Batman: Arkham VR

The only thing wrong with Batman Arkham VR is that we want more. The story is just too short for our liking, but maybe we can NEVER get enough Batman. Thankfully there's lots of extra content to explore after the story is over...It's a fantastic slice of Batman life, with unexpected twists and turns that keep you on your toes, and clever uses of the Move Controllers and Detective Mode.

A goosebump-inducing step into the superhero's shoes - the perfect VR experience for batfans. [Dec 2016, p.80]

Batman Arkham VR is simply one of the best experiences for PlayStation VR, despite its brevity.

A brief but thrilling experience, Batman: Arkham VR taps into the desire to be a hero in all of us. The tactile manipulation of the environment is incredible, leaving me wanting more. If you ever put on a cape as a kid, you absolutely must try Batman: Arkham VR.

Being Batman, the world's greatest detective, never gets old, even if the actual experience won't last all that long.

Arkham VR is an amazing, adrenaline filled first person experience for anyone who’s wanted to be the Caped Crusader. It would be a discredit to pass this off as a tech demo, but it’s not exactly a game as such either. It’s an experience. And despite it being a short-lived one, it’s certainly one you won’t forget in a hurry.

This is the best use of PlayStation VR that I’ve seen currently available.

Batman: Arkham VR plays like a long demo with highly detailed and immersive environments and fun (if one-dimensional) gameplay. For Rocksteady’s first attempt at a VR game, Arkham VR is a solid foundation for what we hope will be future episodic installments. What the game lacks in mobility and action it makes up for in storytelling and satisfying object interaction. Overall Arkham VR is a taste of the potential virtual reality can offer the series, but leaves us wanting more varied gameplay. [Tested with PSVR]

A compelling companion piece for the Arkham franchise, and an impressive PS VR proof of concept. Held back by a high asking price for not a lot of content. [Christmas 2016, p74]

Batman: Arkham VR is a pretty short but amazing VR experience. This game achieves the dream of making the user feels how is it to be The Dark Knight. You should try it of you have a PlayStation VR.

A life-changing experience for every Batman fan. [Issue#180, p.42]

An intense hit for Batfans, this is an incredible example of what PS VR is capable of. You'll want more, of course, but this is clearly Rocksteady's love letter to the series. [Dec 2016, p.84]

The Arkham series has already done a great job at putting players in the role on Batman, but the level of immersion in Batman: Arkham VR takes things to the next level.

Arkham VR is one of the prettiest virtual reality experiences thus far. It is steady, but unfortunately somewhat short. The interaction had us longing for more though.

Fans that haven't yet experienced the Arkham series might not get quite as much out of the story as those who've invested years into Rocksteady's version of the Bat-universe, but this is still one of the first "can't miss" titles of PlayStation's foray into virtual reality.

It’s a compelling virtual reality experience that is a great way to sell people on the potential of the technology, and while it has some issues, like occasionally spotty motion controls and a short play time, it’s still a must-have title for anyone’s PlayStation VR library.

Batman Arkham VR is the first experiment of Rocksteady in the field of virtual reality, a successful attempt to get closer to this technology and to explore its expressive possibilities. The experience is really short, but the game has many other qualities. The graphics are among the best in the launch line-up of PlayStation VR, and the game shows excellent gameplay ideas, and a dynamic storytelling stitched around the player's movements.

A little dream comes true for every Batman's fan. Arkham VR is one of the best titles available for PlayStation VR at launch.

Batman: Arkham VR is a peculiar experience that wants us to feel like the popular superhero and succeeds in doing so. The launch price lets us recommend the game despite its short length.

For the first time, you can really be the Batman and it's a exhilarating feeling. Rocksteady adapted Batman to VR really well: they kept focus on investigation instead of fighting, avoiding motion sickness by making Batman still. And they eventually offer a surprising scenario. It's far from perfect, but it's one of the best experience on PS VR you can play today.

Rocksteady’s latest romp through Gotham City is a brief one, but something that fans of the franchise will enjoy a great deal.

The story is satisfying, too. My only criticisms are that clocking in at under 80 minutes, Arkham VR is short and pretty simple. However, for a shade over 30 bucks, it's probably still worth it, particularly if you need an impressive looking and accessible title with which to impress your friends.

Batman: Arkham VR is a jump forward in gaming. Now the industry is only a hop, skip and a jump away from letting the players take on the superhero role fully with fighting and flying. I recommend this to any Batman fan who has the chance to play it.

Batman: Arkham VR is a short and sweet VR experience, with great sense of scale, atmosphere and story telling. Being able to meet and interact with characters from the Batman universe is great fun, and thanks to a plethera of riddles and secrets to find there's also a great reason to go back for more.

Ever wanted to know what it's like to be Batman? If that's the case, Batman: Arkham VR is a great place to start. In this surprisingly dark game, you have to solve a mystery using Batman's tool and gadgets. If you're a fan of Batman who has access to a PlayStation VR, you should really give Rocksteady's experience a chance.

In Arkham VR, you are Batman like never before, thanks to Rocksteady’s convincing virtual reality and an involving story full of satisfying moments.

Batman Arkham VR is an essential, unforgettable VR experience, and a compelling argument that VR really can make a difference to the gaming landscape. But it ends just as it starts to get going and, depending on where you stand on value for money, that £16 entry fee may Harley seem worth it.

Perhaps the only real disappointment about Batman: Arkham VR is that it’s over so soon, but there is certainly plenty of value for fans of the game in replaying and searching for secrets. As more of a detective story, it’s a very different exploration of the world of Batman than we’ve seen before – I’m feeling a sense of déjà vu here – letting you embody the character for the first time.

Yes the experience is short, but it’s also excellent value for money at just £15. If you’ve been a fan of the Arkham series, you simply have to buy this game.

A brilliant slice of Bat action that lets you make the most of being the World’s Greatest Detective. Don the cowl. It’s worth every penny.

It’s not quite ready yet to replace the style and brilliance of the Arkham series as your go-to Batman game, but this could be the beginning of a very special new relationship with Batman, and I sincerely hope we get more like this.

A short but intense VR experience. A must have for the real Batman fans.

When Arkham VR works, I am Batman breathing in the ambience of Gotham City. When it fails, I am a human being in my basement struggling to convince suspicious technology to behave correctly. This creates a curious dichotomy, one that actively embraces virtual reality's capability to magically transform the world while also bearing the burden of hardware in its infancy.

It’s a perfect showcase for the potential of VR to deliver powerful experience, even if it is criminally lacking in content. Rocksteady’s previous Arkham games let you understand what it might be like to be the Dark Knight, this really makes you feel like you are Batman.

Batman Arkham VR is amazingly cool. Never ever have you been so close to Batman nor Gotham City. The game focuses on puzzling. However the controls are quite simple and straightforward, the story is cool, but way too short.

It leaves you wanting more. And not only because it is so short. But also because it looks great and shows off a lot of interesting ideas. I hope that Rocksteady turns this into an episodical game. I would prefer this to Telltale’s caped crusader anytime.

Yes, Batman: Arkham VR smacks of a proof-of-concept demo for VR, but even so, it’s a nice treat for Batman fans, and one of those experiences that you’ll want more of.

Batman Arkham VR is one of the most intense VR experiences out there, even if it's shorter than other titles, It's a "detective mode" experience, so you probably will miss some other areas, like combat or exploration, but... what it does, it does really, really well.

Being Batman in Akrham VR is a great way to more intimately experience Rocksteady's universe and to search for clues in this brief mystery. However, the world and characters around you are largely rigid and unresponsive to your actions, which leaves a lot on the table for a game about a character known as much for his brawn as he is for his brains.

The compact nature of the game's arc means its narrative rhythm feels a little off and things clatter to an end well before you expect - or want - them to. [Christmas 2016, p.120]

As an “interactive experience” Batman Arkham VR offers some great visuals and full immersion inside the world of the Dark Knight, but we can’t overlook the fact that it is an extremely short game with little to no replay value.

Batman: Arkham VR is an interesting and well made adventure. The whole thing may be too short and suffers from some technical issues but getting to know this story directly from Batman's perspective is an extraordinary feeling. We may know the mechanics and atmosphere but the VR really makes it worth your while.

Despite its criminally short playtime, Rocksteady’s venture into making you the Bat in Batman: Arkham VR is one of the must-have experiences for your PlayStation VR setup.

Batman: Arkham VR is a stunning experience. One that comes to an end way too quickly and without any kind of replayability.

Ultimately, if you don’t mind paying for what could be only an hour of gameplay to experience the excellent story and compelling characters of Rocksteady’s Arkham games, except this time in virtual reality, then Arkham VR will probably be perfect for you and for showing off your new kit to friends and family.

Nothing proves both the brilliance and failure of these early experimental stages of virtual reality gaming more than the new Batman game.

How much would you pay to be Batman for an hour? If your answer sits somewhere in the region of £15.99/$19.99, then Batman: Arkham VR is a virtual no-brainer. With the exception of the finicky motion tracking and brief running time, this is an exceptional short story that eloquently demonstrates many of the advantages of virtual reality.

Batman: Arkham VR is barely a game. Of all the launch titles for PlayStation VR, it's likely to be the least mechanically driven, but that doesn't mean it has no value. While playing it, I was totally enveloped in the world, and in those moments the shallow mechanics didn't matter to me. I appreciate that this is a very subjective emotional response based on my lifelong obsession with the character, but it's also a glimpse into one of the greatest promises of VR: Its ability to transport us into alien worlds and blur the lines between what is real and what isn't. To give us the opportunity to sideline our real selves and absolutely inhabit characters we've dreamed of being since childhood.

Playing Arkham VR is too much of a passive gaming experience, even though it's immersive.

In the end, the Batman: Arkham VR experience is worth it more for the very hard core fans because it’s such a short romp and others may feel a little robbed.

Incredibly interesting approach for the Batman Arkham saga, but only one hour of gameplay is insufficient to create a deep experience.

As many other nowadays VR games, Batman Arkham VR makes us dream of the greatness to come, or what it could have been. It's a first step to look at puzzles from another angle, although it's too easy, it doesn't take advantage of its own ideas ant it is an expensive game when you think about the price-length ratio.

Rocksteady has done a good job making us feel like Batman. As an experience it is quite good, but it's really pricey for the content it offers.

Arkham VR constantly walks the line between proof-of-concept and full game. It's legit in that it does feel like a real Arkham joint (Rocksteady was involved to boot) and not an outsourced addendum, but you can't actually move around -- instead, it feels more like an "escape the room" simulator, but if you couldn't actively walk around and investigate the environment.

A moderately interactive tour of familiar locations and themes (like the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents). It’s not bad, but sometimes the illusion bursts (objects you throw bounce off an invisible cage you’re in) and it’s a short, one time experience. [13/2016, p.77]

The real bright note though is a tightly constructed story that makes the slightly under two-hour experience worth going through, but left me wanting so much more.

You can't come up with a more intriguing VR premise than "Batman simulator," and developer Rocksteady has done their best to make it work. But despite how cool it is to simply exist in Gotham, the limited interactions and dumbed-down puzzles make the experience feel much less confident than it should be.

Everything about Batman Arkham VR is about putting you in the shoes of Batman. So, it’s unfortunate that those shoes don’t ever move. And for a character with endless depth such as Batman and Bruce Wayne, Batman Arkham VR seriously lacks the depth of a game that represents the first time gamers get to experience being Batman.

The best tech demo so far for PlayStation VR, but with some better storytelling it could also have been a good game in its own right.

Batman: Arkham VR isn’t a terrible VR experience — it even manages to deliver a satisfying twist ending to the short narrative — but it’s a far cry from the type of game fans want or expect. What was shipped here is little more than a tech demo, or a museum of objects and features that are never fully realized. Just as each scene from the game starts to feel like its picking up some steam, it’s over and you’re onto the next vignette of content. Die hard Batman fans will find enough fan service to warrant a purchase, but if you’re looking for an actual game featuring the Dark Knight in VR, then you’re better off waiting a while longer.