Warner Bros. Montreal’sGotham Knightswas announced during the DC FanDome event this weekend, and the developers revealed thatGotham Knightswill have four playable characters: Nightwing, Robin, Red Hood, and Batgirl. Though the game is not developed by Rocksteady Studios, Creative Director Patrick Redding said combat with these four heroes will “be comfortable to people who are familiar with third-person brawler type experiences” like theArkhamseries.
During an interview with IGN published today, Redding saysGotham Knightswas always planned to be “the start of something, not just the continuation or the prolonging of something” like Rocksteady’s popular titles. It will be a new franchise, set in motion by thedecision to kill off Batman, but it will carry on some tenets ofArkham-style beat-em-ups with offensive and defensive choices, unique combos, and variations in attack types.
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However, there will be some variance in the combat through means like accessing special moves and abilities, which Redding said are tied to a sort of stamina bar, and will differ based on how players invest into ability trees. “There’s a bit of a strategic approach to it,” according to Senior Producer Fleur Marty, and Redding says players can choose any one character to stick by throughoutGotham Knightsif they prefer a type of combat.
Ability trees and differing gear will make it so the four Knights can play like completely different characters depending on the player, and “that range [between character builds] remains actually quite robust throughout the entire game,” according to Redding.Gotham Knightsalso has a fully open worldand a range of enemy levels during each encounter, which suggests the developers are trying to differentiate the experience for players.
The upcoming title will be available on PC as well as current and next-generation consoles, but it is unclear whether there will be cross-platform or cross-generation play. Warner Bros. has confirmedGotham Knightswill have two-player co-op, though some are disappointed this means they cannot gather a party to use all four Knights.
Even so, the official reveal ofGotham Knightshas been positively received for the most part. The title stood out for having gameplay to show off at DC FanDome, unlikeRocksteady’sSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, which reportedly will be set within its long-establishedArkhamuniverse.
Gotham Knightsis set to release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in 2021.
