Gotham Knights: Robin is no longer a sidekick, but a badass

The DC fans among you need a little more patience until Gotham Knights sends you to virtual Gotham once again. This time without Batman, because he is dead. He is replaced by other members of the Batman family: Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood and Batgirl take on the task of protecting the city from the bad guys.

How are the characters different from each other? And why is Robin more than just a sidekick? I spoke to Ann Lemay (Narrative Director) and Lloyd Colaco (Animation Director) about these and other topics.

How does Robin stand out from the other characters?

Ann Lemay: Each of them stands out in their own way, that’s what’s really remarkable about it. We have four different Knights, we have four very different characters, both in terms of personalities and styles. We hope that this way we can ensure that we have at least one or two characters that everyone will fall in love with. As for standing out from the crowd, I’m sure Lloyd has something to say about that.

Lloyd Colaco: Robin is my personal favorite because I just love his fighting style and what we got to do with him. The unique thing about him is that he is our ninja in the game. He’s the youngest, he’s the fastest, he’s the most stealth-oriented. Many of his abilities revolve around deceiving and surprising his opponents. His sticks are very ninjutsu-esque. When he fights with his Bō staff, he is very Wushu oriented. These moves look nice but are also very dangerous at the same time. Like I said, I really enjoyed working on Robin and it was just fun to get into the action with him.

Do each character appeal to different player types or playstyles?

Ann Lemay: Absolutely. That was part of how we conceived and built them for the game. They have different personalities and different styles that reflect those personalities. Red Hood is more of the team’s slugger. Robin is our secret character. Nightwing is acrobatic and flamboyant, and Batgirl is stunningly effective and a good all-rounder.

Lloyd Colaco: Really very effective.

How difficult was it to make the characters different at the same time, but also similar enough to be able to deal with them directly when switching?

Lloyd Colaco: You have the option to return to the Belfry, which is our base. You can always go back and change your character if you feel like it. You can choose any of the four characters and then just keep going. We make sure it’s seamless. You can get on and off at any time. In terms of gameplay, like Ann said, our focus is on them excelling in their own skill trees. All abilities are specific to a Knight and we make sure they feel different.

For example, Nightwing has more reach in terms of how it can stretch and reach people. Red Hood primarily shoots, but he also has a bunch of melee attacks that deal high damage. Batgirl is fast, engaged in hacking in the open world. I would say they are more effective at solving crimes. And Robin is our ninja, very stealth oriented.

Are there any differences in story progression or cutscenes depending on which character you choose? Or is it basically just a swap of character skins and moves?

Ann Lemay: We have an overarching story for all characters that is always the same. But within this story, we adjusted quite a bit to reflect the characters’ personalities. So each Knight has their own individual lyrics, their own voice, their own way of reacting to things and absorbing information. And that is definitely customized.

Lloyd Colaco: When it comes to the animation data, nothing is shared between them. Each frame of animation is different and unique for each character. So yes, we have a large database of movements associated with each character.

When you play alone, are you always alone or do you sometimes go with the other main characters that you can switch between in battle?

Ann Lemay: If you’re playing alone, you’ll definitely have contact with the Belfry, that can vary. You don’t always talk to the same person. So everyone is always a bit omnipresent, there might be phone calls and things like that. Of course, when you’re in co-op, you can decide who you want to play with.

You have four characters, the co-op mode supports two players. Why only two, would it have been too chaotic, too easy with four?

Ann Lemay: In fact, it was a very clear decision based on the fact that it was always about Batman and Robin. It’s always been a two-person team and we wanted to keep that aesthetic and approach.

Lloyd Colaco: Yes, we wanted it to be more about dynamic duos. That’s what this whole Batman fantasy has been about for a long time. We also felt that players would get the best experience with two characters working together.

Does the progress made apply equally to both co-op players or only to the host?

Ann Lemay: If the host plays the game, that’s the progress that’s saved. So let’s say the host is at a certain point in the game’s story. This is where the guest who joins the game in co-op is also. The host’s progress will later be saved to it.

What about things like items they get there?

Ann Lemay: I believe they keep everything they received in those sessions.

Which of these four characters is your favorite and why?

Ann Lemay: I love them all because we wrote them all and I’m very connected to the characters we worked on. Charismatic and lovable, Nightwing cares about everyone and desperately wants everyone to be okay with what they are going through. And they’re going through tough times. Even if he’s not doing well because of Bruce’s death. Batgirl, Barbara, is steadfast and reliable and simply best friends. She is deeply committed to her beliefs, which I think is a fantastic character trait.

Robin, Tim, is our youngest and he has always seen himself as Batman’s partner. And now there’s no Batman anymore. He has to find out who he will be and how he will do it in the future. Red Hood, Jason, recovering from so many things that happened to him. He was estranged from the Batman family. Jason is not only trying to find himself but also his place in the Batman family, which is really difficult to accomplish. I see this from an author’s point of view, which is why I love each and every one of them. Depending on where I am in the game, what scene I’m playing, what dialogue has been played, my favorite changes from moment to moment because they all have pretty extraordinary things to offer. I know Lloyd has a favorite.

Lloyd Colaco: Yes, that’s right. Basically, of course, we put the same amount of love and pain into all the characters. But if I had to pick one, I’d say Robin has a slight advantage. Because it’s the first time Robin isn’t just a sidekick anymore. Batman is dead. He evolves on his own. He makes his own progress. So I took it as a personal challenge to make sure he was badass. He’s a complex character. He’s young, he’s emotional, he’s fast. He’s a ninja. But when he fights with his guns, he’s dangerous. I think, like I said, I like Robin just for the whole package.

You have these four characters with different playstyles. How did you make sure that this is reflected in their movements?

Lloyd Colaco: That’s a really good question. It’s my job to make sure it’s entertaining, that it appeals to you and that it’s fun to play with. But we always start at the drawing board. We speak to the writing team and find out what their personality is like. Then the next phase is finding the actors who can actually pull off those crazy moves. I’m a big fan of recording motion without wires. Not that I have anything against it in principle. It’s just that, especially with someone like Robin, having any wires on the shoes slows down the whole speed and flow. Sometimes it seems as if they are floating.

That’s why I advised them against it when they were recording. I managed to get real ninjas on set. I spoke to some of my colleagues and did tests where I was very close to the action. And the guy who played Robin hit it really fast. I asked: ‘Is he ready?’. It looked like he was moving straight forward. And he said, ‘Yes, I’m done.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, man, that was pretty darn fast.’ I needed to be a bit clearer so that the player ultimately understands what just happened. We ended up laughing about it.

For Nightwing we had these amazing acrobats. The same applies here. Many of these jumps and movements were not accomplished with wires, but mainly with trampolines. So literally what you would use in gymnastics. We’ve had people flown in from all over Canada to come here and participate. I never had to convince anyone to work on this game, especially for the stunts. Once they knew who they were, the characters and what we were going to do with them, everyone was hooked.

Red Hood was no different. We were looking for people who could smash someone through a table or through the floor. The actors asked, ‘Can I really do this?’ I said, ‘Yeah, Red Hoods style.’ He fights at range. And when it came to Batgirl, we had a lot of actors with capoeira experience, a lot of martial artists who know kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. That was my best experience on this project. That’s what I enjoyed the most.

Sounds like a lot of fun… and a lot of work.

Lloyd Colaco: Yes absolutely. I hope this will pay off. I can’t wait for players to pick up the controller and play these different characters.

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Gotham Knights will be released on October 25, 2022 for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.