Batman: Arkham VR Review. Become The Bat

Batman: Arkham VR is one of the best VR games/experiences I have played. Developed by Rocksteady Studios, the minds behind the Batman: Arkham Trilogy. They manage to bring a whole new meaning to the phase “I’m BATMAN!” exclusively to the Playstation VR.

Storyline

The story in Batman: Arkham VR is probably the best story available on the Playstation VR platform. I do not want to get into spoiler so I will just say this. Over the hour to an hour and a half story places will be immersed in a mystery plot the includes some of Batman’s closest allies. You will get to explore Gotham City, the Batcave and Wayne Manor in a way never seen before in a video game. It truly is a revolutionary experience.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Batman: Arkham VR is truly special. The game focuses on “The World’s Greatest Detective” side of Batman unlike in most other Batman games. This is due to the fact the it would be very difficult for Batman to do the Backflips and flow combat found in the standard Arkham games, without causing people nausea that is.

Throughout the game you will explore different locations all around Gotham City. Using your legendary gadgets such as the grappling hook and batarang to solve puzzles and find clues as you try to unravel the mysteries of this DC universe. After you finish the main story you can replay the game and search for the iconic Riddler trophies made infamous in the other Arkham games.

The biggest problem in games for the Playstation VR is the ability to traverse a game in a way that does not cause nausea. The developers at Rocksteady have managed to find an intuitive  way to tackle this problem in Batman: Arkham VR. Instead of walking around the locations you can teleport between a number of points in each locations, which you then get to look around in full 360 degrees immersion.

Graphics & Immersion

When I first booted up Batman: Arkham VR I could not believe my eyes. I found myself in a universe I had spent countless hours in before, across 3 previous games. The difference was this time I was there in 1st person. The amazing graphics found in the Arkham Trilogy have been miraculously transferred into this VR experience.

You have 2 options when playing Batman:Arkham VR, you can play in standing up or sitting down. I tried playing the game standing up however I found that after 15 or 20 minutes I became extremely nauseous for the first time while using the Playstation VR. So much that I had to stop playing the game all together. Playing the game sitting down on the other hand eliminated  the feeling of nausea all together. Sitting down while playing the game limits your maneuverability but it was the only way I  was able to play the game.

Controls

The game tells you that the best way to play Batman: Arkham VR is to use the motion controllers. However I had trouble with the motion controller often losing sync and making the game rather difficult to play, so I opted for the other option. Using the place Dualshock 4 I found that the controls were more natural. If there was something I wanted to pick up I just looked at it and pressed the cross button.

The gadgets were easily excessive using circle, square and R1 and the ability to teleport was mapped to the triangle button. The tracking on the headset worked perfectly as I looked around locations in all directions, even when i bent down to look under tables.