Arkham Shadow sur PC par jeuxvideo.com

The new part of the Arkhamverse

Camouflaj Studios takes over the Arkhamverse after Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Montreal to tell a brand new adventure of the Dark Knight which is officially part of the video game saga. Arkham Shadow is set two years after the events recounted in Arkham Origins and places the vigilante facing a less iconic, but equally formidable, villain.first appeared in Arkham Asylum. On this July 4th, Gotham City faces a new threat: the mysterious Rat King and his sect of fanatics. As riots engulf the city, Batman embarks on a frantic race to prevent the advent of a prophesied “Day of Rage”… before the fateful point of no return.

In his quest for justice, Bruce Wayne crosses paths with several iconic characters from the series including Doctors Quinzel and Crane, long before they became the infamous Harley Quinn and The Scarecrow, but also Harvey Dent, Carmine Falcone, law enforcement representative Jim Gordon and many others. Respect for the license, the characters and the Arkhamverse is to the credit of the studios as it is obvious by enriching the lore without ever disavowing itwhich is a sine qua non condition for not attracting the wrath of fans. Then, the title developed by Camouflaj aims to be immersive to the last degree, even beyond virtual reality.

The story, which is in no way optional for the Arkhamverse, is experienced through the eyes of Batman and only Batman while the narration is limited to a minimalist exposition scene before getting to the heart of the matter and with a few cutscenes obviously in subjective view to cement the whole thing. Finally, Batman: Arkham Shadow begins in media res. Players are plunged without notice into an epic that takes around ten hours to see the end of.understand here “finish the story without completing the game 100%”. These choices of production and writing fully immerse the vigilantes in the heart of the city of Gotham during a race against the clock led at full speed.

An immersive quest for justice

Camouflaj Studios took on the challenge of adapting the gameplay of the Arkham video game series designed by Rocksteady to a whole new way of playing, and it was a real success. Virtual reality has the gift of fully immersing you in a universe and this could not be more true than in Arkham Shadow. Everything is designed to make you take on the role of Gotham's protector. You are revenge… You are Batman, which makes all the difference with the previous parts of the saga where you “simply” play Batman.

The controls are intuitive, both in combat and for infiltrating, investigating and moving in controlled environments. It is not a question here of exploring an open world, the adventure taking place mainly within the walls of Blackgate penitentiary, but of living an adventure placed on rails, but what an adventure! Batman: Arkham Shadow does not shine through its technique, which is honest for a virtual reality video game, but through its dark and gothic artistic direction which aims to be respectful of frankness.

We still deplore some visual and technical bugs which in no way ruin this quest for justice, but which deserve to be corrected. One thing is certain… The immersion is total. No other “Batman” video game can give you such an experience, VR having this immersive power that belongs only to it. Finally, we did not suffer from any Motion Sickness, an evil inherent to virtual reality, but which is absent in Arkham Shadow.

In the shoes of the Dark Knight

Batman: Arkham Shadow takes up the main playful principles of the saga initiated by Rocksteady, but in the first person and in VR, which changes a lot of things. It's always about facing hordes of enemies or eliminating them discreetly, investigating and solving puzzles to advance the plot. Camouflaj has thus transposed the Free Flow combat system and that of infiltration to adapt to the needs of VR for a result which exceeds all our expectations.

It's so electrifying to face multiple opponents and showcase our talents as martial artists in particularly brutal and rewarding clashes. The studios have found the perfect balance between freedom of action and “rhythm game” to make the Dark Knight a formidable opponent who is pleasant to take control of. The same goes for sequences requiring a bit of discretion. Batman moves in the shadows, swooping down on his enemies to eliminate them one by one and using his famous Bat-gadgets to progress through the environments.

Bruce Wayne also unlocks new passive and/or active abilities which greatly facilitate the adventure. This “Light RPG” dimension which concerns armor, combat skills, etc. fits in perfectly without overly weighing down the adventure. Batman thus increases his skills without said mechanics becoming (too) predominant. Most of the experience is seen through the eyes of the vigilante, and not in menus, which is fundamental to immersing you in this universe. The only downside is that a slight feeling of redundancy can be felt after several hours with the headset screwed onto your head.

Conclusion