The latest, thrilling trailer for Gotham Knights centers around fan-favorite villains and hints at the deeper plot.

Gotham Knights unveiled new footage during Gamescom's Opening Night Live, revealing the previously hinted at fan-favorite villain Harley Quinn and an earlier release date. Harley Quinn is teased as an "influencer" as well as the well-known partner to iconic Batman antagonist the Joker. Also showcased are the shape-shifting colossus Clayface and the complicated, cold-blooded Mr. Freeze. Previously set to release on October 25, Gotham Knights will now launch on Oct. 21.

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Bat Family Bonds and Shared Traumas

Gotham Knights' reveals have primarily centered on the ties between the surviving members of the Bat Family -- Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd and Tim Drake -- as they process the death of their mentor, Batman. Although it's showcased plenty of action gameplay, such as a recently panned clip of Red Hood fighting off several goons, the bulk of the promotional material emphasizes their ties to each other, the villains they face and the city of Gotham itself.

A series of concept images hinted at tension between Jason and Tim as they appeared to test one of Red Hood's guns, which are non-lethal but pack a punch. The team also released a short cinematic which hinted at Dick and Barbara's previous romantic relationship as she tried to coax him into speaking about Batman's death. Taking a darker turn, the developers also revealed that the game looks at the similar traumas shared by Barbara and Jason after their encounters with the Joker.

The Bat Family aren't the only ones struggling in the wake of Batman's death. Gotham City develops throughout the game as its own character, built on 400 years of history written by the team to make it feel more realistic. According to director Patrick Redding, the villains of Gotham also struggle to come to terms with their place in the city now that their greatest adversary is dead.

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"What I can tell you broadly is all of the villains that we chose to include have a very specific history and relationship with Batman above and beyond just the adversarial aspect of it," Redding said. "And like our heroes, these are villains that are now having to reassess what their function is, where they sit in the ecosystem when their main adversary isn't around anymore." Redding closed with an intriguing question: "How are they going to redefine themselves?"

Gotham Knights launches on Oct. 21 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Source: YouTube