Well, my interest level in Batman: Arkham Knight just skyrocketed. Fresh details on the DLC coming in the game’s season pass reveal Batgirl’s Arkham game debut.
While Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy comes to a close with the release of Arkham Knight in June, the developer has a packed schedule of side stories and additional content to keep batfans happy long after the credits roll. Tops on that list for at least two Kotaku editors is the “Batgirl: A Matter of Family” downloadable story expansion, featuring an entirely new location and starring a playable Batgirl.
I keep wanting to call her Barbara or Babs, but I’m not so sure the shinier, happier member of the Bat family that Evan Narcisse wanted is what we’re getting.
For one, we know that Oracle plays a strong role in Arkham Knight, and Oracle is Barbara Gordon in a wheelchair.
Since this is a side story removed from the main narrative, it could be tale of Batgirl’s past, before whatever events in this universe led to her injury (did “The Killing Joke” happen here?). Or maybe it’s another Batgirl entirely.
My interested in Batgirl kicked into high gear in the late ’90s/early 2000s, when a mute assassin named Cassandra Cain was taken under Batman’s wing after acting as one of Oracle’s operatives during the “No Man’s Land” comic storyline. Originally devoid of speech but able to read body movements at a supernatural level, Cassandra got over the whole speech thing and eventually wound up as Black Bat, Batman Incorporated’s Hong Kong operative.
I loved this character from the moment I first saw her on a comic book cover, cloth stitched over her suit’s mouth. Her initial wordless run was brilliant.
“A Matter of Family” could very well allude to a Barbara Gordon story. Or it could have something to do with Cassandra Cain and her assassin father David Cain or her murderous mother Lady Shiva.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed. In the meantime, here’s the rest of the Season Pass details revealed in the Arkham Knight forums (via Greg Miller’s Twitter).
- The Season of Infamy —Play as Batman in all new story missions featuring legendary super-villains invading Gotham City, with new story arcs, missions and gameplay features.
- Gotham City Stories —Play as Batman’s key allies in narrative missions extending their storylines, from both before and after the events in Batman: Arkham Knight.
- Legendary Batmobiles with Themed Tracks —Drive the most iconic Batmobiles from Batman’s 75-year history, on custom-built race tracks, each themed to that Batmobile’s specific era. Every Batmobile will be drivable across every race track.
- Crimefighter Challenge Maps —Engage in a series of new challenge maps utilising the unique play styles of Batman and his allies.
- Character Skins —A variety of skins from across the eras for Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Catwoman.
Comments
5 responses to “Batgirl Makes Her Playable Debut As Arkham Knight DLC”
Yes yes yes yes yesssss and then Batwoman next please.
Looks like the original (not the recent update) New 52 Barbara costume. I was hoping for Steph Brown personally but any Batgirl is good.
Realistically it could still be any though when you consider how different their version of Tim Drake looks.
Edit: Nvm, Mike didn’t read the source properly..
I hope these are actual narratives… and not just challenge room levels like we got with the Bat training in the last game.
Part of me wants to avoid this due to it being AAA developed money drain that is modern day DLC practices… But at the same time it’s the DLC for a Batman game, and those rarely disappoint.
I want to complain about the DLC too, but all the Batmobiles is very tempting.