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Gotham Knights is on Game Pass and who knows, it might surprise youBack in Bat
Back in Bat
Warner Bros Montreal’s one-four-all superhero spin-offGotham Knightshits Game Pass today. In hisRPS review, Ed Thorn described it as “an action-RPG that wraps what could’ve been a wonderfully realised Gotham universe in a tired, slapdash mix of meaningless numbers and loot.” I reviewed it myself as a freelancer and can’t disagree with his verdict. Game ain’t great. But I find myself itching to download and revisit this muddled open world contender all the same.
Gotham Knights - Official Nightwing Character TrailerWatch on YouTube
Gotham Knights - Official Nightwing Character Trailer
Bad timing aside, Gotham Knights also has classic “resentful younger sibling” syndrome. It tries to stand apart from Rocksteady’s Arkham games - still probably the best superhero adaptations on offer - while also riding their Kevlar coat-tails. It’s a weird mix of cash-in and act of rebellion.
Still, as Ed wrote, there are “shreds of goodness” to unearth throughout. I rather like Gotham Knights' fisticuffs, probably more than Ed did, both for the charisma and springiness of the animations, and for how the game walks the line between a single control scheme and four diverging ability sets. There are some cool individual flourishes: Batgirl has a satisfying rushdown move, Robin gets to teleport once you’ve levelled-up enough, Red Hood has 360-degree pistol attacks that might just earn him a forgiving nod fromBayonetta.
The writing isn’t mega, but with four major characters, there’s a lot of Batlore to uncover. And some of the interior missions and fights are quite fun, though you’re constantly thinking about how much more engaging they’d be in an Arkham game. The game’s Gotham is a work of dreary GTA-clone utility, with square streets and flat furnishings, but there are touches of the old twisting, gothic magic. The horizon is full of draconic buildings rising from coloured smoke, some of which house dungeon-type spaces that are moderately suspenseful.
Gotham Knights is never going to be one of our bestopen world games, but I remember certain aspects of it quite fondly, and am curious to see how it squares up beyond the cautionary tale of its release. Maybe I’ll find some time for a return visit over the weekend. Will you?
