GAME REVIEW: Batman: Arkham VR – Holy Immersion, Batman!

Arkham VR

A new Batman experience by Rocksteady, the developers of the Batman: Arkham series that definitely delivers. At about an hour of play time in the main story and at least one and a half hours playing through it again to get all the Riddler cubes and puzzles it’s quite short, and some might think that it’s not necessarily worth the purchase, but for fans of the Arkham series, it is most definitely a must. From playing around in the Batcave to investigating a crime scene, this game is a fun conclusion to the saga that will have you asking yourself what is real and what isn’t. And as an added bonus: If you didn’t already hate the Riddler and his puzzles, you will after his Batarang challenge.

The controls in Batman: Arkham VR are the best PS Move controls available on the PS VR, having the least bugs out of all of the games I have played with the headset so far. The game has you fetch gadgets from your utility belt to use in certain situations, picking them up with the trigger at the back of the PS Move controller, and throwing or pointing them at things to make the game progress. Or not. Depends on if you decided to throw batarangs at the Penguin’s face for the last 10 minutes or whether you actually tried to get into the Batwing instead.

The game’s short but sweet story mode is filled with jump-scares and plot twists, but still manages to weave them together in a way that feels right. With both subtle and direct references to the previous titles in the series, Batman: Arkham VR manages to literally keep you on your toes the whole time, unless you chose to sit down while playing, in which case both the game and I judge you for not playing it the right way. Either way, it’ll knock your bat-socks off with an all-star Batman and Robin cast featuring blue Robin, red Robin, Batman, dead Robin, Mark Hamill, Bruce Wayne, “riddle guy”, and Alfred.

Playing through the game a second time, there are a bunch of Riddler puzzles and boxes hidden around the game, from Wayne Manor and the Batcave to Gotham sewers. For a truly immersive experience, it’s better to own a Nosulus Rift, so as to really smell the disgusting sewage system as you puzzle your way through your journey. Jokes aside, Riddler’s puzzles are usually hidden quite well, sometimes only visible if you’re really looking, other times even only with the scanner, forcing you to point the PS Move controller in basically every direction until you see the typical scratched green writing that makes you wonder how the hell Batman couldn’t see the writing without the scanner. Usually the writing is in the form of a riddle, making you actually try to find a solution that would be both close by and fit properly.

Although Batman: Arkham VR is not the game that will justify your PS VR purchase, it is still my favourite one thus far and I hope that it will set the standard of quality for future VR games. Rocksteady did not disappoint with the final entry in the Batman: Arkham saga, even if it is a bit short.

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