Gotham Knights - Review
It’s no secret that WB Games Montreal’s latest Batman game is actually missing the Dark Knight. In fact, the trailer clearly shows that Bruce has died and has left his legacy to the titular Gotham Knights. What the trailer hints to you is probably one of Batman’s greatest narratives, The Court of Owls and if you’re a fan of DC comics’ Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run, then this is definitely going to get you very excited but is that enough for folks who don’t know the source material.
The Court of Owls storyline has been one of the best Batman stories to read in recent times, and if you haven’t… make sure you take the time to do so. In fact, it was so great that it crossed over most of the Bat-titled books… but that’s a discussion for another day. The one thing in how the games’ version differs from it, is the fact that Bruce isn’t around, and it’s up to the likes of Red Hood, Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl or as they are known out of costumer, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Barbara Gordon to take up the mantle. There is one downside for fans of the comic as this Earth’s narrative is also missing a Damian Wayne, which is a bit of a shame, but that would make for two Robin’s, which would be confusing. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that the storyline is still a fantastic one. In fact, as you first encounter The Court’s Talon, the game executes an extremely creepy vibe that will put the hairs on the back of your neck upright (we can all thank Scott Snyder for his genius).
So the question that needs to be asked is, what does it feel like to play a Batman themed game without the actual Dark Knight? First off, you can definitely feel his absence when playing any of the four available characters. One of the great and fun things about previous Batman games, is the fact that you’re able to glide through the city by building momentum in the air, giving you full freedom to stalk and prey on your enemies from the skies. Unfortunately this iteration lacks a little as it only lets you jump from rooftop to rooftop via a grappling hook. And sure, it’s warranted that characters such as Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin shouldn't have flying mechanics, however, when using Batgirl, the only way to travel around the map, apart from the Batcycle, is to use the grappling hook as well, making her cape obsolete. This is a real shame and a missed opportunity to give a little variation when selecting and trying each character. From footage shown as part of the initial trailers, it gave players a sense that there would be some type of Bat-glider available to float through the city, however the only Bat-glider used is part of the fast travel animation.
Going back to the four characters to choose from, when using the characters such as Red Hood, who’s the tank, vs. Nightwing who’s more acrobatic, the movement of each character all feels very much the same when running around. The only variation is in their attack movesets and animations, and even with those the vast majority of them will only be noticeable in the speed, ie faster or slower animations. Unfortunately, when you couple this with simplistic fight mechanics, which feel as though they’ve regressed from the previous Arkham series of games, combat seems as basic as you can get. On a positive note, being able to change characters through the game is a bonus as you’re able to experiment with the play style of each character. Additionally there are little narrative scenes to be collected through the game, which highlights each characters’ point of view as to what’s happening, therefore replaying the game again with a different bat-family character will reveal sub-plots and stories that you may miss on your first playthrough.
Gotham Knights’ predecessors have always made you feel like you’re Batman by having a parry or counter function, which you had to time perfectly, in order to counter attack. Unfortunately this game only has a dodge button, which feels like a replacement but it also feels nothing similar to a parry, plus it has a huge window to dodge, which takes away any impact of a last-minute dodge. There are puzzles that can be found across the map as well, with some integrated during the main story, but most are quite basic and don’t require a lot of advanced problem solving or detective work, apart from quickly matching up the obvious. While it’s all expected from these big budget AAA titles, it unfortunately makes it feel more like an interactive narrative adventure book, more so than an actual game. Going back to moving around through Gotham with the Batcycle, which is accessible to all characters, it should be a fun way to rocket through the city, but unfortunately feels anything but. The game lazily adds on special effects of wind and movement lines to give players the illusion of moving faster, but unfortunately it still feels extremely slow. That being said, they did use a fantastic sound effect when you’re drifting around corners, which triggers a heavy screeching of rubber on the tarmac, but one small victory is not enough to overcome the flaws with it.
In terms of its visuals, the heroes seem to have updated costume designs and have been given a familiar MCU treatment, making it look a little more tech with panels and texture rather than the traditional comic book spandex, something the DC characters have been famous for embracing. Sure, there have been some new iterations of costumes over the years for a more modern take, however Gotham Knights’ visual choices have taken it to the extreme, giving it a very similar vibe and feel to DC’s Injustice designs. However, it’s not only bad news for you DC purists out there, as per usual with these games, there are always other suits you can unlock and use, which reference a range of eras. We won’t spoil what they are but yes, there are the more traditional spandex look, if that’s what you’re after, amongst a huge number of other varieties… they’re just not the standard go to or intended look in this universe.
In terms of animation in the cut scenes, Gotham Knights definitely hits the mark and looks utterly fantastic while doing so. However, some of the gameplay animation lacks a little flexibility in terms of movement, making characters look a little stiff. When speaking to each other, characters’ mouth movement don’t follow the dialogue accurately, making it look like a bad voice over dub at times. Normally this is something people will overlook with previous generation consoles, but the fact that this still happens on the PlayStation 5 is a little bit of an issue, and a disappointment. There also seems to be a lot of discussion and hate about this game running at 30fps on consoles (that’s a whole other conversation to have). In all, the game runs fine as it is and while the lack of a higher frame count isn’t an issue, I can understand where some people might be upset at the lack of a 60fps mode, more so given they cut last generation support a while back. Something else to consider while you are playing the game is the city itself, the team have created a wonderful interpretation of Gotham City, from its gritty and dark alleys to its neon-soaked streets and beyond, it really feels like a classic Gotham and is a standout across the game.
Gotham Knights definitely feels like they’ve regressed the gameplay, making it simpler compared to previous Batman games, however, where it actually shines is in its co-op. Players are able to jump online and either play with randoms or friends. After spending a bit of time on both single player and co-op, this is a game that’s definitely created with having a friend join your journey in mind. There are missions littered across the city which can obviously be seen for a dynamic duo to complete. Plus, it’s always fun to play co-op with a mate.
This is one of those games that you really just want to love, especially due to its fantastic take on The Court of Owls but across the board it feels as though it falls short. From characters that don’t feel unique, missions that are pretty standard and puzzles that are not puzzling. If you are only coming in for the story, you’re better off reading the Scott Snyder graphic novel, else make sure you play with a friend to really get the most from it.
The Score
6.5
Review code provided by WB Games
The Pros
+Fun to roam around Gotham City in co-op
+A familiar and amazing narrative (though altered) from the comics
+Able to change up the game by using different Bat-family characters
The Cons
-All four characters feel too similar in combat to be truly unique
-Fight mechanics are very simplistic
-Feels like it was created for a younger target audience
