Telltale reveals first details about its upcoming Batman game

As with other Telltale games, production on the visuals for the Batman game, whose official title is yet to be revealed, is expected to be in full swing as the launch draws nearer. However, it’s been decided by the team that that game will constitute a non-photorealistic interpretation of the Batman universe, which entails a significant upgrade of Telltale’s graphics engine.

Telltale is aiming for “a more seamless living comic book art direction.” To that end, it’s taking inspiration from the works of Jim Lee, Greg Capullo, Neal Adams, and other legendary Batman comic book artists.

Let it be known, though, that the upcoming Batman game will present an entirely new take on the Batman universe, which Telltale said will be “set in current times, not tied to any existing iteration of Batman in games, film, or comics.”

As for who’s going to show up in the game, story-wise? “Story will focus on Bruce and Batman, not an examination of the extended ‘Bat-family’ (Robin, Nightwing, etc.),” Telltale said. “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.”

Of course, the game game will incorporate Telltale’s trademark choice-and-consequence gameplay style. “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,” Telltale explained. “Certain key situations will give the player the decision to approach a scene as Bruce or Batman, with consequences for both sides.”

At the moment, Telltale is busy working on the story and the script, before focusing on the visuals. Unsurprisingly, given the usually dark themes associated with the Dark Knight, the game will have a mature rating and a cinematic approach reminiscent of an R-rated film.

We’ll see for ourselves once the game comes out of the shadows of Telltale’s Batcave for its premiere this summer.

Apart from DC, Telltale has an ongoing partnership with Marvel for a game that’s scheduled for release much later, in 2017.

What fans of Telltale’s games won’t have to wait much longer for is the second episode of The Walking Dead: Michonne, which is out on March 29.