wayne Enterprises business managerLucius Fox (Dave Fennoy) and Gordon's daughterBarbara (Chelsea Kane).Dick Grayson (Josh Keaton) also makes a brief cameo appearance in the game's post credit scene.
The game primarily takes place withinBlackgate Penitentiary, which is run byDr. Jonathan Crane (Elijah Wood),Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Tara Strong), and TYGER head of securityLyle Bolton (Earl Baylon). Among the prisoners are crime bossCarmine Falcone (Darin De Paul), theJoker (Baker),Joe Chill (Armin Shimerman),Ratcatcher (Khary Payton),Killer Croc (Payton),Arnold Wesker (Dwight Schultz),Ferris Boyle (Stephen Tobolowsky),Bronze Tiger (Zeno Robinson),Black Mask (Brian Bloom),Deadshot (Chris Cox),Firefly (Crispin Freeman),Bane (Fred Tatasciore), andDeathstroke (Rolston).[5]
OnIndependence Day, a movement led by the Rat King seeks to destroy Gotham. Batman saves severalpolice officers from being held hostage by the Rat Cultists in the sewers, although one of the police officers dies. Batman also learns that the Rat King is planning an attack dubbed the "Day of Wrath". At the GCPD headquarters, Batman meets with Commissioner Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to discuss the Rat King. After Dent leaves, a sniper attempts to shoot Gordon and is pursued by Batman. Batman identifies the shooter as Shrike and learns that he is planning to display Rat King propaganda at the Monarch Theatre. Shrike attempts to kill Dent, but is defeated and commits suicide. With much of the public believing he murdered Shrike, Batman assumes the identity ofMatches Malone to infiltrateBlackgate Penitentiary and discover the Rat King's identity.
At Blackgate, Malone discovers the prison's security to be run by the TYGERprivate military firm led by Lyle Bolton, who has a disdain for criminals and often mistreats the prisoners. Over several days, Malone mingles with fellow inmates during the day while changing into Batman to investigate during the night. Malone meets Takeo Yamashiro who questions Malone and takes him to meet imprisoned crime boss Carmine Falcone. Malone also attends therapy sessions with Jonathan Crane and Harleen Quinzel, during which Quinzel becomes suspicious of Crane.
Malone deduces that Carmine Falcone might have information on the Rat King and unsuccessfully attempts to track him. The next day, Bolton beats Falcone in front of the prisoners and challenges one of them to stand up for Falcone. Accepting the offer, Malone jumps into the ring. Malone badly injures Bolton during the fight and is ultimately placed in solitary confinement next to the Joker, who recognizes him as Batman. Upon being released by Falcone, Malone witnesses the quarrels between Quinzel and Crane and investigates the latter. Upon rescuing Quinzel from TYGER, Batman discovers that Crane has been experimenting on his patients using hallucinogens.
Returning to his cell as Malone, he is violently dragged to an interrogation room where Gordon and Dent are waiting. They reveal to Malone that Yamashiro is missing and that his real name is Chris Nakano, an undercover police officer. Gordon and Dent believe Malone killed him, but Malone protests his innocence. At a hearing the following day, Crane attempts to drug Malone with fear toxin, but he knocks it away causing it to splash onto and disfigure Dent's face. Believing that Malone intentionally attacked him, Dent swears revenge as he is hospitalized.
Taken back to Blackgate, Malone is placed in agas chamber by Bolton who has decided to kill him using the attack on Dent as a pretext. He escapes with the help of the Rat Cultists, who believe Malone to be the Rat King. Batman boards a ship with many inmates awaiting in cells, Nakano among them, and discovers that the Day of Wrath is an attack on the GCPD and that the Rat King is an alternate personality of Dent. After the ship crashes into the GCPD building, Batman finds Dent holding Joe Chill, one of the inmates he befriended as Malone, at gunpoint. Dent reveals Joe to be the killer of Bruce Wayne's parents and attempts to execute him, but Batman stops him by unmasking himself as Bruce. While Chill leaves after apologizing, Dent struggles to process the revelation of his friend's double life and attempts to jump off the building, but is saved by Bruce.
In the aftermath, Malone is presumed to be the Rat King and still at large while Leslie Thompkins treats Dent for hisdissociative identity disorder. Although Dent has seemingly no recollection of his actions as the Rat King including the reveal of Batman's identity, another alternate personality tells Bruce that "this is the beginning of us".
During the credits, Thompkins informs Bruce that she has found a former Rat he had been asking about, and suggests that Bruce visit him. Chill returns to Blackgate on his own accord. Bolton is charged and he alongside all of TYGER are dismissed from their positions at Blackgate for their violent abuse of the prisoners along with assisting the Rat Cultists.
In a post-credits scene, Bruce arrives at Shrike's old apartment to helpDick Grayson, the former Rat Cultist that Thompkins spoke of, finish packing as he adopts him as his ward. As they leave, Dick mourns the loss of Shrike, but admits he could not be saved. However, Bruce assures him that everyone can be saved, something that Dick heartfully agrees on.
Camouflaj, the developer ofIron Man VR (2020),République (2016) led the game's development. Following the release ofIron Man VR in 2020,Meta Platforms approached Camouflaj for the development of a new project with a bigger budget and larger scope. Camouflaj then began pitching for a Batman game toWarner Bros. andDC Comics for six months, convincing them to greenlight the project after demonstrating two gameplay prototypes demonstrating the game's combat and transversal. Development of the game lasted for about four years.[6] Several employees fromRocksteady Studios, the original creator of the franchise, also joined the studio to assist the team. Camouflaj billedArkham Shadow as their biggest game to date, with its overall length being between that ofIron Man VR andArkham Asylum.[7]
The team chose the Rat King as its villain because the team wanted an antagonist fans of the franchise were not familiar with. The team wanted to use the opportunity to create an original story without being constrained by events of the Arkham series. The character is separate from the Ratcatcher, though the team affirmed he will play a big role in the game.[8] Inspired byHalf Life: Alyx (2020), the team strove to ensure that the transition between gameplay andcutscenes was seamless. Learning from player's feedback forIron Man VR, the team spent time to ensure that combat encounters were better paced so that players will not be fatigued easily. For the combat, the team attempted to recreate the free-flowing combat system from previousBatman games while implementing gesture-based controls, taking inspirations fromBeat Saber (2019) andSuperhot VR (2016).[4]Arkham Asylum also served as an important inspiration for the team, influencingShadow's structure, combat and overall scope.[9]
Ryan Payton, Camouflaj's founder and studio head, was questioned on a sequel toBatman: Arkham Shadow in an interview. His response was “We hope we make it a really easy decision for leadership over at Meta and at Warner Brothers to tap us on the shoulders to do a sequel... [And] we would very much love to do that.” While it is not confirmed, it is likely.
Arkham Shadow was officially announced in May 2024.[10] PublisherOculus Studios released the game forMeta Quest 3 andMeta Quest 3S in October 2024, and it was included for free with new headset purchases until April 30, 2025.[11][12]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 85/100[13] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8.5/10[14] |
| Digital Trends | 4/5[15] |
| Eurogamer | 4/5[16] |
| Game Informer | 8.75/10[18] |
| IGN | 8/10[17] |
Batman: Arkham Shadow received "generally favorable" reviews, according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic.[13]
Dan Stapleton ofIGN rated the game a score of 8 out of 10, praising the translation of theBatman: Arkham franchise into a VR format. Stapleton took note of the game's combat system and its differences to that of the main games. He characterized it as working "surprisingly well" and "interesting", though he criticized the stealth sections for their controls, as well as the game's bugs and boss fights, citing most of them as "unmemorable". He praised the fidelity of the game, labeling it "the best-looking [Meta] Quest-exclusive game I've played."[17]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Game Awards 2024 | Best AR/VR Game | Won | [19] |
| 2025 | New York Game Awards 2024 | Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game | Won | [20] |
| 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Action Game of the Year | Nominated | [21][22] | |
| Immersive Reality Game of the Year | Won | |||
| Immersive Reality Technical Achievement | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Technical Achievement | Nominated | |||
| 21st British Academy Games Awards | Technical Achievement | Longlisted | [23] | |
| Performer in a Leading Role (Roger Craig Smith as Batman, Bruce Wayne, Matches Malone) | Longlisted | |||
| Performer in a Supporting Role (Troy Baker as Harvey Dent, Rat King, Two-Face, Joker) | Longlisted |
Batman: Arkham franchise | |
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| Main games | |
| Spin-offs | |
| Comics | |
| Films | |
