As I expected, it seems to be a direct sequel to Origins, with Roger Craig Smith back, Barbara not paralyzed yet, Harleen still a psychiatrist, etc.
Disney100 Marathon | DreamWorks MarathonClownPuncher139 managed to get a lucky plane trip to demo Arkham Shadow for some early impressions. This look includes original B-roll footage not seen in previous trailers.
So far, the game has a positive outlook. The controls adapts the usual Arkham combat, traversal, and stealth mechanics with no noticeable compromises, despite the first person perspective.
You can still use gadgets between attacks, crouch slide into grates, evade with the grapple gun, and cape stun. Combat introduces pressure point strikes to vary to attack swings, and contains hidden mechanics.
The only quip he had was the awkward nature of dropping down from ledges in Predator sections. However, he told the team to look into it.
Apparently, the Bat-a-rang used in the game is actually the Bat-Emblem, and there will be a multi-rang function.
Furthermore, Dick Grayson is confirmed to have an appearance here. Barbara Gordon will also be in the comms.
Edited by XMenMutant22 on Sep 2nd 2024 at 12:24:34 PM
Recently, Elijah Wood has been confirmed as the voice actor for Jonathan Crane in Batman: Arkham Shadow. Furthermore, Batman Arkham Videos uploaded an official Q&A and new gameplay from developer Camouflaj.
By the way, the game comes out tomorrow on the Meta Quest:
Edited by XMenMutant22 on Oct 21st 2024 at 3:27:59 PM
Welcome back to the Arkham's past, as Arkham Shadow has been out for a day. So far, the positive impression of the VR game has been consistent in the final release. Which is good, and has been favorably considered a must-playb for the platform, like Half-Life: Alyx and Assassin's Creed: Nexus.
Arkham Videos just started their usual no-commentary playthrough of the game. Though in amusing fashion, they still pantonmine a lot of the animation quirks that Arkham Batman does for his idles.
Some observations:
- Probably the most overtly political (in terms of revolutionary and campaigning themes) for Arkham stories, but it works for the uprising story of The Rats.
- Riddler Trophies are replaced by Rat Idols. They're not annoying brain teasers, but akin to the other collectable like Asylum's chattering teeth.
- I love how the game remembers you can control your arms. Therefore, some of the traversal requires carefully scaling across blocks and ledges mountain-climber style.
- The game's dialogue can be legitimately funny, usually in a dry way. Barbara and Bats being a notable highlight.
- Leslie Thompkins finally makes a major appearance and it's outright shown that Bruce already trusted his secret to her.
- Arkhamverse Matches Malone is real!
- So there's some interesting canon-welding going on, regarding the origin of one of Bats' accomplices. Shrike is the prologue foe, and he's assisted by a dual-wielding young boy voiced by Scott Porter. Neat way of adapting Robin Year One...
X2: Yes, this game has been marketed as being a full 10 hour game experience, with a proper story, combat, predator, and upgrade systems. Unlike Batman: Arkham VR, its execution is not a glorified tech demo or teleport simulator.
Timeline-wise, the game makes it clear that it's a direct sequel to Arkham Origins and Blackgate. Plus, I think this the rare Arkham game to have the events take place over multiple nights.
Edited by XMenMutant22 on Oct 23rd 2024 at 3:43:33 PM
Question: should the Ventriloquist and Ratcatcher's character entries be moved from Batman: Arkham Series – Rogues Gallery (Misc.) to Batman Arkham Series Rogues Gallery Shadow, since while they showed up in the dubiously canon comics more than a decade ago they only made their game debuts in Arkham Shadow?
Children of Dievas - my webcomic about the Northern CrusadesYeah, I'm definetly moving Ventriloquist, since he didn'y even appear in the comics, he was just mentioned couple of times in Asylum and City.
Children of Dievas - my webcomic about the Northern CrusadesHave to say Bruce confronting a demonic version of Batman that embodies all his fears about becoming a monster, after being exposed to Crane's experimental fear toxin is a much better execution of the idea than Squads and Knights.
I'm blanking on how Gotham Knights used the concept. Are you referring to the resurrected Bruce Wayne, via Lazarus Put, fighting against the player in the last level?
But yeah, it's funny how the concept has been used so closely in recent Batman media. In this case, it's almost as if Batman has his Persona battle. Fitting, considering both games thematically involve Jungian shadows.
I just finished the playthrough of Arkham Shadow, and I'm still in love with the characterizations for the Origins-era characters. Due to the nature of the history, Bruce feels way more vulnerable, and his work-in-progress stoicism helps highlight his moments of genuine expression.
The trope page points out how the Arkham Series naturally borrows from B:TAS, and I think this unintentionally reflects on Batman's character too. Origins/Shadow reflecting on the initial run of Bats/Bruce, while Arkham Asylum to Knight reflecting on his more sour TNBA's take.
The "Batman's greatest fear is becoming the Joker" thing was more or less okay, I think. It required a lot of forcing the issue to push it into making sense, seeing as it's a fear that was only possible at all because Batman was literally infected by the Joker's personality due to Artistic License – Biology.
Part of the issue imo is that (with the exception of Origins, as
says, which has by far the best narrative of the lot) Arkham's characterizations for most of the cast, up to and including Batman, aren't really all that great.
And rather than him having a strong enough characterization to really sell the "he's afraid his methods could turn him into a monster" bit, they had to force it by having him literally be turning into Joker.
Edited by KnownUnknown on Nov 3rd 2024 at 11:04:30 AM
Which is amusing, considering the games are pretty notorious for how much their version of Batman is willing to brutalize mooks within a millimeter of their life.
Hell, Knight got a lot of eyebrows for Batman equipping his Batmobile with nonlethal ballistic rounds that definitely aren't similar to guns. Though I wanna say the section where you play as Imaginary Joker towards the end does touch on that, at least.
🏳️⚧️she/her | Vio Rhyse AlberiaSince an evil Batman would be Lawful Evil instead of Chaotic Evil it'd be interesting to see a version where his greatest fear is not turning into a Joker but into a Ra's al Ghul, ruling the world with fear and an iron hand and oppressing the heroes.
Please remember that, ultimately, fictional works of entertainment are just that.Grim Knight.
Like yeah he killed all of his villains, but it didn't feel like Bruce and him had much to say to each other. Compared to how Bruce and Thomas Wayne had plenty.
Like some kind of "your way isn't working" kind of conversation.
Plus a Batman who uses guns seems like a hell of an opponent given he has the same tactical mind as Bruce - he turned Gotham into a police state.
I would love to see him interact with Dr Batman, Failsafe, and Ghost Maker.
Honestly, that's kind of an issue the Dark Knights have besides the BWL, they barely interact with Bruce despite all the interesting potential there, and even in the original series, Bruce had like one scene with BWL, didn't even comment on how the League killed all the other bat fakes.
Heck, part of the reason for the BWL miniseries was so Bats could interact more personally with BWL, but the same courtesy wasn't given to Grim Knight.
I DO like the miniseries and BWL actually does work great as a villain there.
"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"My favorite of the evil Batman-types was probably Dawnbreaker, just because I really like the idea of "what if, rather than the years of training and soul searching that resulted in the more or less functional and judicial man Batman became, Bruce Wayne was just handed superpowers while still a child right after the tragedy, long before he developed and matured, back when the fury was raw and without direction?"
Of all of them, at least imo, that idea feels the most like "what if a slight change in events and choices led Bruce down a darker path." Especially since a bunch of the other ones are just "someone Bruce cared about dies and he goes bananas", which are fine - don't get me wrong - just less interesting, and TBWH is literally just "what if there was a poison that could just make Batman go bananas against his will" which is just...
...wait.
Oh, crap. Arkham Bruce was going to become The Batman Who Laughs. The horror.
Edited by KnownUnknown on Nov 4th 2024 at 4:50:31 AM

A brand new gameplay trailer for Arkham Shadow has dropped. It features the first person combat, stealth, and Detective Mode aspect in play.
Batman Arkham Videos also did their own breakdown of the trailer, revealing some story elements presented (such as a boss fight with Lock-Up
, and Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent discussing matters)