Telltale Games discussed their upcoming
Batman game today at SXSW, and they have
a
post on their website summarizing for the rest of us what they revealed
about the episodic adventure of the dark knight. They say the game is coming
this summer, and here's what they offer for the moment:
The team at
Telltale hit the stage in Austin at the SXSW Gaming Expo today along with Kinda
Funny’s Greg Miller, to come out of hiding and talk details about the upcoming
series based on BATMAN for the very first time. While development has been
moving along swiftly over the last year, production on in-game visuals for all
of Telltale’s series always tends to come together closer to launch, as the
writers and designers spend their time focusing very heavily on the story and
script first and foremost.
It’s still too soon to show any scenes from the game, but the team was happy to
confirm that players can expect to see it closer to its upcoming premiere which
is slated for THIS SUMMER! Additional details gathered from the panel were as
follows:
- Batman is the perfect character for the studio to
explore in a Telltale series, giving the team the opportunity to dive deeper
into the mind of the man behind the mask. Each night, Bruce Wayne chooses to
change Gotham for the better. The team wants to explore what the
consequences are of the player’s actions when decisions made as Bruce have a
critical impact on his nightly crusade as Batman, and vice versa. Certain
key situations will give the player the decision to approach a scene as
Bruce or Batman, with consequences for both sides.
- Fresh interpretation of the universe set in
current times, not tied to any existing iteration of Batman in games, film,
or comics. Story will focus on Bruce and Batman, not an examination of the
extended 'Bat-family,' (Robin, Nightwing, etc.) Fans can expect certain
series staples such as Alfred Pennyworth, Vicki Vale, James Gordon, and
Renee Montoya. Telltale is looking to keep the villains more tightly under
wraps until closer to the premiere.
- Certain characters will have a deeply personal
relationship with Bruce in his private life, and decisions made as Bruce or
Batman will affect their paths towards corruption or redemption.
- The player's actions will help shape the Gotham
that Bruce deals with during the day, as well as the criminals that Batman
faces at night.
- Team is committing to a non-photorealistic
interpretation of the universe, enhancing engine and technology to deliver a
more seamless living comic book art direction. Taking inspiration from the
works of over 75 years of artists such as Jim Lee, Greg Capullo, and Neal
Adams.
- Like some other Telltale series, the game will be
landing at M (Mature 17+) rating, and the cinematic approach will feel more
akin to an R-rated film.