When Gotham Knights debuted at the DC FanDome event, it was quickly clear that this was a different kind of Batman game. For one, Batman is dead, killed in an explosion. It is up to Batman's allies to take over full time as protectors of Gotham City and investigate what led to Bruce Wayne's death in the first place. But these four heroes won't be the only familiar faces from the Batman universe to appear in the game.
Gotham Knights is a new open world, third-person action RPG. The entire game will be playable either as a single-player experience or with two-person co-op. Players will switch between Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Robin, with each character favoring a different combat style. Gotham Knights is a new story unconnected to Batman: Arkham Asylum or its sequels, and will heavily feature the Court of Owls as an antagonist.
Besides the four playable characters, the Gotham Knights gameplay walkthrough showed some of the other characters who will be making an appearance. While Bruce Wayne may be dead, trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth is on hand to provide tactical support over voice communications. In the trailer, Batgirl refers to Alfred by the code name Belfry, indicating he'll be working out of the team's base of operations of the same name. Players will also get insight from the Gotham City Police via Renee Montoya, who likely took over as Batman's police contact after the death of Jim Gordon previous to the events of the game. Lastly, Gotham Knights has confirmed one other villain besides the Court of Owls, Mr. Freeze, who appears to be one of many boss fights players will encounter over the course of the game.
Who Else Could Appear in Gotham Knights?
The trailers from DC FanDome are likely only scratching the surface at the characters to be found in Gotham Knights. Although not confirmed as yet by developer WarnerBros. Games Montreal, one fan believes that a reference to the villain Two-Face can be found in some of the teaser material put out ahead of the game's official announcement. In addition, the official game description for Gotham Knights invites players to "patrol Gotham's five distinct boroughs and drop in on criminal activity wherever you find it." This, combined with Gotham Knights being called an open world game by its developers, indicates that the gameplay will leave players to explore Gotham on their own and discover different storylines to pursue. Such a game easily lends itself to being populated with a wide variety of Batman villains.
It also wouldn't be surprising if additional heroes made their way into Gotham Knights. Over the years, the Batman Family has grown considerably, and it would make sense to cross paths with Batwoman (Spoiler) or even Damian Wayne, one of the many people to wear the mantle of Robin. Characters such as long-time tech-provider Lucius Fox would be a natural fit, especially if any of the game involves upgrading the tools and vehicles at a player's disposal. But perhaps the most important note is that, during the gameplay walkthrough, Creative Director Patrick Redding makes a quick reference to the fact that Robin can access Justice League satellites as part of his toolkit. That means it's potentially possible for any number of other non-Batman-related heroes to pop in to help, and that's a very exciting possibility indeed.
Sources: Gotham Knights/YouTube, Gotham Knights
Gotham Knights will be available in 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC