Ever since Warner Bros. Interactive announced Batman: Arkham Knight, one of the features that’s most fascinated gamers has been the inclusion of the Batmobile. Other vehicles in the Batman movies have been more original, but none has captured the essence of Batman more than his trusty car. Much like the recent movies, the Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile marks a distinct split from previous outings. But this time it’s not just visual.
Yes, the Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile looks new. And judging from the image above, it’s looking pretty badass. But visual appeal isn’t the thing that’s most excited people. Instead, PS4 and Xbox One owners are most stoked about the Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile being driveable.
Recently the development team from Rocksteady posted a blog entry on the PlayStation Blog about their design philosophy for the Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile. Normally these things seems pretty esoteric and aren’t worth passing along. For some reason this one’s different. Below are some excerpts from that blog entry. If you want to read the full thing, head over here.
“As it was with taking on a character that cannot kill and is powerful but vulnerable, so it is with taking on a car that is (in most right-minded people’s heads) the single greatest vehicle ever. … I thought I’d share three of my favorite features of the Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile, and how we are hoping this helps to deliver a unique experience:
1) Unstoppable. When driving the Batmobile through the streets of Gotham, it quickly became apparent to us that there was a paradox between creating a populated* next-gen city full of detail, but at the same time avoiding the player getting stuck or having to weave their way through all of this detail just to navigate around. … [W]e made the decision early in development that to truly feel the power of the Batmobile, this car needed to be unstoppable. … If you want to stick to an open road then that is your choice, but if you want to take a shortcut through a pillar, wall or statue then that’s fine too!
2) Instant Eject Into Glide. Combining the gliding and grappling was a key feature of Arkham City. The grapple boost in particular, once mastered, gave you the unique feeling of being Batman gliding above your city. The eject into glide takes this on to the next level, by launching Batman up into the air, but taking all of your forward momentum into the glide, allowing you to travel much further and faster than ever before.
3) Instant Access. If you’re in the middle of a fight and getting outmaneuvered, call in your car for instant protection. If you’re gliding, or on top of a building, and want to transfer into the Batmobile, just look down at the road and press the Batmobile button and the car will be there waiting for you. It is never more than a button press away.”
That last bit about instant accessibility is completely awesome. It’ll be interesting to see whether Rocksteady can strike a balance between the Batmobile being a crutch and the vehicle being a superhero’s best friend. Based on their work on the previous Batman games, the chances of them finding that balance are high. It’s just too bad we have to wait to see how it turns out.
Batman: Arkham Knight will be available exclusively for PS4, Xbox One and PC. You can click here to pre-order Batman: Arkham Knight from Amazon
