#Gotham by gaslight series#

Gotham by Gaslight is considered the first Elseworlds title, retroactively named so because the concept didn’t exist at the time it was printed in 1989. Taking actual DC characters and placing them in non-canon worlds, times, and universes is an imaginative way to broaden the scope of possibilities for creators to play with. Originally conceived as “Imaginary Stories” in the Superman series, and a few other comics including Batman, DC’s Elseworlds are self-contained continuities. I’d certainly play it.What would have happened if Batman had been alive during the era of Jack the Ripper? That is the concept explored in this Elseworlds story arc.

#Gotham by gaslight series#

Maybe one day, after the dust of the Arkham series has settled, someone will remember this game and decide to give it another shot. As much as we love the Arkham games, we can’t help but feel a pang of regret for what this game could have been. Sure, there’s no steam punk in Rocksteady’s series, but that Gothic vibe is certainly there with the towering buildings and gargoyle statues. The art style is also very similar to the Arkham games. Tapping the Y button to enter slow motion mode is also reminiscent of the detective mode players can enter in the Arkham games in order to spot enemies and look for clues. The game also seemed like players would need to rely on many of the gadgets that Batman has at his disposal in order to overcome obstacles and out-maneuver enemies. Watching the game-play video, you can clearly see that the way Batman moves is very similar to how he behaves in the Arkham games. It seems a damn shame that such a promising and unique game was never given the go-ahead, but from the ashes has risen the brilliant Arkham series. Batman is at one point believed to be Jack the Ripper by the people of Gotham and Inspector Gordon also tells Bats the story of a case he worked on where a man killed his wife and then tried to kill himself by drinking a strange poison which has left him with a permanent smile… Gotham by Gaslight was going to be heavily based on the comic of the same name which features Bruce Wayne going up against Jack the Ripper, who has come to Gotham to find new victims. We’ve got say though, those cape physics are seriously impressive! This was no doubt created as a pitch and is designed to give people a taste of what the game could eventually become.

It would be interesting to see a game where a rich man like Bruce Wayne is able to get his hands on “cutting edge” electrical gadgets like flash lights to get the advantage over his enemies.Įven more interesting is a video of the game running on a very early demo version. Most people in the late 1800’s would still have been using oil lamps but electricity was beginning to make an appearance at this point, though more as a marvel of the future rather than in the way we use it today. It’s also interesting to note that Batman has an option to turn on a flash light. It seems the game would also feature many of Batman’s gadgets, as there is a cycle weapon button and a throw grenade command. I created the bat logo from scratch and used a variety of different clockwork pieces and other metal pieces to construct it.Īs you can see from the last image, Gotham by Gaslight would feature a dedicated slow motion button which would perhaps have allowed players to slow down the action in order to get the advantage over a group of enemies in a fight. I had a blast creating the menus for this game, as steampunk is really quite unique, interesting and something I love to design. 'This was a game I was really looking forward to working on. Batarang: Fold-able batarang with gears, weights and compressed gas cylinders that allow it to shift it's weight and balance suddenly, allowing it to be set to alter it's course during flight or even return like a boomerang. Front-weighted daggers made of hardened steel. Good for clearing passages or penetrating heavy armor. Explosive Grenade: Destructive grenade (Trinitrotoluene-based). Creates a heavy cloud of ether gas that causes unconsciousness. Sedative Grenade: Crowd-subduing grenade (Ether with chlorine-based catalyst). Creates a thick cloud of smoke that obscures vision.

Smoke Grenade: Smoke cloud grenade (Potassium chlorate, lactose, hexachloroethane-zinc and granular aluminum, and purple dye). Stuns surrounding enemies that don't have eye and ear protection. Phosphor Grenade: Bright flash-bang grenade (Phosphor and gunpowder sub-charge). For example, pulling an enemy in closer to strike. Can be used to grapple to higher areas but can also be used to grapple enemies and objects.