We recently had a chance to speak to WB Games Montreal gameplay director Michael McIntyre about the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins, which will be releasing for PS3, PC, Xbox 360 and Wii U. There’s a ton we wanted to know about the overall new feel of Arkham Origins, especially with how certain activities and challenges have been segregated into finer categories this time around, such as completing challenges in the Batcave for upgrades or completing missions for the GCPD to raise Batman’s standing with the police.
Did this help to showcase just how Batman would act when not stuck in either Arkham Asylum or Arkham City or was it more pertinent in establishing his character, given the origins nature of the story?
“The categorization of the various exploration activities in Arkham Origins creates a kind of narrative context for each type of gameplay so that exploration activity feels relevant to Batman and not just the player. This means that completing challenges or finding collectibles has meaning for Batman and justifies the rewards we have attached to each category.
“This makes all of the player’s activities feel like part of the story or at least part of being Batman. Each category has progression within it as well which provides some structure to exploration and gives the player a variety of goals they can pursue. Having a ton of things to do at once can often be overwhelming. Our hope is that this structure will help make exploration manageable and rewarding while still feeling like an integral part of the game.”
There is concern about conflicts, especially since elements like the Batwing wasn’t present in a big role in Arkham City but which now appear in Arkham Origins. How are new additions and elements balanced in relation to the sequels?
“We definitely do pay attention to conflicts like this in the game and try to resolve them in a way that preserves the story while keeping things fun and exciting. The Batwing actually was present in Arkham City – this was how Batman received new equipment in the field throughout the game. So the inclusion of that particular element is not really a conflict and we are excited to have it be a bigger presence in our game.”
Batman: Arkham Origins releases on October 25th worldwide.