It's becoming increasingly clear that Rocksteady is going all-out with its grand finale, Batman: Arkham Knight.
The Batmobile. A massive, open-world Gotham. The mysterious Arkham Knight. There's so much to this game, and yet Rocksteady seems to just be getting warmed up with its avalanche of gameplay reveals. After last week's news that the Bat will be able to team up with Nightwing, Robin and Catwoman in his fight for Gotham, comes news that yet another ally is joining the fight as a playable character.
Batgirl will be playable in an Arkham Knight DLC episode called "A Matter of Family." Very little is known about this special chapter in the game's Season Pass, other than Batgirl being the protagonist. But the entire idea is one gigantic question mark, since Oracle is a major character who appears in the main game. (Barbara Gordon gave up the mantle of Batgirl after being paralyzed by Joker. But she continued to fight crime as Oracle, providing needed information to heroes in the field and helping to coordinate their actions.)
So is "A Matter of Family" a prequel, set before Barbara became paralyzed? Or is this another Batgirl, Cassandra Cain or Stephanie Brown (despite the dark hair)? We'll have to wait to find out.
In the meantime, this news came as part of an infodump posted to the Arkham Knight forum at Warner Bros. Interactive's website. The post included all new details about the Season Pass, a term Rocksteady is using in a way that seems to describe more than a bundle of DLC content. It's sounding more and more like the Season Pass is an episodic package of content that's more than the sum of its parts.
For six months following the game's release, Rocksteady will publish new content on a monthly basis. These will include numerous story-driven adventures like "A Matter of Family," such as "The Season of Infamy," a collection of story missions in which Batman faces his biggest villains as they invade Gotham. "Gotham City Stories" tells similar new tales, but stars several of Batman's allies in "narrative missions that extend their storylines." And get this: these side stories are from a variety of timeframes, including before and after the events of Arkham Knight.
In addition to all this story-driven goodness, Rocksteady is throwing in some extras like character skins for Batman, Nightwing, Robin and Catwoman, and new "Crimefighter Challenge Maps" for each of them. With Arkham Knight introducing the Batmobile, Rocksteady is adding a collection of racetracks for driving challenges. The coolest part is that several "iconic Batmobiles from Batman's 75-year history" will be playable on these tracks, and every track is customized with art and surroundings to go along with one of these Batmobiles. But you can play any of the Batmobiles on any track if you wish.
The Batman: Arkham Knight Season Pass is still a work in progress, so stay tuned as Rocksteady reveals more details about what to expect.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.