After weeks of speculation, the new Batman trailer has arrived. First and foremost, Rocksteady’s new game is finally given a title, Batman: Arkham Knight. Now, it is important to point out that trailer entitled “Father to Son” is nearly four minutes long, but it does not reveal too much of the plot.
The trailer emphasizes a touching relationship between father and son; most of the preview has Thomas Wayne’s will being read over the action. The will calls for Bruce to give back to Gotham and also stresses the necessity “for the good men to stand up for Gotham as the others turn and run.” As we all know, Bruce’s parents have always played a big role in why he became Batman, but the reading of Thomas Wayne’s will blatantly foreshadows the plot of this game. This foreshadowing is known because the trailer shows Gotham in disarray; the Scarecrow’s voice-over gives the people of Gotham a warning to leave the city or he will ‘unleash their greatest fear.’
Furthermore, as the will continues to be read, the viewer gets an inter-cutting of Bruce Wayne and the villains taking over the city. From these scenes, one can assume that Harley Quinn, Penguin, Two-face, and the Scarecrow will be appearing in Batman: Arkham Knight. It is unclear if the earlier reports were right about Hush being the main villain; the trailer and Youtube description make it seem that the main antagonist will be Scarecrow. However, the Arkham games have been known to have multiple antagonists with equal importance. For instance, though Arkham City is remembered solely for the Joker, Hugo Strange is just as vital to that story.
With that being said, the trailer ends with Batman defeating the henchmen and using his Batmobile to chase after Two-Face. Now, this ending is important for two reasons: firstly, this ending scene, along with Scarecrow and Thomas Wayne’s voice-over, reveal some of the plot. For instance, Two-Face is fighting the police with what seems like the Jokers henchmen. This means that the villains have decided to work together to take over Gotham. The Youtube description further underlines this story-line: “Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect. The Scarecrow returns to unite an impressive roster of super villains, including Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, to destroy The Dark Knight forever.” Secondly, the final scene emphasizes the presence of the Batmobile. Yes, other trailers showed Batman’s vehicle, but not in this much detail. This begs the question, will the player be able to use the vehicle? Again, the Youtube description gives the answer: “Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady’s uniquely designed version of the Batmobile, which is drivable for the first time in the franchise.”
Also, it is important to point out that the Youtube description of the video starts with “In the explosive finale to the Arkham series.” Does this mean that Arkham Knight is the final game or is this Rocksteady’s final Batman game before the franchise is moved to a different developer? Most likely it is the latter, because Batman has become one of Warner Brothers most popular games and I cannot see them stopping the franchise after this installment. With that said, Game Informer’s press release about Arkham Knight on April’s cover has the description: “Set after the events of Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Knight may just end the Dark Knight’s journey.” However, at the moment this does not provide the full answer and we will report on the issue as soon as more information becomes available.
Lastly, the trailer concludes with “Be the Batman, Coming 2014”. So, obviously there is no official release date, except that it will be released in 2014. With that said, my guess for the release date is around September or October, which is when most of the Arkham games have been released. On top of this, the Arkham Knight website reveals that the game will be coming out for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. At the moment, there is no planned release for the previous generation, which would hint at some greatly improved visuals.
What do you think of the trailer and the newly revealed details? Please leave us your comment below.