Rocksteady’s released a seven minute Arkham Knight video of Batman gliding around Gotham City and breaking the faces of every criminal he finds. It’s not just faces, he breaks a man’s wrist, a couple of arms, a leg or two. If you like the sound of breaking bones, this is the video for you.
If the sounds of breaking bones are liable to make you lose your lunch, this may not be the video for you.
Batman’s been sent off in search of a downed police officer by Commissioner Gordon (a conversation which sounds like to grizzly bears trying to out-gruff each other). The mission soon spirals out of control: the perps pull out an RPG and set off through Gotham’s streets in their car, blasting away any tailgaters as they go.
Arkham Knight’s looking gritty and rainswept, its cityscape filled with concrete, iron, and neon lights. It’s a gorgeous game with enough landmarks to keep you orientated as you glide and grapple your way through its streets.
The combat looks as tightly choreographed as ever, giving you the sense of being a master hand-to-hand fighter while only needing to press a couple of buttons.
I played a short demo of Arkham Knight at Gamescom last August and it was as good as it looks in the video above. Though, I was less convinced by the Batmobile. It’s clearly useful for racing through the city, but I didn’t much enjoy firing off rockets and bullets. It felt detached compared to the visceral melee.
We’re still months away Arkham Knight’s release date on June 2. Hopefully, Warner will fill the interim with more videos like this.