Combo-ing around the night like a bat, swinging into action like a knight, it’s… not Batman because he is gone, now only his adopted kids are left to pick up the pieces and continue on the nightly patrol of stopping a jail-break for the fiftieth time. But, not before the game bugs up on you because of course, it does.
Gotham Knights is a weird one. Besides its external drama, it has a pretty game that anxiously mimics their comic-book rival game, Marvel’s The Avengers in more ways than one, only this time, there are some aspects that makes it slightly better at least.
Presentation
So let’s start with the story, which you would think is a continuation of the Arkham games (which it isn’t) but it’s own twist that’s rather authentic with the comic book storyline, which I give WB Vancouver credit for making a good jumping point for the Bat-family to take over.
And from the get-go, players will get to see the pretty good chemistry of the four protagonists alongside Alfred, themselves, and even with Bruce in flashbacks, it’s a pretty good way to build a connection as you spend time uncovering what Batman was doing before his untimely demise.
Graphics actually looks quite decent on my Xbox Series S, even if the anecdote behind its creation of it has been marred by some controversy about it being underpowered whilst all of its console version is having issues, but it does looks pretty good and runs at a solid 30fps during most of the playtime, nothing much to complain about that.
And audio-wise, it’s nothing much to write about, with the soundtrack sounding quite bland at times but at least the dialogue by both the Batfamly and enemies is quite entertaining as they get bodied by a takedown combo, with their friends frantically panicking as you take them down one-by-one.
Gameplay
On the playing side, the combat side has been quite streamlined as both the controls and combo system feels much smoother, with light and heavy attacks now on the same button with the former place replaced with a ranged attack (with the same light/heavy attack format) that works with the likes of Red Hood and Nightwings, as they stun enemies for us to knock down easily.
The game is divided into day investigating that will lead to new missions during the night where either one of the playable Bat-Family will fight Gotham’s finest villains, in leads where you can uncover the plans made by your recently passed dad-like figure to keep the city safe.
But really, the open world feels bland, unlike Arkham Knight, with more busywork, and without the Batmobile, since you’ll be using the Batcycle instead which feels much slower and even gliding isn’t available on the first few nights of the game (you need to complete a set of challenges that might take it awhile), so you might feel the open-world slog worse here than ever.
And sometimes, although this is rare, the premeditated crime challenges might even bug out which since this game is semi-online, would ruin your night run and you might have to restart the game, or skip it, leaving out lots of exp that you need to level your characters.
This brings up those Marvel’s Avenger similarities. And to be frank, with the amount of busywork to level both your characters and their gears, I can see why they can’t really shake that comparison. It is too similar and while they try to distance themselves from the main Batman Arkham line, they feel more misaligned than most fans might be interested in.
Content
Gotham Knights are going to take you (and your buddies if you’re playing together because the co-op is available) around 16 to 20 hours to get the credits rolls, which is a pretty good length for this sort of Superhero game.
Its story isn’t really connected like how the Arkham games (be it Origins or even Blackgate) are but they have done a good job well to see what life after Bruce Wayne would be like. And if you feel like just some quick combating, the Heroic Assault might satisfy some quick battling needs.
Personal Enjoyment
Gotham Knights isn’t that bad, in my honest opinion. It’s the equivalent of a Popcorn movie but in a video game form. It’s alright, the new voice actors and actresses did their best and as a Batman fan, it’s like reading those spin-off comics that don’t go anywhere but are a fun romp to the end anyway.
Verdict
Gotham Knights is an action escapade that tries its best to stand out from the action genre but has some flaws that make it quite difficult to recommend it for those who aren’t DC Comic fans unless it’s discounted, which it has. But if you don’t mind its repetition, you might enjoy this version of the Batman Family story.
Played on Xbox Series S, Review Copy purchased by the reviewer.
Gotham Knights
An action title that tries its best to stand out from the action genre but has some flaws that make it quite difficult to recommend it for those who aren’t DC Comic fans.
- Presentation 8
- Gameplay 6
- Content 7
- Personal Enjoyment 6