Gotham Knights’ development team talks branches, braces and butts

Suit up, Knights! Gotham Knights development team had a Q&A session Thursday morning, and we have all the goodies. From what heroes’ skill trees are, to the size of Nightwing’s tushy, here’s what else you need to know about Warner Bros Game’s highly anticipated open-world game releasing on October 25, 2022.

Executive Producer Fleur Marty, Game Director Geoff Ellenor, and Creative Director Patrick Redding answered questions from the Discord community in the Gotham Knights server, giving us a more rounded view of what we can expect in the game.

Crime never rests

With an open world Gotham like we have not seen before, the development team has taken great care to make the experience feel organic. Populated with Gothamites, the city’s citizens are living, breathing entities, moving about their nightly activities, including crime and debauchery. “Each district in Gotham has a distinct mix of citizens. Since the player will only hit the streets at night, some neighborhoods have more of a civilian nightlife, others are more industrial and bleak. But you’ll encounter Gothamites from all walks of life, and they will definitely have opinions about you and your vigilante activities,” explained Redding. Along with the changing landscapes, the weather will vary from night to night, indicating the story takes place over time.

Some of the crimes that our heroes can stop are smaller and will linger until the player intervenes. Others are bigger, pre-meditated. The player must complete certain conditions to win. Each night will bring a different set of tasks and crimes to stop. Additionally, the seedy underbelly of Gotham isn’t the only baddies the Knights will need to look out for. “Over the course of the game, the player will need to bust dirty cops and try to stay clear of GCPD tactical teams that sometimes show up at the scene of the crime. But they will also have occasions when they can assist officers who are at risk of getting overwhelmed,” Redding revealed.

That’s how we move

The devs also discussed the immense amount of customization given to the player. Each Knight has three individual skill trees, and a Knighthood tree that unlocks later in the storyline. The player can customize their favorite hero to suit their preferences.

For example, Red Hood has both melee (like pistol whip) and ranged attacks (gunslinger). He deals high damage with ranged attacks and is very useful in enemy clusters. He is the only one with Mystical abilities, stemming from his death and resurrection. “As Jason starts to confront the trauma of dying and being brought back, he begins to be able to tap into some lost abilities. In the same way that he’s tried to reinvent himself from anti-hero to hero while retaining his strengths, he discovers he can channel these mystic talents in ways he finds familiar: Through his physicality, in how he moves, but also in how he fights and even how he uses his weapons,” explained Redding.

And each Knight is different in other ways. How they handle their chosen modes of travel is unique to them. We already know about Red Hood’s Mystic Leap and Nightwing’s “Flying Trapeze” and of course the Batcylce which every hero can use.  However, we now know more about Batgirl and Robin’s “Heroic Transversal.” Batgirl moves throughout Gotham more like Batman did. She glides with a flair the devs called “playing the wind.” And Robin taps into teleports and can move to a target almost instantly. Their suits and perk trees can increase the effects.

Looking good, Gotham Knights!

This also applies to their suits. There has been speculation as to how the suit upgrades work and what the blueprints we find will do. Ellenor gave us more information regarding how we will use the crafting system: “You can equip any gear in your inventory whenever you want, but for getting new gear, you return to the Belfry. The workbench in the Belfry is connected to a 3D printer and so long as you have materials, you can craft any blueprint you find.  Materials drop from activity rewards, supply chests, and defeated enemies.”

The style of the suits for each character in Gotham Knights is highly customizable too. If players find a suit they like and want to keep, they can obtain extra colorways and transmogs to “override the colors of the suit,” or the entire look of the suit. The mask, logo, gloves and footwear are also customizable. Everything is earnable in- game

So, players, have at it!

Batgirl takes a stand, literally

Perhaps one of the biggest pieces of information to come out of the Q and A was the explanation of Barbara aka Batgirl’s recovery from her injury and transformation from The Oracle, bound to a wheelchair, to Batgirl, who will be leaping and gliding around Gotham. As an avid reader of her storyline, I admit I too was curious. The answer is incredibly important to representation of accessibility among the disabled community. Barbara suffered from a debilitating injury, although the circumstances surround it whether that was from the Joker, or something else, remains a secret. According to the developers, she went through multiple surgeries and a lot of PT and pain management. She continues her journey of rehabilitation, doing exercises and stretches designed for those who are recovering from a spinal injury. Her suits are also specifically fitted with back bracing.

To accurately portray what Barbara’s recovery would look like in Gotham Knights, including the exercises and types of bracing she will use, the dev team worked with AbleGamers, a wonderful group that helps make gaming accessible to players with physical and cognitive disabilities.  Their goal is to accurately represent Barbara’s struggles and triumphs. And they have received praise from the disabled community.

Size matters

On a lighter note, one of the last questions expressed concern for the size of Nightwing’s tushy. Players and fans might recall how it looks in his tight bodysuit. Harley Quinn could tell you intimately… At this time, there are no plans to increase the size of his bum, although they made no promises that they won’t revisit the topic later.

This was just the first Q and A/ And we can expect more before the game comes out. So, keep your batons handy. Gotham is calling you.

For the rest of our series of updates on Gotham Knights, check out our previous articles.