After years of working on rumored Batman projects, WB Montreal looks to be officially debuting its new take on the series when Gotham Knights launches later this year. Following The Caped Crusader's team of sidekicks in a world where the iconic hero has been killed, players will be able to control Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood in a new multiplayer experience that looks to build on the studio's prior work on Batman: Arkham Origins.
In a new interview with GamesRadar, Executive Producer of Gotham Knights Fleur Marty revealed a number of interesting new details about the project, including the game's cooperative modes and how players can share experience amongst their roster of playable characters. One of the most interesting takeaways from the article, however, is that WB Montreal allegedly designed the game's combat to be played in 2-player co-op, despite Gotham Knights allowing for up to four players to join in on the fun.
"The two-player dynamic fits the fantasy and the Gotham City setting. The 'duo' or team-up is such a central feature of the universe," Marty tells the publication, revealing earlier in the piece that combat has been "redesigned" to better revolve around that concept. It seems fans saw a decent example of the redesign through the Gotham Knights' reveal back in August, with the footage showcasing Robin and Batgirl battling foes together and, during one segment, even using synchronized moves to take down their enemies. It seems combat will feel completely different from the seminal free-flowing fighting system that made the Batman Arkham games so successful.
The interview also reveals that players won't have to worry about being locked into playing one hero, with Marty announcing that they can switch between characters easily by heading back to the team's base of operations: The Belfry clocktower. Better yet, they won't have to worry about being too under-leveled to undertake certain missions, as experience will be shared between all four of the playable heroes. According to Marty, while the player is off fighting crime, so too are the other three playable heroes. Narratively, "it makes sense that they are also progressing and getting stronger."
Overall, the game is shaping up to be an intriguing new take on the Batman license and one that's sure to offer a much different experience to that of the Arkham games. It seems it won't be too long of a wait until players can see for themselves whether Gotham Knights' experimental take on the series pays off, with the title still slated to ship at some point later this year.
Gotham Knights will be available in 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: GamesRadar