Tom Powter reviews Batman: Arkham VR…
Rocksteady’s acclaimed Arkham series managed to elevate Batman to a status not many licensed characters have achieved in the gaming industry. Adaptations of other material, such as movie tie-in games, have often been terrible and met with the appropriate reception. Rocksteady’s Arkham Asylum, while not a direct adaptation of any particular Batman story, proved not only that there was a place in video games for the Caped Crusader himself, but that comic books and other such mediums could in fact be turned into exceptional, compelling video games. Now, Rocksteady has brought their version of Gotham to Sony’s virtual reality headset, the PS VR and, despite a few technical hiccups, have delivered one of the biggest examples of how virtual reality can offer incredible experiences.
Arkham VR isn’t a part of the Rocksteady Arkham canon timeline, and instead offers its own standalone story. To this end, Rocksteady has opted for a story that focuses less on the ass-kicking action of Batman, and instead puts you on the trail of a killer, utilizing Batman’s various gadgets in order to track them down. And boy, what a trail it is, taking you through the dingy streets of Gotham, to the awe-inspiring Batcave and the surprisingly intense corridors of Arkham Asylum and bringing you face-to-face with some of Batman’s most beloved side characters. Batman: Arkham VR is perhaps one of the best showcases of virtual reality I’ve seen yet and is utterly and completely immersive – just as long as you can get it to work properly.
The set up for Arkham VR is a bit trickier than a lot of other virtual reality titles and I feel it’s necessary to bring this up first before anything else – the game absolutely needs the Move controllers and is better played when standing, so by extension, you need to allow yourself a lot of room to get the most out of the game. It took me a while and about three attempts to change up my room and camera placement before I finally felt like I was getting the true experience. For instance, there was a moment in the Batcave where there was a switch to my left that I simply couldn’t reach. It didn’t matter how much I turned and leaned, my virtual hands would disappear before I could get it. Standing and re-positioning my camera in an unorthodox place solved the issue and I had a fantastic time, but let it be known that there can be hurdles to overcome, depending on the room you have available.
For those of you who might have been concerned Rocksteady would tone things down a bit for virtual reality, fear not – their depiction of Gotham City remains a dank, treacherous and seedy place, with neon-soaked streets and tall, high-rise buildings. I’m fairly sure it’s never really day time in this place – but the tone is just perfect. For Arkham VR to truly immerse you, the world would have had to have been believable and it really is. Graphically, this is one of the prettier, more detailed PS VR games. Lighting effects paint the cobblestones in brushstrokes of occasional colour, and getting up close and personal with characters like The Penguin reveal detailed facial features. Were it not for the blurred effect of the PS VR itself, the game would probably look almost as good its predecessors. The acting and writing is also great and by the time you discover the murder scene, you’ll absolutely want to solve the mystery.
Not that solving it will take too long. Batman: Arkham VR is disappointingly, almost brutally, short. The story is wrapped up within the hour, although solving the Riddler puzzles can extend that to about two hours. Don’t get me wrong, as a virtual reality experience, it’s among the best you can get right now. Characters feel jarringly real as they lean in close to you (a spectacular example being right at the very start of the game) and the game can be legitimately evocative, with the ending especially being some of the most tense virtual reality moments I’ve ever had. But all of that can’t disguise that Batman: Arkham VR is more a tease than anything else – a fleeting, albeit promising, look at what the future of virtual reality holds when the developers really put the work in. Rocksteady have undeniably crafted Gotham to the same standard as their other Arkham games, so it’s a real shame you don’t get to explore it properly and take in the atmosphere.
That extends to the gameplay as well. It’s half incredibly satisfying and half somewhat disappointing. Virtual reality is currently being plagued by the issue of motion sickness, which effects a number of users. Of course, Batman is quite the mover and some of the coolest moments of the game place you atop buildings, peering down at roads far below before you move from balcony to balcony – except, you don’t really move. Rocksteady has chosen to combat motion sickness by having the player teleport from place to place. Now, it works better than I thought it would and it’s also less intrusive than I thought it’d be. Teleporting for instance is utterly seamless and doesn’t really break the immersion. Having said that, the game is already full of restrictions – it’s a short, hour-long narrative that pushes you from scenario to scenario. It’s not so much a game as it is a sneak peek at what could be down the line.
Having said that, there are some moments of pure awe. Descending into the Batcave is stunning and the environments all feel equally realistic and wonderful and all are dripping with character and atmosphere. A late game area feels suitably claustrophobic and frightening, while Wayne Manor is a pretty impressive building. Throwing your Batarangs is a real highlight (even though you can’t really miss, it’s undeniably awesome) and there was a moment where I was allowed to wield Ra’s al Ghul’s sword for a moment. I decided to test the limits of the Move controllers and proceeded to throw the sword from one hand to the other, trying to catch it. The moment I managed it, I was completely taken. It was an utterly transcendent moment where I well and truly felt I was right there, doing that. The Move controllers are old technology yes, but when they work, when you have the room to make them work, they can produce mindbogglingly good results.
So can I recommended Arkham VR? Well that’s a hard question. If you’re a fan of Rocksteady’s Batman games then absolutely. You truly are the Batman and, despite its short length, it’s a great experience and one of the best adverts for virtual reality you will see at launch. However, if you’re not already a fan of those games, it’s tough. At £15.99, Arkham VR is an expensive hour. The game has little to no replay value – once you’ve taken maybe another hour to wrap up the Riddler stuff, you really are done. However, Batman is an undeniably fantastic way to show off not only the capability of virtual reality, but also the potential. At the same time, the game showcases some of the technology’s biggest limits. There’s no denying though that once you put on the cowl, and you really do put on the cowl, you’re in for one hell of a ride.
Pros
+ Utterly incredible sense of immersion. This is VR at its best.
+ Rocksteady brings its familiar brand of attention to detail to VR.
+ Looks pretty, for a VR game.
+ Some amazing gameplay moments that really showcase the need for Move controllers.
+ Compelling, if short, story.
Cons
– It’s expensive for how short it is.
– Speaking of which, it’s only an hour long.
– The game is limited by the amount of space you have, and it can be a real deal-breaker.
Rating: 7/10
Reviewed on the PS4, with the PS VR headset.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Batman: Return to Arkham here
Tom Powter
