A new gameplay demo for Nightwing and Red Hood recently dropped, revealing a little bit about the character customization that players can expect from the upcoming Gotham Knights. While it is still early, these glimpses suggest a greater degree of character customization than players are accustomed to from previous games. These suits are expected to be different visually and have unique gameplay elements.
Gotham Knights is an upcoming action role-playing game that takes place after the deaths of both Bruce Wayne/Batman and Commissioner James Gordon. The game is unique in that it will be following the rest of the bat family, Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood, as they defend the city from the various gangs of Gotham. With such an ensemble, it is not surprising that Gotham Knights leaks hint at 4-player co-op. However, not much is known about the game, but recent gameplay footage has revealed more about how Gotham Knights plays and what features players can expect.
In the aforementioned gameplay demo, Nightwing and Red Hood are seen recuperating at the Belfry, the new home base. Among other goodies, there exists a workbench from which heroes may change their weapons and armor. While brief, the section provided a great deal about what can be expected from the new gear system. Here is everything that can be gathered about the upcoming gear system from what was seen in the Gotham Knights demo.
Gotham Knights Gear Lets Players Revisit Classic Costumes
The most striking thing seen in the very brief gameplay segment showcasing the new gear system is the visuals of the costumes themselves. While Batman: Arkham has frequently made Batman costume references, this is the first indications of costume references for the rest of the bat family. From what was seen, there are six different costume styles showcased so far: New Guard, Neon Noir, Titan, Year One, Knight Ops, and Shinobi. Some of these styles, like New Guard, Titan, and Shinobi, were shared between Red Hood and Nightwing while others where only showcased for one or the other. However, the names and visuals certainly bring up thoughts of other iterations of the characters.
Year One is clearly referencing the eponymous comic line and while Nightwing’s suit is not a one-for-one recreation of the classic costume, it does evoke inspiration from the comics. A surprising reference shown is that of the Shinobi style, which is actually shared by both characters. Both suits are heavily inspired by Japanese shinobi that can be very clearly seen in their garments and masks. Hearing of the Shinobi style brings up thoughts of the recent Batman Ninja movie suit, and these skins also see characters reimagined as shinobi from feudal Japan. While Batman as a ninja in feudal Japan, is certainly a bit ridiculous, it is indeed a fun homage to an obscure film. With such detail given, it is easy to speculate that other suits will be references to past and present iterations of each character.
Another customization choice that appeared was color. While not heavily showcased, there did appear to be some amount of color choice with each style of suit. While most appeared as “Iconic Alpha” (which appeared to be the default choice of color), some variants were shown including “Chroma Blackout” and “Chroma Accent”. These option gave their respective suits noticeably darker looks when compared to the predominantly blue (Nightwing) and red (Red Hood) color palettes of the other suits shown.
While not elaborated on in the demo, the menu clearly shows tabs for “Crafting” and “Style”. While not confirmed, it can be speculated that these will allow players to customize gear to suit their preferred aesthetic preferences. This may be done either through crafting new gear or through style options available. However, it has not been confirmed whether players can mix-and-match styles and colors nor has it been confirmed if certain stats are locked to a particular aesthetic style. However, the possibilities does give one hope that Batwoman can return in Gotham Knights as a playable suit for Batgirl.
Players Can Spec Their Entire Character In Gotham Knights
While the aesthetic choices can be exciting, the amount of gear customization showcased cannot be overlooked. While the suits and their capabilities were emphasized, the demo did show off that melee and ranged weapons can be customized as well. Nightwing was shown to have equipped escrima sticks and darts that gave him cryogenic elemental affinity. From the brief time looking at suits, other elements seem to be available as well and may be freely equipped.
Each suit seems to have its own benefit but not much was revealed on that front. From what was seen, each suit does have different stats, the main ones being power, health, and armor. However, there were some unique stats shown, namely elemental resistances and an unknown stat labelled as “momentum generation”. While the gameplay reasons for this are speculative, given Gotham Knights Batman Villain Problem, it could hopefully open up more interesting fights with lesser-known elemental foes. Each suit will also have different amounts of mod slots. Mod slots are apparently very valuable as they allow deeper customization but in what capacity was not yet revealed.
From the commentary given in the demo, it is known that gear and blueprints will be earned as rewards for missions and challenges. Both Nightwing and Red Hood can be seen picking up gear and crafting materials from fallen enemies, suggesting a greater emphasis on loot and gear. As all gear pieces shown had wildly different stats, one can speculate that gear levels will be a major factor in gameplay. This is certainly a big departure from the previous games in the Batman: Arkham franchise and may hint at a greater emphasis toward tactical RPG combat.
While the gameplay demo was brief, the game appears to be going in an interesting direction, especially with Gotham Knights’ departure from needing Batman. From the small section on gear customization alone, a lot can be gleamed about the game and what kind of features the player should expect going forward. While everything seen here is subject to change, production is already well underway for the game, which is expected to release in October 2022. However, only time will tell how Gotham Knights will be play differently with this wealth of gear customization.
