After literally years of teasing, WB Games Montreal finally put us out of our misery yesterday and officially unveiled their next game- Gotham Knights, their open world action-adventure game that will see players stepping into the shoes of four members of the Batfamily in the wake of Gotham’s Caped Crusader’s apparent death.
With a meaty trailer and a rather lengthy gameplay demonstration, there was quite a bit that we learned about the game yesterday, and alongside that, Warner Bros. also sent out a press release containing some more snippets about the upcoming release. Most of it is an addendum to what we already know, but it’s still interesting regardless.
Gotham Knights will be set in an open world, of course, and the press release further adds that it will have five distinct boroughs. Players will be employing “a variety of traversal abilities” to get around Gotham City- we can assume that gliding and grappling traversal similar to the Arkham games will be featured, though we’re curious to see what else will be on offer beyond that. Of course, it’s been confirmed that players will be able to use the Batcycle, which is cause for excitement for sure.
Each of the four characters will come with their own unique gameplay skills, as well as “a growing arsenal of weaponry and gear.” Batgirl (aka Barbara Gordon) is “a determined fighter and a skilled hacker”, highly trained in kickboxing, capoeira, and jiu-jitsu, and equips a tonfa. Nightwing (or Dick Grayson) is “a natural leader and the eldest and wisest member of the Batman Family”. He makes use of his “mastery in acrobatics” and his Escrima Sticks to dispatch enemies.
Red Hood (or Jason Todd) is “an intense and volatile anti-hero”. Haunted by his death and eventual resurrection, he is defined by “peak human strength and proficiency in multiple combat techniques with all manner of weapons – both traditional and high-tech.” Finally, there’s Robin (aka Tim Drake), described as “a master of deductive reasoning”. On top of being equipped with a collapsible quarterstaff and being a master of stealth, he “possesses a background in combined psychological warfare and behavioral sciences”.
Gotham Knights releases in 2021 for the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. It will not be set in the Arkham universe– though Rocksteady’s Suicde Squad: Kill the Justice League will be.