Developed by Warner Bros. Montreal, Gotham Knights was confirmed at the DC FanDome event following months of rumors and speculation. Taking place in an original timeline following the apparent death of Bruce Wayne, a distress call was sent out to the four closest confidants of Batman as Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Robin (Tim Drake), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), and Red Hood (Jason Todd) all come together as a vigilante force to fill the void left by Batman's death as well as the death of Gotham Police Commissioner Jim Gordon.
The game itself is set to take place throughout Gotham City, allowing players to control any member of the Bat Family in a single-player or a two-player co-op experience. As players fight crime throughout the city, they will be able to upgrade their chosen member of the Family through their own, unique skill trees. Each playable character has their own proficiency and expertise to bring to the gameplay, allowing players to have a different experience playing as any of the characters that the game offers.
While the variety in gameplay speaks for itself, the developers at Warner Bros. Montreal had a more involved reason for picking these four playable characters for Gotham Knights.
Why the Bat Family in Gotham Knights?
In an interview with GamesRadar, Creative Director Patrick Redding spoke about the reasons behind this particular roster of characters for Gotham Knights and how it ties into the overall theme of the title. Redding said, "One of our goals was to really tap into the aspects of the Batman universe that hadn't necessarily had exposure yet in games. We drew on the idea of the Batman Family really as a core element of that. Family, in general, has become a theme in this game". He goes on to state, "It's the Batman family, and these are characters who, because of the death of Bruce Wayne and the death of Batman, have lost their mentor. They've lost this figure that's guided them. And, in a way, they're kind of orphaned".
Redding would go on to draw this theme back to one of the central antagonists of the game, the Court of Owls. In drawing the comparison, Redding would explain, "The Court of Owls, as an adversary, has always been about the decadent, dark understanding of what families are, and their connection with the history of Gotham City… There's a dark reflection at work in this game, for sure". With the Courts of Owls acting as the antagonists for Gotham Knights, the conflict between the two factions is likely to explore their different views of a "family" unit, particularly in the wake of Batman's passing.
Players will have their chance to explore the mystery behind the death of Batman as the characters most deeply affected by it in a Gotham plunged into utter chaos. With Jim Gordon's death, the Gotham Police Department is also not willing to trust the vigilante family, leaving them on their own as they confront the Court of Owls. With the bonds of family providing the main theme of the game, Gotham Knights looks to explore those bonds among the familiar quartet when it launches in 2021 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Source: GamesRadar