We would like to feature for you a trailer analysis of the launch trailer for Batman Arkham Knight, which we featured a few weeks ago. It must be said that the people at GameXplain have proven facile at picking up on clues that fly by most everyone else, and often, their hunches and leads prove true.
Let’s look at the original trailer before we get to the breakdown. Note that the analysis picks out particular parts of the trailer instead of going through the whole thing.
So, they start out by running down what was already known prior to the trailer release. Arkham Knight is not going to have multiplayer, and will instead have a huge focus on story. We also know Scarecrow is one of the villains, and the trailer in fact reinforces the idea of a continuation from Arkham City.
And so, we see in the trailer that the city is in the middle of evacuating its citizens. Here’s the 1st lead: why are the citizens leaving Arkham? Is it because they were hit by Scarecrow’s toxin and are rushing out in the panic, or are they avoiding any harm the Scarecrow or other criminals would wreak on them?
Moving back to Scarecrow, it is notable that in spite of his narration over the trailer, very little of him is actually seen, but what we do see shows he got manhandled by Killer Croc. Could Scarecrow have undergone a major redesign in the fallout of that encounter?
And then we get to that scene showing Two-Face, Penguin, and Harley Quinn working together, with Harley presumably giving orders. Considering they were warring factions in the previous game, what could have brought them together? Are they all working for Scarecrow? This idea is supported by the insignia the goons are sporting. This insignia appeared on a character in Arkham City, but the ‘Hell’s Gate’ wording on the logo also seems to reference the previous game. Depending on what you believe, this either refers to Talia’s stage, or Azrael’s speech to Batman, predicting the events of Arkham Knight.
Now, Batmobile’s appearance also seems to drop clues on the size of Gotham in Arkham Knight. In a brief moment, you can see part of Gotham mapped inside the Batmobile, and it basically implies that with a vehicle, Batman finally has full access of all of Gotham, presumably five times larger than in the last game, possibly including Arkham Asylum.
Assuming we take what’s shown in the trailer as possible in the game, one can also look at Batman’s entry and exit from the vehicle to figure out gameplay. The Batmobile can presumably pass through obstacles like walls to get to Batman as possible. Similarly, Batman can eject and go out to mete justice at any time. Now, we also see Batman chasing Two-Face down with the vehicle, so will there also been missions which requires use of the Batmobile?
A careful dissection of some combat animation reveals even more possibilities. Batman seems to now be able to take out a Batarang to disable a criminal from midair. The freeflow combat system may have even been expanded, seeing how Bats throws one enemy towards the others. He may also be able to use the environment, seeing as he puts some enemies through car windows.
Finally, bringing up Harley Quinn, we do know she’ll be available to play through some preorder DLC. She may be playable in Challenge Rooms, like the Joker was, or be given her own side missions, like Catwoman. It’s also possible that she gets her own combat system, clearly distinguishable from Batman’s. She seems midway in terms of Catwoman’s and Batman’s speed / agility. She also seems to demonstrate a dual counter system in the game.
The analysis ends with a rundown of Arkham Knight’s returning voice actors. You can watch their rundown below.
Batman Arkham Knight will be released October 14 on Windows, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.
