14 DAY TRIAL // Developer Rocksteady Games intends to make the upcoming action adventure video game Batman: Arkham Knight "the ultimate Batman simulator," and believes that all the elements needed for that to happen are in place.
The world that you'll be adventuring in in Batman: Arkham Knight will be five times larger than that of its predecessor, in order to accommodate all the new shiny toys in Bats' arsenal, including the Batmobile, which gamers will be able to use for the first time.
The thing is, at one point, the team decided to evolve from the linear gameplay and storytelling fashion in Arkham Asylum, and expanded on this concept with more open-world gameplay as the series went on.
Now, with a city this big and shiny new wheels, many fans are wondering how Rocksteady is going to pull off the narrative side of the Batman equation, especially considering that Gotham is under siege, and the streets are largely vacated.
Bigger city, new toys
"I think we've always taken pride in the stories we tell. We try to create that very cinematic story-telling experience through the game," Rocksteady Marketing Manager Guy Perkins explained to IGN.
The open-world setting enabled the developers to expand Batman's arsenal with the grappling gun and the ability to glide, which required a bigger game in order to support them, and now, the addition of the Batmobile is doing the same thing.
"The big thing that was always missing for us was the Batmobile. It was always missing but wouldn't have worked in Asylum or City, so to build an open-world around that was crucial," Perkins began.
"The narrative is still very defined, though, there's definite acts that you clearly understand as you go through Arkham Knight. We've been conscious to create a rich story that's interesting for newcomers and for fans alike. You can go off and do your side quests when you like, but it's still a linear story in the sense that it has a beginning, middle and end," he revealed.
A new challenge awaits
With the Joker out of the picture, and no longer there to disrupt Gotham's crime syndicate, the underground is getting organized once again, rising up as the most formidable challenge the Dark Knight has ever seen.
"Joker going was a challenge, but we left Scarecrow out of Arkham City for a reason so he's back in as the big bad and it's great for us to bring him back. He has so many iconic moments in the first game, to have him back as the Big Bad is really cool. He's a great mirror for Batman, as they both use fear as a weapon of choice," Perkins explained.
The story in the upcoming game takes place one year after the events of Batman: Arkham City, and sees the entrance of a new menace, the Arkham Knight, an enemy that makes a mockery out of everything that Batman stands for, and who seeks to take down the Dark Knight once and for all.
"We gave them Gotham City, we gave them Batman at the height of his powers and we gave them the Batmobile. I think those three elements come together to make a great game. If people go away feeling like it was awesome, we've done a good job. If people walk away thinking this is the ultimate Batman simulator, then our job is complete," Perkins concluded.
Batman: Arkham Knight is scheduled to come out sometime during the summer of 2015, headed to the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms.
