WB Games Montreal's Gotham Knights won't be forcing its heroes to fend off an onslaught of villains over a single night. Instead, the story will take place over several nights, with progression being managed by the secret base known as the Belfry - a location that shares a lot of mechanical features with an aspect of the popular Dark Souls.
Gotham Knights is an open-world action RPG that will allow both solo play and two-person online co-op. Players play as Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin or Red Hood and can choose to swap between characters at any point in the story, or play the entire game as one character. Each hero will have their own XP progression, their own skill tree, and will be customized by crafting gear. Gotham Knights is leaning into the RPG elements by introducing damage types and enemy health bars, which have not been a key feature of past Batman games.
In a recent interview with IGN, Gotham Knights senior Producer Fleur Marty confirmed that the game would have a spin on a day/night cycle mechanic, tied to the central location of the Belfry. Gotham Knights takes place after the death of Batman and the destruction of the Batcave, leaving the remaining heroes to relocate to the clock tower hideout known as the Belfry. Marty says that the daytime portions of the game will take place when players check in at the secret base. There, Marty says players will be able to craft gear, analyze clues, and "really prepare yourself for the next night of crime fighting." The Belfry has a "huge role to play in how the character manages their characters and their progression," and will also be where certain narrative beats happen. Once players are ready to go back to patrolling the streets, the game will jump to the next night, meaning players will likely never actually see Gotham in the daytime.
The Similarities Between Gotham Knights' Belfry and the Dark Souls Bonfire
Given how much developers emphasized the Belfry is integral to character progression in Gotham Knights, it's very possible that the only way to level up characters and unlock skills will be to check in at the Belfry. And all that crime players have spent the whole night fighting will surely spring up once again when players head out on their next night of adventuring. If this sounds familiar, that's because it echoes many mechanics that were popularized with the Dark Souls bonfire system. Dark Souls only allowed players to level up and buy ability points at bonfires and certain locations, like Firelink Shrine, were the only places players could find item unlocks like an upgrade to their Estus Flask. And of course, once a player rested at a bonfire, all the enemies reset.
There is still much to be revealed about how exactly the Belfry and the day/night cycle will work in Gotham Knights. What is confirmed is that players will only be able to swap characters in Gotham Knights at the Belfry, and certain story progression will only be triggered if players head to this hidden lair. Given that villain story lines will take multiple nights to resolve, it makes sense that developers needed a place to for players to advance the story to the next day, and it's encouraging they chose to go with something more dynamic than simply heading to bed. Developers have confirmed that players will see the heroes out of costume at the Belfry, and that trusty butler Alfred will be on hand for a chat. The Belfry is a player's safe space in Gotham Knights, as comforting as the glow of a bonfire in Dark Souls.
Source: IGN
Gotham Knights will be available in 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC.