WB Games releases new Gotham Knights gameplay video, cancels previous-gen versions
WB Games released a slew of information about their upcoming Batman action-RPG Gotham Knights today via a new gameplay trailer and an FAQ on their website. Gotham Knights, while developed by Batman: Arkam Origins developer WB Games Montreal and having similar combat to Rocksteady's popular Arkham series, doesn't have any connection to Rocksteady's games. It also doesn't have any connection to the upcoming CW show under the same name. Instead, it's an original story set in its own world, following Robin, Batgirl, Red Hood and Nightwing fighting the Court of Owls in Gotham after Batman's death., with players having the option to switch between characters freely between missions.
The new gameplay demo shows how Nightwing and Red Hood play, demonstrating some of the co-op features and difference between the fighters. We start with Nightwing, a faster, "acrobatic" fighter who bounces between enemies rapidly, and traverses the city using a hang glider called the Flying Trapeze. He is then joined by Red Hood, who performs a series of mid-air jumps to get around, and is a slower fighter with an emphasis on ranged weapons, including handguns and a remote-detonated bomb he can attach to thrown opponents. We also get to see a finisher team-up move from the two fighters, available to those playing co-operatively.
While both fighters (and presumably all four of them) play differently, there will be some shared tools, such as the Batcycle that is used to chase down bad guys on the city streets, or the FastBat, which enables fast travel. They also all share a home base at the Belfry, where players can use the Batcomputer to track missions, or use the workbench to upgrade and customize their equipment. Finally, the demo ends on a stealth segment, showing Nightwing sneaking into enemy territory, using stealth takedowns and using something similar to the Arkham games' Detective Vision to find secret passages. Noise will also apparently play a role in stealth sections, as Red Hood encounters heavier resistance in his sneaking section with his use of loud firearms.
The FAQ on the game's official website was also updated with more information. The most notable information revealed is the announcement that Gotham Knights will be coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), with the brief justification that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions originally announced were cancelled to "provide players with the best possible gameplay experience." We've also learned that co-op will only support two players, and that local co-op will not be an option; it must be played online. The FAQ also states that there will be no microtransactions or in-game purchases, and an internet connection will only be required to play co-operatively, not solo. Finally, cross-play will not be supported for the online co-op.
