Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has finally lifted the lid on Gotham Knights. Currently in development at Warner Bros. Games Montreal, Gotham Knights looks set to follow in the footsteps of Batman: Arkham Knight. For better or worse.
A new deep dive into the game (below) has showcased numerous elements of the gameplay. Beginning with navigation, we dive into combat and see co-operative action in play. Throughout all of this (graphical issues aside – this is a work in-progress), Gotham Knights looks set to be a familiar follow-up to Batman: Arkham Knight, rather than breaking any new ground. Batman: Arkham Knight was generally well received by fans of the series, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Gotham Knights Combat
During the opening few minutes of the video we see Nightwing and Redhood team-up to stop a criminal activity. The differences in their fighting styles are obvious. Nightwing uses swift acrobatic melee attacks that are strikingly similar to previous Arkham games. Redhood on the other hand, uses mid-range gun-based attacks, adding some new flavour.
The pair can also be seen working together, in two-man finishers. This isn’t exactly new to gaming but certainly pushes the co-operative agenda.
A second sequence demonstrates vehicle based combat. It’s clear some work has gone into this element of the game. Batman: Arkham Knight‘s tank mode was a stuttering challenge littered with annoyance. Here however, the Batcycle is usable by all characters, we’re told. Gotham Knights – at least in this showcase – seems to be concentrating more on the high speed pursuits. Surely, it will be better because of it.
Gotham Knights Missions
We’re given a look at the Belfry next, and the Batcomputer based mission system. Given that Gotham Knights is an open world experience we should expects some kind of navigational icons. It appears as though, once again, we’ll eventually see a map littered with various objectives and challenges, in addition to the main story missions. Being able to tackle these in any order you choose is no bad thing. However Batman: Arkham Knight had a tendency to mix fun activities with incredibly boring ones, and very little signposting as to which would be which. Hopefully Gotham Knights revises this formula just enough that we don’t spend 20 minutes traversing Gotham City only to pick up an item before turning around and heading home.
Complex Customisation System
And here again, we see significant depth. Players are able to customise their hero by crafting new suits – that comes as no surprise. However, they can also use mod chips to further heighten abilities of said suits. This could potentially allow the player to patch over any weaknesses, or even boost their stats aggressively. Exactly how deep this system will run has not yet been revealed, but Batman: Arkham Knight ran way too far into the meaningless pick-ups required for even the simplest modifications. Hopefully Gotham Knights can feel more purposeful in this regard.
Gotham Knights Gameplay Video
Gotham Knights Release Date
The game has now been confirmed for launch on 25th October, 2022. With that comes the news that the game will not be published on Xbox One or PlayStation 4, and will instead be a current-generation exclusive. Coming only to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Are you excited to see more of Gotham Knights? Let us know in the comments below!
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