Gotham Knights: Release date, trailers and all you need to know about the Batman family game

(Pocket-lint) - When Batman: Arkham Asylum archetypal came retired it redefined superhero games.

Its crunching, combo-based combat and amusive exploratory navigation made for a heady gameplay blend. It was past followed by two, ever much fantabulous outings, Arkham City and Arkham Knight, each of which widened the series' scope. And a prequel game, Arkham Origins, filled retired the quadrilogy.

Now, aft much than six years, a 5th crippled with akin gameplay is heading our mode - Gotham Knights. And, portion it isn't technically acceptable successful the Arkham Universe, it shares akin themes and gameplay.

• What bid should you play the Batman Arkham games?

Here is what we cognize astir it truthful far, the debut trailer and more. Enjoy.

Gotham Knights merchandise date

After being heavy rumoured for months, Gotham Knights was afloat unveiled during the archetypal DC FanDome astatine the extremity of August 2020.

Originally planned for a 2021 release, it was enactment backmost to 2022 owed to the ongoing pandemic. A much nonstop day has not yet been announced.

pic.twitter.com/O1U4T0gK3u

— Gotham Knights (@GothamKnights) March 19, 2021

Gotham Knights trailers

The satellite premiere trailer was released arsenic portion of the archetypal DC FanDome successful August 2021.

In it, you get to spot the caller formed of playable characters - with Batman presumed dead. The aggregate leads besides makes for an absorbing jump-in, jump-out co-op experience.

A 2nd trailer was shown during the 2nd DC Fandom successful October 2022.

It shows the main villains of the portion - the Court of Owls. The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot) besides features.

Gotham Knights plot, characters and villains

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Set 15 years aft Batman archetypal deed the streets of Gotham, the Dark Knight is missing and presumed dead.

The metropolis is, however, inactive astatine hazard of super-villainry, truthful up steps the usually supporting formed of Bat household members: Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing and Red Hood.

Players get to instrumentality connected each of the characters (sometimes 2 astatine once, successful co-op), with antithetic abilities astatine their disposal.

Batgirl (Barbara Gordon, who was antecedently Oracle) is the astir similar Batman himself, with an array of martial creation skills.

Nightwing is the archetypal Robin, Dick Grayson, who wields dual Escrima Sticks to assistance instrumentality retired enemies.

Red Hood is besides a erstwhile Robin, Jason Todd, who is much fond of utilizing guns and tech to get his way. His quality provides further impervious that Gotham Knights is not acceptable successful the Arkham universe, arsenic Todd turned retired to beryllium the eponymous Arkham Knight successful that timeline.

Finally, a much caller Robin, Tim Drake, is much stealth focused than the others.

They volition person to instrumentality connected respective cardinal villains from the comic books, including Mr Freeze (seen successful the gameplay walkthrough below) and, arsenic revealed successful the latest trailer, the shadowy figures of the Court of Owls.

Gothams Knights gameplay

While Gotham Knights is not based successful the Batman Arkham universe, it features akin gameplay - arsenic evidenced by a walkthrough video released during DC FanDome.

Each of the playable characters volition person their ain unsocial styles, but the open-world scenery of Gotham volition diagnostic storyline missions and, seemingly, broadside quests - overmuch similar Arkham City and Arkham Knight.

It is besides a role-player of sorts, with characters capable to beryllium levelled up and assigned caller skills passim the game.

The biggest summation though is two-player online co-op. While the crippled volition beryllium capable to beryllium played successful single-player successful its entirety, a mates of players tin instrumentality connected antithetic pb characters and play together.

Combat has been tweaked particularly to suit co-op play. An interrogation published by GamesRadar successful January 2021 explained that portion Arkham players volition find a acquainted travel to gameplay, the strategy is mostly redesigned: "We person wholly redesigned the combat strategy successful bid for it to enactment good successful co-op," said WB Games Montreal's Fleur Marty. "Of course, we're inactive a brawler, and immoderate of the mechanics won't consciousness wholly alien for radical who played and enjoyed the Arkham series, but it is successful galore ways precise different."

Gotham Knights platforms

Gotham Knights volition beryllium disposable for PS4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

There is nary confirmation of a Stadia mentation astatine present, nor Switch.

Writing by Rik Henderson and Max Freeman-Mills. Originally published connected 8 July 2020.