Revealed alongside Rocksteady’s own new title at last month’s DC FanDome, WB Games Montréal’s Gotham Knights has quickly become one of 2021’s most anticipated releases. Scheduled to arrive on both current and next-gen hardware and sporting a similar aesthetic to the former developer’s beloved Arkham Trilogy, Montréal’s take on the Batman mythology is novel in that it doesn’t feature Batman at all. Not in any playable capacity, at least.
Bruce Wayne is dead (we’re leaning towards it being faked, though) and a power vacuum has been left behind in his wake. Intent on restoring order to Gotham City and dishing out justice, four of the Dark Knight’s students – Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake – have banded together in an attempt to wrestle control of the metropolis back from organized crime and anarchy.
Despite the fact that the quartet all received the same training, however, the developer says Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and the current Robin will all look and feel completely different to play as. A few examples given to PlayStation Blog in a recent interview describe how Grayson, the child of performing parents, injects acrobatics into his fighting style, while Batgirl, a keen hacker as well as combatant, can utilize technology and a mean right hook to best her foes.
Furthermore, creative director Patrick Redding tells the site that players will at no point be forced to suit up as any of the four heroes and that each will have their own unique skills, unlocked through earning XP out in the world. You can, therefore, play through the entirety of Gotham Knights as, say, Red Hood without ever touching the remaining three, though it remains to be seen if optional content, such as side missions and collectables, will require the use of a particular hero.
You can no doubt expect more details on that front as release day approaches, but for now, feel free to let us know what you make of these latest Gotham Knights details down below!
