Hey everyone, Mark Pacini here, Game Director at Armature Studio for Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate. We have some videos highlighting our latest game on PS Vita. Blackgate is a 2.5D Metroidvania take on the popular Batman: Arkham series. The game itself takes place three months after the events of Batman: Arkham Origins, where Batman is sent in to investigate a riot at Blackgate Prison.

We recorded several “Case Files” to both introduce people to the game, as well as give a few hints here and there. We want you to be able to get the most out of Blackgate, as we tried to pour as much variety and intensity into it as possible.

Combat

FreeFlow Combat is one of the core pillars of the Batman: Arkham franchise, and we’ve adapted FreeFlow Combat from the console editions of the games into the 2.5D perspective of Blackgate. We had specific challenges in bringing this combat into the 2.5D plane on a completely different game engine, while maintaining the feeling of “being Batman” in combat.

This video highlights the various combat encounters in the game, including the different thug types, as well as some environmental effects that influence combat.

Bosses

Prior to the final boss, Batman will encounter six boss characters. Here are a few quick tips for each boss, as they have totally different strategies. We don’t give everything away, but enough to help people along. Purists may want to skip this video, as there are some spoilers here!

• Bronze Tiger: Bronze Tiger is a hand-to-hand battle, but keep in mind that after you find his weakness, he’ll evolve his fighting style, so you’ll need to change it up.
• Deadshot: Deadshot is the “man that never misses.” Luckily, his gun cannot fire immediately, so as soon as the gun is about to fire, get behind cover. Also, he is not a fan of spotlights shining is his face.
• Solomon Grundy: Being an undead monstrosity, Batman’s gadgets (and fists) are useless against him. Scrub the whole environment in detective mode to find things that could help you.
• Penguin: his thugs have motion sensors and advanced weaponry that will make life very difficult for Batman. You’ll want to find a way to pull the munitions backpacks off of their backs at a safe distance before descending on Penguin from above.
• Black Mask: at the beginning of the battle, Black Mask will toss grenades while you fight his goons. You’ll want to flip over enemies to dodge them. Afterwards, he will overload the generators and you’ll need to shut down the three switches simultaneously.
• The Joker: the Joker can outrun Batman, so you’ll need to quickly cross the room with the line launcher. Also, when the Joker takes out his stun stick, you’ll want to use something in your utility belt to short it out.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this look into Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for PS Vita! For more information and the latest updates, visit www.batmanarkhamorigins.com.