All the details about Gotham Knights revealed at DC Fandome

At the DC Fandome event, WB Games Montreal showcased their upcoming game Gotham Knights. It is a co-op multiplayer RPG set in the Batverse – Batman is dead (press X to doubt!) and the Bat family has to assemble to face the foes of Gotham. According to the devs, his death was important in order to take away “any certainty, any feeling of safety” in its world. The circumstances leading to his death (or murder?) has been intentionally kept a secret since it is going to be a big story element in the game. Armed with explosive action and fast-paced acrobative combat, Gotham Knights plans to drop sometime later in 2021 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC.

Creative Director Patrick Redding commented that there were three consistent ideas at the heart of the game:

1. A whole cast of playable characters that can continue to grow and reinvent themselves.
2. A real, living, breathing Gotham City, that keeps challenging you, keeps serving you up the danger.
3. That fantasy of the superhero team-up and we really wanted to deliver that in co-op play.

Some of the details that we gleaned from the trailer and gameplay are listed down below:

• There are five distinct major boroughs aka zones in the open-world of Gotham Knights. And this time around, you will find citizens strolling or driving around, unlike previous Batman games where the city was populated only by goons and supervillains.
• The Court of Owls is a secret cabal of Gotham’s wealthy criminal elite who use reanimated assassins called Talons to reach their nefarious goals. The mystery in the game is although teased to be way bigger than the Court of Owls – there might be other sinister forces at play.
• The story is not connected to Rocksteady’s Arkham universe but set in a different timeline.
• All 4 characters have unique special abilities. Here are the ones we noticed: Batgirl can use a cauldron of bats to disorient the enemy, a honing weapon which deals multiple hits and a leaping kick which leads to devastating combat combos. Robin can access the Justice League satellite which gives him short-distance teleportation abilities and has the ability to rain hellfire on enemies. They also have unique traversal abilities and melee weapons. And we can bet, a whole lot of famous costumes.
• Gotham Knights can be played solo or in a drop in – drop out two-player online co-op fashion. There are no local splitscreen options available. We were impressed by the co-op takedowns in the game, and a partner does seem to be of a lot of help during the boss battles!
• Your chosen character and the enemies – all have level-based progression. Damage points suggest there might be a deeper customizable gear-based system. Certain kinds of equipped gear can also cause higher damage to the enemies vulnerable to burning, freezing, electrocution etc.
• Jim Gordon is dead – and the Gotham City Police Department now considers the Bat-family a threat.
• Code Black is the emergency message that the Batman had left for his Bat-family in case he died or the Batcave was compromised or destroyed.
• A wheelchair next to Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl suggests that she might have been paralyzed before (the Killing Joke comicbook storyline where Joker shoots Barbara in the stomach which damages her spine), but is not anymore. She is a hacker and her weapon of use is the tonfa – a type of baton.
• Jason Todd aka Red Hood sports a scar on his face – a callback to his near-fatal encounter with the Joker. He is a vigilante, equipped with body armor and signature twin-pistols
• Dick Grayson is Night Wing. He is an acrobatic fighter who uses escrima sticks to defeat enemies. Comic book fans: do you think his connection with the Owls will be explored in the game?
• Tim Drake is Robin – he’s an expert in stealth and psychological warfare. He is trained in fighting with his trusty collapsible quarterstaff.
• Belfry is a secret alternate base built inside the Old Wayne Tower – there are hints that it is outdated, and the game might involve upgrading it
• One enemy boss was revealed – Mr. Freeze. Which other villains do you think you will encounter in the game?
• You can drive the Batcycle. What about the Batmobile? We hope they design better vehicular combat than what we saw in Batman: Arkham Knight!