Roughly 15 years since its inception, theArkhamseries is still revered to a high standard and has an upcoming entry,Batman: Arkham Shadow, exclusive to the Meta Quest 3.Known for its world-building, lore, and combat, theBatman: Arkhamseries has several elements that give it its edge in the superhero video game realm, which is something that Camouflaj,Batman: Arkham Shadow’s developer, had to explore and implement carefully over the last four years of development.
One of the crucial aspects that the team had to decide was whereArkham Shadowfalls within the timeline of the franchise’s other installments. In a recent interview with Game Rant, Camouflaj Founder and Studio Head Ryan Payton said that the studio wants to put players on an “emotional” journey that not only has all the technical elements ofpriorArkhamgamesbut also a meaningful story to create a “good Batman tale.”
Arkham Shadow Features A Younger Bruce Wayne
Arkham Shadowtakes place betweenArkham OriginsandArkham Asylum. In today’s trailer, a distraught Batman narrates what’s happening to his city—a voice that Arkhamverse fans will recognize. Roger Craig Smith will bereprising his role as Batman inArkham Shadow, which was an intentional decision, Payton said.
Smith first entered the Arkhamverse inArkham Origins, which is chronologically the first notch in theArkhamtimeline. Smith’s Bruce Wayne represented a less-experienced Batman, but the actor hasn’t reprised the role sinceBlackgate. Payton added thatplacingArkham ShadowafterArkham Originsallows Batman to be vulnerable:
“[Batman is] young, he’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s had some success as Batman, and there’s some arrogance that comes along with that as well.”
[…]
“We wanted to put Batman through a pretty trying emotional journey that takes him into some pretty dark places, which I think is emblematic of any good Batman tale, but also very emblematic of what we like to do as Camouflaj in terms of telling meaningful stories.”
Batman: Arkham Fans Missed One Huge Antagonist Easter Egg
Payton said that tons of Easter eggs were in the initial teaser trailer. These included Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s badge, who later becomes Harley Quinn; a “Vote Dent” pin and graffiti, hinting at Two-Face; and Ratcatcher’s rats, gas mask, and gloves. But the one hint that Payton said fans didn’t find was for Scarecrow:an Easter egg that was borrowed fromArkham Origins, teasing the origin of Dr. Jonathan Crane:
“That’s an example of something that we’re integrating—not just into the teaser trailer, but into the game itself; taking those core elements that were developed by Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Montreal and using those as foundational materials for us to build this first-time representation of Scarecrow before he becomes Scarecrow and how fun it’s been to develop that.”
Payton emphasized how closely Camouflaj worked with Warner Bros. and DC because they “understand the timeline better than anybody.” This apparently led to a wonderful relationship and has hopefully allowedBatman: Arkham Shadowto thrive:
“It’s been like that for the last four years; it’s felt like a really perfectly balanced partnership in which they are guiding us to fit within the confines of the established timeline and the characters, but also giving us a lot of freedom to explore areas of the story that haven’t been built. In my opinion, a perfect partnership is where you can strike that balance.”
Just from the trailer, which Payton saidgives an accurate representation of the kind of gameArkhamShadowwill be, it’s clear that Camouflaj has dove deep into Arkhamverse lore. It’ll be interesting to see what other locations and characters are revealed now that the game’s place in the timeline is established.
Batman: Arkham Shadow
Become Batman in this official new entry into the Arkham franchise.It’s the Fourth of July, and Gotham City is under attack by a new threat: the mysterious Rat King and his cultish devotees. As widespread rioting engulfs the city, Batman races to prevent this so-called “Day of Wrath” before it all goes wrong.Experience the World of Batman Like Never Before:Immerse yourself in all the grit of Gotham City with the power of VR, and take down its most notorious criminals.Hard-Hitting Arkham CombatRealized exclusively for VR—choose from fan favorite gadgets and bold fighting styles reimagined from the beloved Arkham franchise.Friends, Foes and Other Familiar Faces:Meet Dr.’s Quinzel and Crane before they became Harley Quinn and Scarecrow, as well as other iconic characters including Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, and Ratcatcher.
