Here’s Why Nightwing Has A Fortnite-Like Glider In Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights has a large sandbox for players to explore, and depending on which hero you choose, Batman’s proteges all have a unique method for getting around the city. Red Hood taps into mystical powers to create spiritual platforms that he can leap off of, Batgirl has a more traditional gliding mechanic, and Nightwing takes to the sky with a device that fans have jokingly referred to as a Fortnite glider.

In a Discord A&A session, creative director Patrick Redding explained the inspiration behind the glider that’s nicknamed “the Flying Trapeze” in Gotham Knights. Developer Warner Bros. Montreal took inspiration from some of the classic issues of the Nightwing comic book series where he made use of several jet-powered gliders that echoed his circus upbringing.

“We liked the death-defying angle of him looking at all the various stealth drones in Batman’s arsenal and calculating that he could just get away with hanging off one of the smaller models and still be able to maintain or gain altitude with it,” Redding explained. “It’s designed to feel a bit improvised, and dependent on his extreme athleticism, which fits Nightwing’s approach to everything. Flying it has such a different feel from Batgirl’s cape-gliding, and it blends really well with his bigger parkour and leap moves, as well as with grappling.”

All four characters have a different rhythm to their traversal gameplay when it comes to verticality, as game director Geoff Ellenor added that Warner Bros. Montreal wanted each character to feel unique in their design. Batgirl’s gliding plays with the wind to create a certain sensation of speed, Red Hood’s jumping was designed to feel like fast-paced platforming, and Robin’s teleport has a snappy feel to it.

“Nightwing’s glider feels different because it’s a machine, and you can angle it to climb up and around tall buildings, as well as glide,” Ellenor explained. “They’re all really different in feel, and until you play them for a little bit, it’s hard to appreciate how much it changes how you roam around Gotham.”

When it comes to combat, each character also caters to specific archetypes and roles. Robin is the best stealth-focused hero, Batgirl can hack the environment to give her an edge and has health-focused powers, and Nightwing mixes combat mobility skills with co-op support abilities. Red Hood is the tank of the group and deals high long-range damage while also being skilled at breaking up clusters of enemies. You won’t have to stick to those roles though, as depending on the gear equipped and the skills you invest in, each character can specialize in other fields.

Gotham Knights will release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 25. The recent gameplay trailer for Gotham Knights has shown more of the game off in greater detail, and for everything else, you can check out GameSpot’s feature on everything that we know about Gotham Knights so far.