BATMAN: ARKHAM VR
Don your headset for the ultimate cape escape
Do you want to be Batman? Know what it feels like to slip on his gauntlets, look down and see Batarangs clipped handily to your belt, and don that cowl? It’s a simple question, and one that Rocksteady has been supplying the answer to, albeit in 2D form, since the studio’s first foray into the dark world of the Caped Crusader in Arkham Asylum. But now, being Batman in virtual reality is cause for wild-eyed, cackling glee. (Don’t worry, we’re all sane in here.) A fresh slice of Bat-action, Arkham VR is a self-contained story built from the ground up for PS VR. Nothing has been forced. From studying your bruised fists in Wayne Manor to actually descending into the Batcave, it’s all been crafted for the headset. There are few words adequate to describe exactly how joyous you’ll feel as you don the Batsuit piece by piece, trying its tools for size and clipping them to your utility belt, before gazing into a mirror at Batman, raising his fists as your own and tilting your head. The only thing he won’t have that you will is a ridiculous grin.
The story itself is about an hour in length (more if you spend time just looking at the rain- drenched streets of Gotham), and, using the strengths of VR, leans on the World’s Greatest Detective angle. While you can move around each area to designated points via a blinkstyle teleport mechanic – no nausea whatsoever here – this is a world that requires scrutiny with your Forensic Scanner, and it’s all oh-so-touchable.
From expertly rewinding crime scenes with a tilt of your PS Move wand to physically rebuilding debris, this is an astonishingly tactile world. Screens buzz gently at your touch. The grapnel gun clicks satisfyingly to your belt. Need a Batarang? Soon you won’t even look down to see where they are. You will feel like Batman, and it’s gloriously exhilarating.
HEAVY WAYNE
The narrative itself is too good to spoil but it’s safe to say that Batman’s world becomes far more intense when you’re inside it. While you’ll wish you were in control of the sequences between scenes – there’s sadly no Batmobile action or brawling – there’s lots here that Arkham veterans will admire. And once the story’s complete the true fun begins. Riddler Challenges make a welcome return and, whether that means questionmark-flavoured target practice in the Batcave or rebuilding an Enigma machine in 3D, Rocksteady has made sure there are enough bonus discoverables to sate our desire for heroics.
It’s the experiential moments that make this truly special: wielding Harley Quinn’s baseball bat in the case files section or standing in front of character recreations, taking in the terrifying make up of Mark Hamill’s Joker as he leers at you, inches from your face. Arkham Asylum might have been a serious house on serious earth, but this is serious fun.
“YOU REALLY WILL FEEL LIKE BATMAN, AND IT’S GLORIOUSLY EXHILARATING.”