Suit up and step into the knight. Gotham Knights is a brand-new open world, third-person action RPG featuring the Batman Family as players step into the roles of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin, a new guard of trained DC Super Heroes who must rise up as the protectors of Gotham City in the wake of Batman’s death. Gotham will always need its heroes. Suit up for an all-new adventure today on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Although Gotham Knights does not share continuity with Rocksteady’s Arkham franchise, to sideline one of the most prolific and decorated superheroes of all-time is certainly one hell of a gamble.
To be clear, killing Batman is one hell of a gamble.
The original reveal of Gotham Knights opening with Bruce Wayne’s goodbye—a sort of all-in-one last will, testament and passing of the torch—to his Bat Family, installing them as the watchful guardians of his beloved city was a jaw-dropping moment no one could have picked.
People rashly wrote off Gotham Knights as a lost cause. The general consensus concluded that there was no way to make a Batman game without Batman enticing. Warner Bros. Montreal’s last game, Arkham Origins, had a lukewarm reception in comparison to the other titles in the series, so hopes were dashed for a few that declared the developer’s task an impossible one.
The more I see of Gotham Knights, however, tells me that the Montreal-based team aren’t afraid to mix things up and that their game, with no Bruce, could serve as a paradigm shift for superhero games.
EMBRACE THE BAT FAM
Although he kept everyone at an arm’s reach, there’s no doubt that Batman’s surrogate family runs deep.
The Gotham Knights are a quartet of those who Bruce let in—his closest confidants. With a few Robins and Batgirl making up the squad, I expect that the history between these heroes will be evident, as it has extended to the page many times before.
Nightwing, the team’s leader, was born out of pride and a want to mature beyond Bruce’s youngling sidekick. Red Hood was born out of extreme violence after Jason Todd, Grayson’s successor to the Robin mantle, was brutally murdered by Batman’s arch nemesis The Joker. Batgirl was born out of a desire for justice, and tempered like steel by a gruelling rehabilitation after being paralysed in The Killing Joke. Tim Drake’s Robin was born out of a want to act and to be shaped by motivators other than fear.
They’re the Bat Family, and they’re absolutely worthy heroes for the story Gotham Knights is set to tell.
UNTETHERED CO-OP
Although a four-player co-op mode is on its way post-launch, Gotham Knights’ campaign is a dinner for two.
It’s drop-in, drop-out and completely untethered, meaning Gotham is at the mercy of both you and your partner. It’s quite an undertaking to render two separate instances of Gotham within the same session, but it’s also pretty rad that you’re able to go your own way and not be dragged to the host’s checkpointed location.
With the game’s deep ability systems, it’s easy to strike up synergy with your partner-in-justice.
It’s the superhero co-op experience I’ve wanted for a while, set during nighttime raids of a Gotham under siege.
WILLING AND ABLE TO PROTECT
I’ve already gone right into the capabilities and proficiencies of the Gotham Knights four, but it’s worth noting again how changing the tried and true Arkham formula and adopting a skills-based combat system is absolutely the most profound change Warner Bros. Montreal has put into place.
Each of the four heroes has a skill tree tailored to their specific style of play. Robin is a stealth expert, Nightwing is an evasive acrobat, Red Hood is an unrelenting marksman, and Batgirl is a pugilist with a penchant for technological know-how.
While the story will do plenty to keep players engaged, the dopamine hit of levelling and unlocking abilities is sure to help too.
I’m also eager to dive into the Knighthood challenges for each hero which serves as the pathway for unlocking their respective, unique traversal skills. It’s a given that I’m going to miss Bruce, but being able to soar throughout Gotham as he would using Batgirl’s wing-glide is going to be a treat.
ROGUES GALLERY
Batman might be gone, but that’ll only mean that his infamous rogues gallery will sniff out the opportunity to strike while the city’s guard is down.
Marketing alone tells us that the roster of those who don’t wish the Bat Family well runs deep, with the Court of Owls, Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn all set to appear. Even the al Ghul father-daughter duo show up.
I’m hopeful that, with a history as storied as Batman’s, there’s even more deep cuts that’ll please fans like myself.
Suit up and step into the knight. Gotham Knights is a brand-new open world, third-person action RPG featuring the Batman Family as players step into the roles of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin, a new guard of trained DC Super Heroes who must rise up as the protectors of Gotham City in the wake of Batman’s death. Gotham will always need its heroes. Suit up for an all-new adventure today on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
