Warner Bros. Montreal wants Batman: Arkham Origin’s lighting to emulate classic film noir techniques.

The developer aimed for a high-contract, low key lighting effect, art director Jeremy Price told GameInformer in a video interview.

Shadows are exaggerated, and silhouettes and profiles are in focus. Price described this as reflecting the “dark and gritty” world of Arkham.

Arkham’s darker side is also reflected in its decorations; although Arkham Origins is set during Christmastime, each region has its own take on holiday cheer and some of them are not quite as pleasant as you may expect.

Batman: Arkham Origins is expected on PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360 in October.

Thanks, Siliconera.