Summary
The superhero video game landscape has seen its fair share of successes and failures over the last few years. While licensed superhero tie-ins were a dime a dozen for decades,Batman: Arkham Asylumproved that superhero games could be so much more than that, and a decade later, Marvel seemingly agreed, beginning the excellentMarvel’s Spider-Manseries. But for every hit likeArkhamandSpider-Man, there are another handful of misses likeGotham Knights.
Released toward the end of last year,Gotham Knightshad no shortage of issues when it first launched. While it may have been unfairly compared to theArkhamseries long before players even got their hands on it, the final product didn’t do much to justify its own existence, ending up striking the worst possible balance between trying to do something new and exciting, and trying toimitateArkham’s successes. ButGotham Knightswasn’t all bad, and a sequel would have the potential to be great so long as it rectifies a few big issues.
More Lore-Accurate Traversal Methods for Each Hero
One of the most infamous issues surroundingGotham Knightswas the game’s four traversal methods, one for each playable hero. While Batgirl got the cape glide and grapnel from theArkhamseries, the remaining three Gotham Knights received some pretty out-there traversal options, most of which fans hated.Nightwing was given a glider, whose clunky design quickly sparked now-infamous comparisons toFortnite’s own gliders.
Red Hood was given the ability to leap through the air, bouncing on magical platforms, and Robin was given the ability to teleport a few meters in front of him, which many fans felt was just too slow and awkward to use while traversing the city. Ina potentialGotham Knights 2, each hero needs to be given traversal methods that not only look stylish, but feel fun and fluid to use while actually fitting properly with the source material’s lore.
Focus on Telling an Original Story About the Gotham Knights
Another huge issue that fans had withGotham Knightswas its lackluster story. Opening on the death of Bruce Wayne at the hands of Ra’s al Ghul,Gotham Knightsrevolves aroundthe Court of Owlsand their attempted corruption of Gotham City. Unfortunately, the central mystery that drives much ofGotham Knights' plot is incredibly predictable, and the game’s overreliance on putting Bruce Wayne at the center of the story only serves to make the titular Knights feel secondary in comparison.
Put Less of an Emphasis on Gear and More on Fluid Combat
One of the best aspects oftheBatman: Arkhamseriesis its innovative Freeflow combat system, a system that’s essentially informed every other third-person action game that’s come after it. In comparison toArkham’s fast, but methodical combat,Gotham Knightslooks incredibly clunky and slow, with its heavy movement and attack animations slowing the pace down dramatically. This pacing really isn’t helped by the game’s terrible gear progression system, requiring players to grind away at side activities in order to earn new weapons and armor that add just the slightest fraction of damage and health.
Take Players Out of Gotham City
Gotham City is one of the most iconic locations in comic book history, but it’s a setting that fans have seen a million times over now. While there have only been a few truly great video game representations of Gotham City,Gotham Knights' didn’t do much to stand out from the crowd, and to manyArkhamfans it was just another area that paled in comparison. To truly stand out, the nextGotham Knightsshould players somewhere new, such as Nightwing’s old Bludhaven stomping grounds.
Give Players Some Lesser-Known Villains to Fight
Another common criticism ofGotham Knightswas that the game didn’t really bring anything new to the table when it came to villains.Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn, Ra’s al Ghul, and Clayfaceare all villains that fans have seen time and time again inBatmanmedia, andGotham Knightsdidn’t do much to make its own version of the characters stand out from the crowd. If aGotham Knights 2were to ever happen, it should focus more on lesser-known villains, specifically taken from each hero’s personal rogue’s gallery.
Gotham Knights
WHERE TO PLAY
Batman is dead. A new expansive, criminal underworld has swept the streets of Gotham City. It is now up to the Batman Family - Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin - to protect Gotham, bring hope to its citizens, discipline to its cops, and fear to its criminals.From solving mysteries that connect the darkest chapters in the city’s history to defeating notorious villains in epic confrontations.Gotham Knights is an open-world, action RPG set in the most dynamic and interactive Gotham City yet. Patrol Gotham’s five distinct boroughs in solo or in co-op and drop in on criminal activity wherever you find it.Your legacy begins now. Step into the Knight.
