For most fans of Batman: Arkham Knight, Barbara Gordon has been an ancillary character in the Rocksteady Studios franchise, as she played a supporting role to the Caped Crusader by providing him with invaluable information to help fight crime via her masterful computer skills. Soon the full might of her abilities are going be revealed to gamers, as she takes the spotlight in Batman: Arkham Knight's upcoming downloadable story expansion entitled Batgirl: A Matter of the Family.

As we've been previously made aware, the DLC takes place before the incidents of Arkham Asylum, with Barbara donning the cape and the cowl in a team-up adventure with Robin. Now, courtesy of a discussion Entertainment Weekly had with the add-on's design producer Justin Vazquez, more details about the actual story and gameplay are being revealed, as it's confirmed that Batgirl is on a mission to save her father—Commissioner Jim Gordon—from the clutches of the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker.

The fresh content has been produced by Arkham Origins' developer WB Games Montreal, and it sends our heroine to a completely new area called the Seagate Amusement Park, which is nautically themed and constructed atop a massive oil rig. Of course, in typical Joker fashion, Batman's arch-nemesis has had his fun and laced the place with grim surprises at every turn, converting the once playground into a giant death trap. Regarding the stand-alone story mode's macabre atmosphere, design producer Vazquez says, “We wanted to recreate the feeling of being trapped in a bizarre and unique open environment playing a game of cat and mouse with the Joker."

As should be expected, Batgirl's no slouch when it comes to crime fighting. In fact, her fighting style is somewhat on par with Batman's in terms of sheer power and agility. Not to mention, she's slightly more advanced than the Dark Knight when it comes to abilities, as her computer science genius allows for her own unique hacking skills which will help her progress through the world by taking down enemies, controlling objects, and solving puzzles.

Regarding Batgirl's distinctive talents, Vazquez says:

“Hacking is really what separates her from the other characters. It’s a gameplay mechanic with which the player can create situations for Batgirl to really shine. Our intention was that Batgirl should be less powerful than Batman, but that Batgirl plus hacking could give her opportunities do things that not even Batman can pull off.”

While Barbara's more than capable of taking care of herself in most situations, even the best needs help sometimes. In accordance with that notion, the expansion utilizes Arkham Knight's dual play system to allow for a tag-team battle royale with her and Robin against the Joker and Harley Quinn, of whom will be wearing her trademark jester garb from Batman: The Animated Series.

If that's not enough action for fans of Batman: Arkham Knight, the Batgirl DLC will also include side quests, Joker collectibles, and even some Easter eggs for die-hard DC Comics devotees. In reference to the plethora of content, Vazquez says, "[It’s] a love letter to the original game that started this incredible franchise."

While Batgirl: A Matter of the Family goes live on July 14 for Season Pass owners who shelled out $40 to get their hands on all of the Batman: Arkham Knight content they can handle, the expansion will be available separately on July 21 for $6.99. But no matter which way it's obtained, gamers looking to spend even more time in Gotham City beyond Batman's main storyline certainly ought to be pleased with the Batgirl DLC.

Batman: Arkham Knight is available now for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and as previously mentioned, the Batgirl: A Matter of the Family DLC is set to be released on July 14 for Season Pass owners, and as a separate add-on July 21.

Source: Entertainment Weekly (via GameSpot)