28 new suit designs for the Bat Family have been revealed for the upcoming Gotham Knights game. As expected, there are some interesting and nostalgic designs for players to choose from, harkening to different ages of Batman stories. All of these designs are available to players to customize as they see fit, with a variety of masks, gauntlets, and color schemes to choose for Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood.
While not much is known about Gotham Knights' story, it has been revealed that it will take place after the death of Batman. Batgirl, Red Hood, Nightwing, and Robin band together to fight off the resurgence in crime that comes in the wake of this and must contend with villains like Mister Freeze and The Court of Owls, a secretive shadow society. Each member of the Bat Family plays differently, with different styles of combat and stealth, ensuring that there will be a lot of variety in the gameplay offered. Additionally, each will have fully customizable gear and special suits that the player can adjust to their aesthetic and gameplay preference.
Gotham Knights developer WB Games Montréal has unveiled 28 new costumes coming to the game to IGN. With a mix of nostalgic suits and new-age designs, the game is set to feature a wide array of non-traditional Batman costumes, with a heavy emphasis placed on personal customization. Unlike in Batman: Arkham, where Rocksteady lifted DC costumes directly from the comics or live-action, Gotham Knights boasts completely original designs that combine different influences. Here is the first look at each of the new suit sets revealed for each character.
Updated Classics Are Revealed In Gotham Knights' Eternal Suit Style
Up first is the "Eternal" suitstyle set. What is interesting about each set is that various artists from around the world were hired to design them, each bringing their take on the iconic Bat Family looks. In this instance, inspiration can be seen in Robin's outfit which is reminiscent of Robin's famous Red Robin suit, which he wore as a graduation from the more traditional colors he wore as Batman's sidekick. Gotham Knights is taking inspiration from Batman comics and other media to create a distinct, yet familiar, visual style for its suits, and the Eternal suitstyle is indicative of that.
Gotham Knights Reimagines The Bat Family With The Shinobi Suitstyle
The Shinobi suitstyle is an eclectic theme possibly inspired by the relatively recent Batman Ninja film. These, however, are not designs taken directly from the movie. The Shinobi style looks to be a more modern take on the shinobi aesthetic inspired by Feudal Japan. What is interesting is that in these images, players can see shinobi-style weapons in the hands of the Bat Family, indicating that the weapons themselves may be customized within the suitstyles as well, in addition to their loot-related stats.
Relive The 90s With Gotham Knights' Futuristic Batman Beyond Suits
The Beyond suit style takes heavy inspiration from Batman Beyond, a late 90s cartoon featuring a teenage Batman being trained under an old Bruce Wayne that takes place in a futuristic Gotham. The dark tones and futuristic noir elements can be seen in these much darker suit designs that closely resemble Terry McGinnis' Batman costume in Batman Beyond, which was all black and had a striking red bat symbol, along with unique features like a cloaking device. These suits look similar to the unique Beyond-style costume created for Batman: Arkham Knight, which blended Rocksteady's Arkhamverse Batsuit with futuristic elements. These designs have come in for criticism in the past, so it will be interesting to see how players respond to them when Gotham Knights releases.
While a Batman Beyond game following up Arkham Knight may not ever happen despite some players' hopes, those looking to scratch that Batman Beyond itch may be able to do so in Gotham Knights. It won't be quite the same as playing as Terry McGinnis and flying around Neo Gotham with rocket boosters and a flying Batmobile (which really needs to happen in a game at some point), but it does at least show there's still interest in that interpretation. Hopefully, once WB is done with Gotham Knights, it will be able to revisit its canceled futuristic Damian Wayne Batman game.
Gotham Knights' Neon Noir Suits Features Cool Batgirl & Robin Suits
Neon Noir is an interesting take on the traditional batsuit seen in previous Batman games. This suitstyle has the Bat Family in what looks to be street clothes interpretation of their iconic batsuits, complete with lots of kneepads, buckles, and tight-fitting bodysuits. The name itself is a play on the "neo-noir" genre - something that a lot of Batman media easily slots into. The gritty, realistic take on the Batsuit in 2021's The Batman film could be seen paralleled in this suit style, which offers grounded take on the Bat Family's attire.
Of the suits spotlighted in the Neon Noir suitstyle, Robin and Batgirl arguably have the coolest. Tim Drake's traditional Robin outfit has been replaced with a sleek jacket and athleticwear combo. Batgirl's follows a similar theme, taking more cues from Babs Tarr's iconic New 52 redesign while giving Barbara Gordon a fresh trim in the process.
Gotham Knights' DC Heroes Go Military With The Knight Ops Suits
Knight Ops appears to be a suit style with a heavy militaristic theme and inspiration. It should be noted that each suitstyle is not purely aesthetic. Coupled with Gotham Knights' RPG gameplay systems, gear will play an important role. As stated by the developers in the reveal, each suit style will have its own set of stats and specialties that are supposed to make each feel unique. Despite that, there still are multiple aspects of customization within each suit. As stated in the reveal, various aspects of each suitstyle can be customized, including each character's hood/mask, to suit players' aesthetic tastes.
Gotham Knights Costumes - Year One Shows Bat Family's Origin Suits
The Year One suit style harkens back to each hero's origin story, which the term "Year One" is supposed to represent. Befitting a Year One story, these suit styles look to be an artistic reimagining of each Bat Family member's origin costume, adjusted to fit in the new, non-Batman: Arkham universe of Gotham Knights. As such, they have a much more improvisational and almost civilian look; Batgirl's incorporates police batons and body armor, while Red Hood has a simple leather jacket. Nightwing sports a more traditional look here, whereas Robin again diverges from his classic costume.
The Year One suits themselves may not fit the context of Gotham Knights' story - which sees the Bat Family years into their respective crimefighting careers - but they still have plenty of aesthetic appeal. Red Hood's look is comics-accurate, and Nightwing's looks like it would slot seamlessly into the source material as well. There's plenty new in there, but they all boast familiar elements that are bound to appeal to certain players.
Gotham Knights' KnightWatch Set Was Designed By DC Artist Jim Lee
The KnightWatch suit style harkens back to the oldest classic costumes for each of Gotham Knights' playable DC heroes. Each is even lit in such a way as a throwback to the old cartoon style from which each is taken. Unlike the other suitstyles in this list, the KnightWatch set is a transmog set. Transmogs, as explained by the developers, are graphical overlays that players can use to override a suit's appearance while keeping its stats. This allows the player to completely customize their characters without sacrificing their gameplay. For those looking for a more classic look in Gotham Knights, KnightWatch may be the best to go for.
Sources: IGN, IGN/YouTube