10 Things to Know Before Playing Gotham Knights
Story
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“Gotham Knights” is admittedly in a weird spot with its story due to where it's starting. It’ll be even stranger if you’re coming off of replaying “Arkham Knight”, where Batman finally dies. This new game from WB Games Montreal is telling an original story despite its beginnings. Bruce Wayne is dead, leaving Gotham without a guardian, and his apprentices - Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood - without a mentor. Commissioner Gordon has also passed, meaning the GCPD is open to corruption once again. As foes old and new crop back up, our four young heroes will have to take the mantle of Gotham City’s protectors and continue cleaning the crime-riddled streets.
The Heroes
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From the get-go, players will be able to play through “Gotham Knights” as one of the four heroes and fly solo or with friends. If you prefer agility over power, Nightwing is your guy, but those who might want to stick close to Batman’s formula will want to go for Batgirl. Want a good arsenal of gadgets at your disposal mid-combat? Robin’s your guy. Or how about Red Hood and his “non-lethal” bullets? Pick the Knight that’s right for you and become the new savior of Gotham.
Court of Owls
After residing in the shadows of media in the past decade since their debut, the Court of Owls seem like they will be taking center stage in “Gotham Knights’” story. For those unfamiliar with Batman lore in recent years, the Court of Owls was introduced in 2012, consisting of wealthy Gotham City residents who carried out assassinations against anyone who challenged their influence. While this new faction of criminals has been well-received by fans, it’s a new facet of Gotham that hasn’t had much of a presence in “Batman” media outside of the “Gotham” TV series, an episode of “Harley Quinn”, and one of the members being a playable character in 2018’s “Lego DC Super Villains”.
Villains
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While the Court of Owls will serve as the main antagonist, other Batman rivals will be appearing in the story as well. Of the criminal masterminds we’ve seen so far, expect to run into Harley Quinn, Clayface, Penguin, and Mr. Freeze. A small selection, yes, but perhaps this signifies a shorter or tighter experience. Or maybe WB Games Montreal is hiding more criminals in the dark corners of Gotham for us to encounter ourselves. The small cast leaves room for possible expansions that could rope in more villains and weave new stories, though there has been no word on such plans. That said, we’re getting what we’re getting.
Cast
Though it may be a given considering its detachment from previous “Batman” games, “Gotham Knights” is using an entirely new cast of voice actors. For America Young, who plays Batgirl, this will be her first foray into acting in a video game, having done stunt work across several movies and television shows as well as voicing Toralei Stripe in the “Monster High” franchise. Playing Nightwing is actor and martial artist Christopher Sean whom folks may recognize from “Fallout 76”, “Hawaii Five-0”, and “Star Wars Resistance”. Sloane Morgan Siegel will take his biggest role ever as Robin after a decade’s worth of roles across short-lived TV shows like “The Goldbergs”, Nickelodeon’s “Game Shakers”, and “Dwight in Shining Armor”. And lastly, we have Stephen Oyoung, who many players may recognize as KK from Bethesda and Arkane’s “Ghostwire Tokyo”, or most famously as Mister Negative in the PlayStaion-exclusive “Marvel’s Spider-Man”. For villains, we have Kari Wahlgren as Harley Quinn, Elias Toufexis as Penguin, Donald Chang as Mr. Freeze, and Brian Keane as Clayface.
An Arkham-Less Formula Made By Arkham
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If you’ve seen some of the trailers and gameplay demos, you may have already pieced together what feels off about “Gotham Knights”. It looks like it could be an “Arkham” game, but it isn’t. From visuals and gameplay, it certainly looks like WB Games Montreal has borrowed concepts from previous “Batman” games. Alas, that isn’t the case. There is no rhythm-based combat with a focus on combos. There is no “Fear” mechanic. There isn’t even a counter from what we’ve seen. It is a tried-and-true action RPG with an open-world format. So, if you’re jumping into the game, don’t expect it to play exactly like the “Arkham” games.
Traversal
As you fight baddies across the streets of Gotham, you’ll find a handful of ways to traverse the map between your character’s gadgets and vehicles. Each of the four heroes will have their own way to travel. Much like Batman, Batgirl will be able to glide across rooftops. Robin uses the Justice League’s satellite to teleport short distances. Nightwing makes use of a glider called the Flying Trapeze. And Red Hood can…literally walk on air. But if you’d rather tear the streets on patrol, you can call in one of many vehicles such as the Batcycle.
Co-op Mechanics
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One of the most interesting aspects of “Gotham Knights” is how the game is approaching co-op gameplay. As we mentioned earlier, the game can be played solo or with friends. However, you won’t have to worry about progressing at the same rate as your friends. Regardless of whose campaign you’re playing in, your stats will scale with the host’s game, allowing you to take on any foe without worrying about boosting or trying to compensate for poor gear. As for combat, you’ll be able to perform takedowns in conjunction with your friend, making the two feel just like a dynamic duo.
The Thing About WB Games Montreal
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Regardless of whether you are hyped about “Gotham Knights” or skeptical, it is worth noting the reputation of its developer, WB Games Montreal. This is arguably the studio’s most ambitious game ever and their first original work. Before “Gotham Knights”, the studio had only developed the Wii U port for “Batman: Arkham City”, “Lego Legends of Chima Online”, and the polarizing “Batman: Arkham Origins”, a prequel to Rocksteady’s acclaimed series. While they would develop DLC for “Arkham Knight”, WB Montreal hasn’t really done anything of this magnitude before. That said, it will be interesting to see if “Gotham Knights” will show they can carry the Bat-torch or if we’ll repeat the mistakes made with “Arkham Origins”.
Launch
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If you haven’t been keeping up with news regarding “Gotham Knights’” release over the past year, well, we have some bad news for you. “Gotham Knights” will be releasing on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series XS, and Windows PC on October 21, 2022. Though the game was originally slated to launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, those versions have been canceled. According to WB Games Montreal, this decision was made to “provide players with the best possible gameplay experience.” Considering the problems many other cross-gen games like “Cyberpunk 2077” have endured trying to appeal to all platforms, it’s safe to assume that “Gotham Knights” simply wasn’t running correctly on older consoles without heavy sacrifices being made, whether in terms of optimization or costs. Regardless, if you plan to play “Gotham Knights”, you best secure yourself a PS5 or XS, or make sure your PC can run it. Console players will have to fork over seventy bucks for their copy whereas PC players will only have to cough up sixty.
