Comics Beat was invited to try the new Batgirl: A Matter of Family DLC for Batman: Arkham Knight. For those weary about the content not being developed directly by Rocksteady, rest easy. While it may feel alien to some, WB Montreal have successfully cloned what we loved about Arkham Knight. Our demo began with Batgirl and Robin infiltrating the Joker’s carnival to rescue Commissioner Gordon.
When you first take control, players will be at home with Batgirl’s combat mechanics. She’s not Batman or a Batman skin. Barbra fights like a nerd who took Karate and that’s what it feels like here. Her finishing moves aren’t as devastating as Batman’s they have a look that’s catered to function and it suits the character. Batgirl has a strength that suits her in the game, she’s the ultimate hacker. You’ll be able to hack traps and more devices from greater distances than Batman.
One of the few things we found odd in the opening sequence was Batgirl’s inability to glide. Part of your first objective will see Robin and Batgirl swing through a series of gondolas. Your fist instinct is to jump and fly through the air and it took a second for your brain to realize you aren’t Batman.
As you progress you’ll have to execute takedowns differently as well. One spot had us kill the lights completely in order to decimate two weapon carrying thugs.
We’re purposely leaving out story details from the cinematics, but will say that the story of the DLC manages to feel like it has dire stakes right off the bat. A rare thing for a story you well know the outcome of going in. Word was the campaign will take 2-3 hours to complete, not including the limited number of side quests and collectibles to find. It looks to be a good sized add-on to kick off Batman: Arkham Knight’s run of content.
If you’re at SDCC, stop by the DC Comics booth to try the game and pick up a copy of the free Batgirl Begins comic written by Tim Seeley.
Batgirl: A Matter of Family is available for season pass holders next week.
