Go solo or with a friend and choose from four extraordinary characters of Gotham Knights to protect the city of Gotham.
It’s a special time to be a DC Comics fan—Batman fans, in particular. One of the most iconic series in gaming history has returned. Well, sort of. Gotham Knights have finally arrived. But in case you didn’t know, this is a spin-off of the Batman Arkham series. So, this shouldn’t be perceived as a sequel but rather a standalone title. Although there are many similarities between this game and the Arkham series, this is not a perpetuation of any Arkham games.
There is no connection whatsoever. It’s understandable why someone would make that assumption. Think of Gotham Knights as a completely different universe with many shared characters. But at the same time, you wouldn’t be in the wrong to debate some comparisons, seeing as the developer had also worked on Arkham Origins.
Gotham Knights had claimed some inspiration from the Batman: Gotham Knights comics. After the death of Batman, the city of Gotham now rests its shoulders on the Batman family. What’s even more remarkable is that players are given the choice of four playable characters. Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood. All of which have their unique abilities.
Gotham Knights takes you to gloomy, attractive, artistic designs and dark colors. And because Gotham Knights is open-world, you can use your explorative measures and glance at the stunning views while you roam around Gotham. What follows are some fitting sounds, such as civilians talking to each other, GCPD officers, and their constant police sirens going off, which tell you the city is crime-laden. Not to mention the mysterious soundtracks. All that makes a gripping experience.
It gets even better. Why protect Gotham by yourself? The developer had done well to include a multiplayer feature where you and your friends can fight the bad guys together. Whether you are partaking in story mode, free-roaming, playing with a friend, or by yourself, you are entering a whole new open-world adventure and will witness a wild ride. And despite there being no link between Gotham Knights and the Arkham series, it has been seven years since there has been a game like such. So, of course, this installment comes with high expectations.
Gotham Knight’s story starts with an opening cutscene with the death of Batman. It was a great watch and a bit to digest, but it was dragging on due to its long duration. You could somewhat comprehend why they made it so long, but it’s like watching a mini-episode. As a player, you just want to view the prologue and get straight to the action. Of course, you can skip it, but doing so wouldn’t make sense on this occasion.
This installment’s plot isn’t as stellar as Arkham Knights, per se, but it does meet the level required to garner your undivided attention. When you realize that Gotham Knights’ primary antagonists are the likes of Mr. Freeze and Harley Quinn, that alone will have you concluding it’s worthy of your time and effort. Plus, both iconic villains carried the story to an extent. And the boss fights were breathtaking.
Some might have expected each character to obtain even a few similar functionalities, which would have made things a little monotonous, but thankfully, this isn’t the case. When you play with all four characters, you get the sense that they all have completely different fighting styles and quotes, which is much more absorbing. Which then makes your decision on picking a superhero to use much more worthwhile. And it’s somewhat fun listening to Gotham Knights fans having frequent discussions on which of the four is their favorite and what they bring to the table.
And as a superhero, you will need something to get you to your desired destination quicker than on foot. And that something is your enticing-looking Batcycle with neon lights displaying superhero-themed colors, and players can call it in whenever they feel it’s needed. Furthermore, players can perform wheelies and shoot while in their vehicle. Although it is a little clunky, occasionally, it has troublesome steering. Sometimes, you are better off fast traveling.
Nightwing with his extraordinarily acrobatic moves, staggering combos, cheetah-like speed, and slick dodging mechanics. Robin can make the darkness his greatest ally with his martial arts mastery and genius intellect. With her immense toughness and expertly skilled hand-to-hand combat, Batgirl can hack into pretty much anything with her computer wizardry. And Red Hood, with his Godly strength, can bulldoze through anyone, no matter their size. And he’s a devastatingly proficient marksman.
Now, because the superheroes have their distinctive compilation of abilities, it’s no surprise when getting into combats is effervescent. It is nothing sweeter than taking on multiple enemies at a time and finishing them with impressive strikes and combos. And glamorously evading their attacks isn’t too shabby, either. It becomes even livelier if you opt to play with a friend.
The battles are sometimes repetitive, but because of executing cool moves, you probably wouldn’t care about that. However, if this is bothering you a bit, then you can reduce the occurrence of this by simply leveling up to unlock more abilities.
There is a bigger problem to worry about here. That is, you are still not safe whenever you are doing finishers on enemies, especially when facing a gang of them simultaneously. You have no opportunity to dodge attacks, and you lose health. In many cases, you die unnecessarily because of this error. There is no point in having unskippable animations if enemies can still harm you.
You love performing great finishers, but at the same time, you feel as if you are being cornered because of the high probability of enemy rockets coming at you while you are doing so. It’s like the game has backed you into a corner, which can have players losing momentum. Or maybe even lose enthusiasm for using this maneuver when facing a group of enemies.
And when fighting crime, you’re also solving it along with the traditional methods from the Arkham series. Gotham Knights conjure more ways of completing challenges and solving different puzzles that will eventually uncover a conspiracy that orchestrated Batman’s murder. Some are more difficult than others, but you get a sigh of relief after deciphering them.
Gotham Knights will keep you busy throughout your playing time. Whether you are partaking in the story mode, getting yourself in car chases with your Batcycle, interrogating criminals, guarding streets 24/7, etc. It depicts how demanding the job is as a superhero, and you are left wondering how Batman could protect Gotham by himself for many years. Especially when battling the City’s most prominent villains.
Gotham Knights has produced a fantastic spin-off title and a king-sized open-world experience with easy-on-the-eye visuals. Plus, the idea that you and a friend can fight crimes together is understandable. This is one reason this game has gotten so much hype. With how the game is set up, you’d conclude it revolves around combat. And because you are always busy, you get that urgency to improve your chosen character with grinding. However, the game needs a bit of refinement to give it a more polished look.
Gotham Knights is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows. Also, follow our website for the latest video game reviews.
