Batman: Arkham Shadow

Batman: Arkham Shadow is an action-adventure video game played from a first-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 previous Arkham games returns in Shadow, 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.

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, and stealth tactics such as silent takedowns, inverted takedowns, and hiding in grates can be used against armed enemies. Batman also has a large arsenal of tools, such as smoke bombs and batarangs, which can aid him in combat and stealth.

Set six months after the events of Batman: Arkham Origins and three months after the events of Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013), the game follows a young but confident Batman (Roger Craig Smith) who must prevent the mysterious Rat King from executing public officials such as District Attorney Harvey Dent (Troy Baker) and Police Commissioner Jim Gordon (Mark Rolston) and unleashing chaos in Gotham City on the Fourth of July. Batman's allies include his loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth (Martin Jarvis), philanthropist Leslie Thompkins (Mara Junot), Wayne Enterprises business manager Lucius Fox (Dave Fennoy), and Gordon's daughter Barbara (Chelsea Kane). Dick Grayson (Josh Keaton) also makes a brief appearance in the game's post-credits scene.

The game primarily takes place within Blackgate Penitentiary, which is run by Dr. Jonathan Crane (Elijah Wood), Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Tara Strong), and TYGER head of security Lyle Bolton (Earl Baylon). Among the prisoners are crime boss Carmine Falcone (Darin De Paul), the Joker (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), and Deathstroke (Rolston).

Camouflaj, the developer of Iron Man VR (2020) and République (2016), led the game's development. Following the release of Iron 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 to Warner Bros. and DC Comics for six months, convincing them to greenlight the project after presenting two gameplay prototypes demonstrating the game's combat and traversal.

Development of the game lasted about four years. Several employees from Rocksteady Studios, the original creator of the Batman: Arkham franchise, joined the studio to assist in the game's development. Camouflaj billed Arkham Shadow as their biggest game to date, with its overall length being between that of Iron Man VR and Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Batman: Arkham Shadow received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received "mighty" approval, being recommended by 100% of critics.

Dan Stapleton of IGN rated the game a score of 8 out of 10, praising the translation of the Batman: Arkham franchise into a VR format. Stapleton took note of the game's combat and its differences from the series' previous combat systems. 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."