At its scheduled segment during DC FanDome, Warner Bros. Games Montréal has unveiled its latest title, Gotham Knights. The developer has confirmed that the game will release in 2021, though it did not specify which platforms the game will release for. Along with the announcement, the studio also presented a trailer and plenty of gameplay for its upcoming release.
Whether or not Gotham Knights is a direct sequel to Rocksteady's Arkham trilogy has yet to be determined, but the trailer seems to reference the Knightfall protocol and subsequent explosion that occurred at the end of Arkham Knight. Regardless of its relation, Bruce Wayne is seemingly dead and has left his final message to the Bat family along with a base of operations. In this message he also references the passing of Barbara Gordon's father, Commissioner Gordon.
In the wake of Bruce's passing Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl and Red Hood have banded together to take Batman's place as the new defenders of Gotham City. But terrifying threats still linger in the depths of Gotham. The trailer reveals the villains of the game, The Court of Owls, along with their menacing enforcers, the Talon. WB Games assured fans that there is more to the mystery beyond just the ancient Gotham syndicate, so players will have to eagerly wait for more details on the matter.
As for gameplay, Gotham Knights seems to have gone in its own direction, with many mechanics that seem to separate it from the beloved Arkham series. For one, the snappy freeflow combat Arkham was known for is nowhere to be found in the footage shown at FanDome. In the presentation, there was no combo counter, nor was there the same impact behind blows. Though not much was shown, it's notable that there were no enemies seen in a knockdown state, rather Batgirl is shown hitting them multiple times to whittle their health down.
Gotham Knights appears to incorporate several RPG systems. For one, even basic enemies now have health bars, which are indicated above their heads, as well a level. The player-controlled hero also has a level and gains experience points for taking down opponents. Attacks and abilities deal set damage numbers, which are displayed on screen every time an opponent is hit. There is also a new special meter located under the hero's health bar. This can be used to unleash special abilities, which is seen when Batgirl summons a swarm of bats. The bar can be refilled by damaging opponents with basic attacks. While not seen in the trailer, WB Games Montréal also mentioned the potential for different approaches and builds, meaning that players will likely be able to customize their heroes to cater their personal playstyle.
Gotham Knights' can be played in co-op, with the trailer showing multiple heroes working together. However, the constraints and mechanics of multiplayer have yet to be detailed.
Despite these major differences, there are some gameplay elements that borrow heavily from the Arkham games. For one, gliding across Gotham looks familiar, with some admittedly added bells and whistles like Robin's ability to teleport. The grapple gun also seems to interact with ledges and vantage points in the same manner as it always has. Options from these vantage points, like the Glide Kick and Takedowns, have transitioned into Gotham Knights, although the Glide Kick seemed far more powerful in this trailer than its Arkham counterpart, functioning as a sort of takedown in its own rite.
While we didn't see much in terms of stealth gameplay, it's clear that it is back, and it looks mostly unchanged from the Arkham games. Heroes will be able to crouch and sneak up behind opponents in order to get the drop on them, as can be seen when Robin performs a standard Silent Takedown that functions just as it has in past iterations.
Whether this mix of older mechanics and new innovations will carry the series to new heights has yet to be determined. Regardless, Gotham Knights appears to be a fresh and brave new take for Batman video games that is willing to offer a new experience rather than trying to simply copy and paste what came before it.