Batman: The Animated Series marked an entire generation’s entry point into the adventures of the Dark Knight, and is still considered maybe the best portrayal of Batman in any media outside of comics. And even though it’s been two decades since the show went off the air, fans continue to cherish Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s version of Gotham City maybe more than any other.
Now die hard Bat-fans will have a cool new way to celebrate the classic series, as IDW Games, together with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Comics, have announced that Batman: The Animated Series Adventures – Shadow of the Bat will launch on Kickstarter on February 18, 2020.
A miniatures-driven board game, Shadow of the Bat is part of the Adventures Universal Game System (AUGS), and is compatible with all other AUGS products. Arkham Asylum, a full-sized expansion, will also launch on Kickstarter alongside Shadow of the Bat. Both Shadow of the Bat and Arkham Asylum are expected to arrive to backers and in stores in the Fall of this year.
Players can take the role of any hero in their roster in the game’s 24 unique missions, all inspired by fan-favorite episodes. To spice things up a bit, the infamous Bat- villains can be swapped out in every mission to change up the threats that players will face. In Shadow of the Bat, anywhere from one to four players will take to the streets as Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Commissioner Gordon, and Catwoman, each with their own unique character abilities, skills, and custom dice. They’ll have to work together in order to take down the likes of the worst villains of Batman’s rogue’s gallery.
Launching alongside Shadow of the Bat is the Arkham Asylum expansion, which adds 13 more missions to play through, and an all-new game mode: Clayface mode. In Arkham Asylum players will explore the halls of the infamous psychiatric hospital as they tangle with Clayface, Poison Ivy, Jervis Tetch (the Mad Hatter), The Ventriloquist, Killer Croc, Maxie Zeus, Lock-Up, Clock King, Baby Doll, and Doctor Hugo Strange.
In Clayface mode, each hero will be given a card that will indicate if they are who they appear to be, or if they’re actually Clayface in disguise. At any time, the Clayface player can reveal their true identity, transforming into the massive Clayface, and turn on their former friends!
Players also have the option to expand their roster of heroes and villains with The New Batman Adventures character pack, based on the 1997-1999 soft reboot of the series. This new character pack will include Nightwing, the Tim Drake version of as Robin, and more characters from that era. Story Packs for the movies Mask of the Phantasm and Mystery of the Batwoman will also be available, adding new missions and characters–The Phantasm and Bruce Wayne in plain clothes, and Batwoman and Bane, respectively–that follow the films’ storylines.
If you’re looking to test the game out before buying, you can play a digital demo of Batman: The Animated Series Adventures – Shadow of the Bat through either Tabletopia or Tabletop Simulator. This demo contains 3 missions that follow The Joker-centric episode Joker’s Favor, one of the first episodes ever aired for the series, and the very first appearance of one Harley Quinn. For more information on the digital demos, please go to IDWGames.com/BTASDemo
Check out the painted versions of the game pieces, featuring the series’ iconic characters, in our gallery below.
Featured Image: IDW Games / DC Comics
