Summary
- Batman: Arkham Shadow introduces new characters like Leslie Thompkins and delves into Batman's darker psychology.
- The game reveals insights into Batman's disguises like Matches Malone, Oracle's origins, and Two-Face's tragic backstory.
- Arkham Shadow features a compelling narrative with the introduction of the Rat King as the main villain, leading to surprising twists.
The latest entry in the Arkhamverse, Batman: Arkham Shadow, has come out for the Meta Quest 3, providing fans with an immersive Batman experience with all the superhero action and stealth that other Arkham games are known for. It also features a compelling story with multiple twists as well as new lore added to the still-expanding universe.
Every Arkhamverse Game In Chronological Order
Since beginning in 2009 with Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Arkhamverse has expanded and become a rather convoluted timeline with sequels and prequels.
Part of what makes the Arkhamverse so iconic is that it's not a typical take on the Batman world. The games always add new ideas, characters, and events that build the world to make it the most fleshed-out DC universe thus far in gaming, and Batman: Arkham Shadow keeps that tradition going.
Major story spoilers ahead for Batman: Arkham Shadow
9 Leslie Thompkins Joins The Arkhamverse
Leslie Is Bruce's Surrogate Mother
- Leslie Thompkins first appeared in Detective Comics #457
- A good friend of the Waynes.
Leslie Thompkins, a friend of the Wayne family, is one of the few people who know Batman's alter ego. When Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered, Leslie was as much of a parent for Bruce as Alfred Pennyworth was, and Batman: Arkham Shadow introduces her by revealing that she was the first one to see a sobbing Bruce kneeling before his dead parents.
Leslie Thompkins is a recurring character in Arkham Shadow, both in the present and in flashbacks. Leslie is trying to help Batman uncover the Rat King's identity, but every night when Batman sleeps, he relives memories of living with Leslie Thompkins as a boy with his best friend Harvey Dent, creating a family dynamic that makes future events far more heartbreaking.
8 Matches Malone
Batman Is A Master Of Disguise
- Batman has always been heavily inspired by Sherlock Holmes.
- Batman's Matches Malone disguise originated in Batman #242
The mystery of the Rat King's identity has forced Batman to be more than a vigilante who punches information out of criminals. To continue his investigation, he has to infiltrate Blackgate Prison, which results in him embracing his inner Sherlock Holmes by taking on a convincing disguise as a Gothamite criminal known as Irving 'Matches' Malone.
The Matches Malone identity has been used throughout the comics and other adaptations, but this is the first time in the many the Batman: Arkham games have used it or Bruce Wayne's tenacity for disguises. It allows for an in-depth look at Blackgate, but Roger Craig Smith flexes his vocal strength with distinct voices for all three personas.
7 Oracle Begins
Barbara Gordon Was Oracle Before She Was Batgirl
- Barbara Gordon first appeared in Detective Comics #359 in 1967.
- Barbara was revealed as Oracle in Suicide Squad #23 in 1989.
Batman: Arkham Shadow takes place sometime between Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Asylum, with Barbara Gordon still a teenager trying to help Gotham however she can. Just like in Arkham Origins, Barbara is a computer genius who can hack into any system and database, which is why Batman and Alfred ask for her help in finding the Rat King.
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Barbara takes on the codename Oracle for the first time and while Batman is reluctant at first, he later refers to her as Oracle proudly. In most versions of the DC universe, Barbara Gordon starts as Batgirl before becoming Oracle, but Arkham Shadow shows that Oracle was her calling from the start before she transitioned into vigilantism.
6 Two-Face's Darker Origins
Harvey Dent's Struggles Are Made Even More Tragic
- Harvey Dent and The Joker are both played by Troy Baker.
Two-Face has been a recurring Batman villain in the Arkham games, but Batman: Arkham Shadow finally puts him in the spotlight. In the flashbacks to their childhood, Harvey Dent is shown to be like a brother to Bruce Wayne and this relationship is what leads Bruce to learn that Harvey's father was abusive.
Batman: Arkham Shadow makes it clear that Harvey was the subject of relentless beatings, but also reveals that the Dissociative Identity Disorder that afflicts him as Two-Face is hereditary. Harvey's father would constantly swap from a bright persona who was kind and supportive to a dark one who would flip a coin to decide his cruel acts, making Two-Face's origin even sadder.
5 Lock-Up Is A Zealous Batman Fan
An Example Of How Toxic Fans Can Be Dangerous
- Lock-Up is one of several characters who debuted in Batman: The Animated Series.
One of the more prominent side villains in Batman: Arkham Shadow is Warden Lyle Bolton of Blackgate Prison. He's relentless in his pursuit of justice for the city of Gotham, which sounds good at first, but his version of justice is simply to torture, maim, or even kill any person who breaks any law, no matter how small or petty the crime may be.
Lyle Bolton is also known as the villain Lock-Up, created in Batman: The Animated Series. Lock-Up in Arkham Shadow is revealed to be a deranged fanatic of Batman, idolizing him to a disturbing degree, and even tries to convince Batman to adopt lethal methods, but when Batman rejects him, Lock-Up becomes his enemy.
4 The Shadow
Batman Struggles With His Dark Side
- The Shadow represents Batman's darkest impulses and desires.
- The Joker sees a similar monster in Batman: Arkham Origin.
Seemingly taking inspiration from the Batman: Ego comic, Batman: Arkham Shadow reveals that Batman has an even darker person inside of him known only as the Shadow. Throughout the story, Batman struggles between doing the right thing and succumbing to his rage, nearly dropping his no-killing rule in pursuit of justice.
When Batman is subjected to the first version of fear toxin created by Jonathan Crane, Batman meets his Shadow, a nightmarish evil version of Batman who wants to take over their shared mind and unleash punishment on Gotham. Bruce defeats the monster in his mind, locking it away until it resurfaces as an antagonist in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
3 Batman Accidentally Created Two-Face
There Is A Clever Twist To How Harvey Was Scarred
- Two-Face first appeared in Detective Comics #66
Bruce Wayne goes so deep undercover as Matches Malone that he stands trial with Harvey Dent as his defense attorney. However, anybody who knows the origin story of Two-Face likely knows what's coming when the sequence starts. Harvey, in one of the series' scariest moments, is the unfortunate victim of a chemical attack and the left side of his face and torso are melted away.
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However, Batman: Arkham Shadow manages to still throw in a surprise by having it so that Jonathan Crane was originally going to dowse Matches Malone with the chemical. In the chaos, Bruce counters the attack, accidentally splashing the compound onto Harvey to create Two-Face and cement why Bruce feels so guilty about Two-Face in other games.
2 Batman Meets His Parents' Killer
He Was Under The Player's Nose The Whole Game
- First appeared in Detective Comics #33
- Joe Chill murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne
Throughout Batman's many days infiltrating Blackgate, there is a recurring character named Joe who befriends Matches Malone and is shown to be a model prisoner for the most part. This makes him a potential suspect for the Rat King, but the truth is far more interesting than that because, in the climactic showdown against Two-Face, it is revealed that Joe is actually Joe Chill.
Joe Chill in most Batman mythologies is the man who mugged and murdered the Waynes. Batman: Arkham Shadow cleverly hid this twist with hints of the truth, but kept it vague just enough until the final reveal. The most surprising part is that Batman doesn't even try to confront Joe but instead lets him go so that he can take on Two-Face.
1 The Rat King
Arkham Games Love Using The Secret Villain Trope
- The Rat King is a new villain, not to be confused with the Ratcatcher.
The main overarching villain of Batman: Arkham Shadow is the Rat King, an original villain who has plunged Gotham City into a nearly apocalyptic world. Batman, Alfred, Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, and others spend the whole game trying to figure out who the mysterious cult leader is, and the truth is a common trope in the Arkham games.
In the end, it is revealed that the Rat King is none other than Harvey Dent, a result of his Dissociative Identity Disorder. He led the Rats because his dark side believed that true justice was vengeance and his upbringing had pushed him over the edge. This is similar to Black Mask and Arkham Knight, who were also revealed to just be smokescreens for familiar villains.
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- Top Critic Rating: 86/100 Critics Recommend: 100%
- Platform(s)
- Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S
- Released
- October 21, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Camouflaj
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
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