Rocksteady have decided to give their fans an early Christmas present, and have showed off even more features from the upcoming “Batman: Arkham Knight”. The new revelations were mostly focused on gameplay mechanics, particularly combat, but there were also hints about how the game’s plot may play out. Of course, most of the statements were rather vague, which was probably on purpose, but they still gave some insight into what fans can expect.
It’s said that Commissioner Gordon will be featured more prominently in the new title, although the developers didn’t clarify what exactly they meant with that comment. There have been rumors that he may even be a playable character, not just an NPC, although this hasn’t been confirmed yet. In addition, Rocksteady seem very insistent on the fact that the Arkham Knight isn’t actually one of the present characters hiding in plain sight. It seems that the studio have developed him from the ground up, so they probably have something interesting coming up with him.
New gameplay features related to the Batmobile were shown as well, such as the ability to switch between pursuit and battle modes, and Rocksteady also teased a bit about the Batmobile’s combat capabilities. Which, from what the preview has shown, seem to be quite impressive. The game now also seems to be leaning more towards the arcade side, with the addition of a combo meter, although it wasn’t exactly clear what its purpose is going to be. However, the Batmobile will now apparently play a more major role in the game, as it will be required for defeating one special new type of enemy.
The developers have also streamlined the use of some of the gadgets, making them a bit more intuitive to new players, while also opening new possibilities for those with more experience with the game’s mechanics. However, Rocksteady have specifically said that these changes aren’t meant to make the game easier overall, so it would be interesting to see how they play out.
All in all, it seems that Rocksteady are cooking up a very solid sequel to an already successful franchise, and seem determined to get it right. Whether or not they’ll succeed, there’s about half a year left before fans find out. However, the popularity of the “Batman” franchise, combined with solid gameplay and a deep, strongly developed plot, could potentially be a true winning formula that will drive this game into the spotlight as soon as it’s released. Rocksteady have reported that they’re putting some serious work into the game, including regular motion capture sessions and more, so it seems that they’re determined to do their best.