After several months of rumours and unofficial reports, we have the next Batman game – Gotham Knights is the new Bat-related project from WB Games Montreal. In a welcome change of pace, the action-adventure game places you in control of several other Bat-heroes apart from Batman.
Revealed during DC’s FanDome livestream event, two trailers were shown for Gotham Knights, a cinematic sizzle reel, and some gameplay. The sizzle reel sets up the premise: Batman is dead, Gotham’s villains aren’t, so Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, and the Red Hood must team-up to continue the fight. Together they’ll face a range of antagonists, including Mr. Freeze, who we see in the demo portion, and the Court of Owls. The latter’s a newer creation, a mysterious society that lives in the bowels of Gotham City, introduced in Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and Jonathan Clapion’s New 52 Batman run.
Each of the four heroes offers a unique offensive approach: Batgirl’s a hacker who uses martial arts, Nightwing’s an acrobat that uses Escrima sticks, Red hood uses firearms and other high-tech weponry, and Robin’s all about stealth while using his trusty staff. A progression system will let you customise whomever you prefer playing as, the press release saying plays will be able to “reinvent themselves into their own version of the Dark Knight”.
You can play single-player or co-op with one other person. There will be sandbox game elements, letting you explore the Gotham you’re protecting. However, even though WB Games Montreal developed Batman: Arkham Origins, it’s important to note this isn’t in the Batman: Arkham continuation, meaning it’s not a sequel to Batman: Arkham Knight.
You can check out the cinematic trailer here:
You can see the gameplay segment, involving Batgirl, here:
Gotham Knights is scheduled to come out 2021 – brush up on the best hacking games, and best detective games, in the meantime.