GameRadar got the scoop with executive producer Fleur Marty and creative director Patrick Redding on the upcoming Gotham Knights action-RPG. We’re breaking down these interviews and everything else we know so far about the upcoming video game set in the DC Universe after Batman’s death.
The Setting
Since the reveal trailer dropped for Gotham Knights, which is being developed by WB Games Montreal (who previously developed Batman: Arkham Origins), fans questioned if the game would be taking place in the same universe as the Arkham games. Unfortunately for those hoping it would, Gotham Knights will be set in its own universe. Not only that, but the developers discussed how the combat will be very different from the Arkham experience.
The Combat
In Connor Sheridan’s GamesRadar interview with executive producer Fleur Marty, he talks about Gotham Knights’ reliance on the co-op experience and the choice to move away from the Arkham style of combat. “We have entirely redesigned the combat system in order for it to work well in co-op, because that part of the experience is really exciting for us.” Marty did clarify: “Of course, we’re still a brawler, and some of the mechanics won’t feel totally alien for people who played and enjoyed the Arkham series, but it is in many ways very different. Designing a combat system from scratch has its challenges indeed, but it’s been a very stimulating one and we’re very proud of the result!” Despite being built around co-op, players do have the option to play the game on their own as well.
The Lore
The story takes place after the death of Bruce Wayne, who served Gotham for 15 years as Batman. The player takes control of Gotham’s bat-adjacent vigilantes Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin in an open-world adventure. There aren’t limits to who you can use either. The player can switch to any of these heroes by returning to the iconic Belfry. And while you’re leveling up as Batgirl or one of the other vigilantes, the other characters will be leveling up as well to avoid falling into the trap of grinding. Plus, enemy levels will scale along with yours, so you won’t find yourself get out of fights that easily just by jumping up a few levels.
The game will offer a unique story never seen before in the comics or on the big screen. In Josh West’s GamesRadar interview with creative director Patrick Redding, he described the process of creating the narrative: “Even when we had the outline of our central mystery, we forced ourselves to focus on characterization first, and how that should shape not only narrative and performances, but the action-set of each of the four heroes. We looked at the overall tone of our Gotham City and used that to decide which supporting cast and villains we should build the game around. That became the foundation, it shaped the game systems, and then we built the game’s story and found our cast of characters to work on top of that.”
There will be five boroughs to explore in Gotham, which have fallen under the control of fan-favorite villains such as Mr. Freeze. The Court of Owls will also play a big role in the story.
Final Details
Unless there are delays due to the pandemic, a vague release date of 2021 has been determined for the game. It will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. There were already seven minutes of gameplay footage released from a pre-alpha build during the DC Fandome event.
Would you have preferred a more Arkham experience? Let us know in the comments below. Personally, I’m all for exploring more of Gotham in a different iteration, but as someone who plays co-op sparingly, I can’t say I’m super excited. But for those aching for more from the Arkham games universe, the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is confirmed to be taking place in that world. So, we may be getting the best of both worlds! You can also hop into DCUO, which is celebrating its ten-year anniversary right now.
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