The scenario being based on the official death of Batman and the ensuing chaos, it is indeed Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Red Hood (Jason Todd) and Robin (Tim Drake) who find themselves in charge to take over. It is appropriate here to dispel any possible misunderstanding: Gotham Knights is not played with four, and does not propose either to control a team of four heroes. We are dealing with a real solo game (and that's good...), which can still be played in two-person cooperation if desired. In any case, players are free to choose the character they prefer. For this preview, we've focused on Batgirl, but we'll be testing the different heroes more thoroughly in the final test. The adventure begins in Gotham University, in search of information on a recently deceased professor. This sequence gives the opportunity to appreciate the investigation system, based above all on an Augmented Reality vision. The latter thus enabled us to detect traces on the ground, to follow them, to arrive at a crime scene, and finally to discover the existence of a secret passage, a hidden and underground mechanism having then appeared highlighted in the decor. There was then only to observe in detail the office to unearth a password and a place to enter it.
BATMAN, THE LEGACY
While it's nice to see that the origins of the Batman saga haven't been forgotten (the initials DC being derived from Detective Comics), these investigation sequences shouldn't be the heart of the game. is above all an action RPG in the open world, the latter offering multiple side activities and several means of movement. In addition to the essential fast travel, we were able to appreciate the grappling hook, which allows you to easily reach heights and quickly propel yourself from one point to another, the Batglider, thanks to which it becomes possible to glide, and the Batcycle . This two-wheeled version of the Batmobile offers fairly good sensations of speed, especially when taking a springboard, as well as the possibility of making rear wheels.
AT NIGHT, ALL THE VILLAINS ARE GRAY
The discovery of the open world and its gangs to fight is always done at night, which obviously fits perfectly well with the Batman universe. But between two night patrols, it is essential to go to the Belfry, a high-perched headquarters in which our four fantastic heroes often walk around by day and in civilian clothes. This hub allows you to advance the scenario through different cutscenes and dialogues, to train in combat, to change characters, to improve your equipment or to choose between different outfits, inspired by the different adventures and eras of the DC Universe. The Batcomputer more particularly gives access to four skill trees, thanks to which each player can refine his hero as he wishes. The game indeed offers different approaches during the clashes, ranging from outright fighting to more discreet technological refinements. The combat system is thus made up of melee attacks, heavy melee attacks, ranged attacks, heavy ranged attacks, dodging, surprise tackles, aerial attacks, and many more. still other things. The nag who wishes to go directly into the pile will therefore find his account as much as the player adept at infiltration and discretion. Some missions will still require you to favor a particular approach, like this mission to free hostages chained to bombs. If the player is detected, he will then have only one minute to face all the enemies and free the three unfortunates. Suffice to say that staying discreet and making silent attacks from the heights is much preferable here to direct confrontation.
But between two night patrols, it is essential to go to the Belfry, a high-perched headquarters in which our four fantastic heroes often walk around by day and in civilian clothes.
In addition, it seems particularly important to achieve perfect dodges during the exchange of blows. A discreet icon on the fists of the opponents indicates the ideal moment to dodge, which then allows to place a devastating counter. Some attacks also generate elaborate, spectacular and pleasing animations, while the cutscenes reveal precise facial expressions and models that find the right balance between realism and cartoon. This last point concerns both the team of avengers and the villains, of which it is assumed that they will be numerous. Our test gave us some clues about the potential presence of Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, while we directly met Harley Quinn twice. As an interlocutor imprisoned in Blackgate the first time, and as a boss to fight the second. Add to that a scenario that should give pride of place to The Court of Owls, and comic book fans will certainly be in heaven. But, more importantly, everything suggests that even non-reader gamers will have something to celebrate with Gotham Knights, which promises to be particularly solid.
