The first gameplay trailer for the upcoming Batman: Arkham Shadow appeared at Gamescom's Opening Night Live presentation tonight, giving us our first proper look at the upcoming VR version of the adventures of the most therapy-averse billionaire in history.
The new trailer focuses on exploration, dialogue, and of course, plenty of fistfights, as the world's greatest detective brutally beats down dozens of henchmen and minions in his path to ensure nothing ever really improves in the grim, crumbling metropolis of Gotham City.
“A corrupt system has failed you,” the evil Rat King (at least, I assume it’s the Rat King) says at one point. “Aren’t you angry? Fight back!” The man has a point, right? If your life is an endless swamp of futility and hopelessness, and the best the people in power can offer you is a punch to the lips from a guy dressed as a flying rat, well, I guess I’d be a little angry about some things, too.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Camouflaj, the developer of Batman: Arkham Shadow, claims to have “reimagined the core Arkham experience for VR,” and that it has taken particular inspiration from Arkham Asylum's “intricate, interconnected level design.” The new game is set between the events of Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, and will feature Roger Craig Smith (the voice of Batman in Arkham Origins) in the title role, alongside fellow Arkham veterans Troy Baker as Harvey Dent, Tara Strong as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Mark Rolston as James Gordon, and Martin Jarvis as Alfred Pennyworth.
“Batman: Arkham Shadow will push Meta Quest 3 to the limit, offering players an up-close look at Gotham City and delivering an Arkham experience that will resonate with longtime fans,” Meta said in a press release. “We're very excited about this game and can't wait to get it in your hands in October.”
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Of course, most “long-time fans” of the Arkham games won't get much out of this one. Regardless of how good it turns out to be, being a VR game (a Meta Quest 3 exclusive, at that) puts it out of reach for most gamers. For those who carry the Meta Quest 3 console, it's a good idea to get a VR experience that's not a good fit. The latest and greatest virtual reality equipmentBatman: Arkham Shadow looks to be pretty solid, but after almost 10 years since the last Arkham game, that's Arkham Knight In 2015 (no, I'm not counting Suicide Squad here), you can understand why Arkham fans in general might be a little disappointed.
A release date has not yet been set for Batman: Arkham Shadow, but it is scheduled to arrive sometime in October.
