05/07/2024
Batman: Arkham Shadow - A New VR Experience Inspired by Arkham Asylum Unveiled at Summer Game Fest 2024
The Summer Game Fest 2024 brought exciting news for Batman fans as developer Camouflaj, known for Iron Man VR, and publisher Oculus Studios revealed the first cinematic story trailer for Batman: Arkham Shadow, a Meta Quest 3-exclusive title. Camouflaj studio head Ryan Payton shared several new gameplay details, emphasizing that the game is deeply inspired by Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Set for release in Fall 2024, Arkham Shadow is officially part of the Arkham-verse, positioned between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum. The game features Roger Craig Smith returning as Batman and promises origin stories for villains like Scarecrow and Harley Quinn. The plot revolves around the abduction of public officials, including Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent, by a new antagonist, the Rat King, who plans to execute them for their perceived crimes against Gotham City. Players will step into Batman’s shoes to thwart these plans, facing moral choices along the way.
Arkham Shadow aims to deliver a full Arkham experience in VR, incorporating elements such as a combo-driven combat system, gliding with Batman’s cape for sneak attacks, and using Detective Mode to plan strategies from above. Players can also throw Batarangs to maintain combos, drop smoke bombs for quick escapes, and use the Grapnel gun to navigate Gotham’s rooftops. Unlike the open-world design of Arkham City or Arkham Knight, Arkham Shadow follows a more structured approach reminiscent of Rocksteady’s original Arkham Asylum.
Payton explained, “Batman: Arkham Shadow is very much inspired by Arkham Asylum in terms of scope and scale, and also the structure of the game. It’s about exploration, free-flow locomotion, and moment-to-moment combat. Our pitch to Warner Bros. was to reimagine these elements for VR, making them feel like an evolution. You’ll experience crowd control combat, counters, and bone-crushing Arkham-style fights—all in first-person VR.”
The game promises to feature boss battles, Detective Mode investigations, and significant cinematic moments where players confront classic DC characters face-to-face as Batman. Payton concluded, “Arkham Asylum is our North Star. This project, four years in the making, is the biggest and longest game Camouflaj has ever created.”