It’s official! Gotham Knights is an upcoming Batman game—there’s only one catch. Batman won’t appear in this upcoming installment. The game takes place in a stark reality where Batman is dead, and there are sinister forces wreaking havoc on the streets of Gotham City.
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We know many things about Gothan Knights from DC FanDome 2020. The game will be co-op and will contain villains such as Mr. Freeze and the Court of Owls. Without Batman, however, who is going to protect the citizens of Gotham City? These are five things we want to see in Gotham Knights (and five it needs to avoid).
10 References To Bruce Wayne (Want To See)
Gotham Knights follows the plot point from the Batman: Arkham series that Bruce Wayne is dead. They both say that Bruce perished in an explosion. According to denofgeek.com, “the only thing separating the Gotham Knights universe and the Batman: Arkham series seems to be the fact that WB Montreal said they’re not connected.” If Gotham Knights isn’t connected to Batman: Arkham, then what is the story about? Gotham Knights is setting itself up for a thrilling adventure.
Horizon Zero Dawn‘s datapoints intuitively added tidbits of information. With a ton of baggage, we need to know what happened to Bruce Wayne. How WB Games Montréal will discuss Bruce Wayne’s death, if it’s in conversation or datapoints, remains to be seen. Ignoring a major plot point of the game is less than ideal.
9 A Small World (Needs To Avoid)
Gotham City is meant to be a cultural hub in a fictional America. The design of Gotham City is meant to be inspired by cities like Chicago, New Jersey, and New York City. These large cities are ideal settings for Gotham Knights.
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Gotham Knights needs an expansive world, but it shouldn’t sacrifice detail for scale. Densely packed worlds with small nuances like explorable buildings will separate Gotham Knights from other action-adventure genre games.
8 Stealth (Want To See)
In the gameplay trailer, we saw pre-alpha footage, so it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. If you were wondering, yes, Robin did do a stealth takedown moments after the above screenshot. We’re hoping that Gotham Knights will redefine stealth as Splinter Cell has done many times before. Rather than taking existing gameplay mechanics, stealth needs to be reinvented for this newly announced upcoming game.
7 Weak Character Development (Needs To Avoid)
Can a Batman video game have too many characters? Games like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Injustice 2 prove that an abundance of characters is usually good. At the same time, Gotham Knights needs healthy character development, so that players develop a meaningful connection.
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We’ve already seen characters like Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood, Mr. Freeze, The Talons, and the affable Alfred Pennyworth. If the game becomes too crowded with characters, it could wind up being a cluttered mess. Focus on character depth, and win the appreciation of fans.
6 Immersive World (Want To See)
The detail in Gotham Knights should be a step-up from its loosely connected predecessor, Batman: Arkham Knight. As a game coming to next-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it should have noticeably better graphics. Graphics don’t make or break a game, but they can add to the immersion.
Batman isn’t the only one who can glide. Robin and Batgirl prove to be more capable than Batman on occasion. With the world as your playground, Gotham Knights needs immersive exploration.
5 Beat ‘Em Up Combat (Needs To Avoid)
Freeflow combat is the way to go with the upcoming Gotham Knight‘s combat system. However, merely copying the combat system from the Batman: Arkham series is not good enough. Batman: Arkham may utilize freeflow combat, but the style has become overdone in video games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor since its introduction. Based on the latest gameplay trailers, it looks like WB Games Montréal is looking to retool the combat system with new combos.
4 A Smart Selection Of Villains (Want To See)
Batman villains are among the most maniacal, deadly villains in comic book history. The appearance of Mr. Freeze in the gameplay trailer is half-way to confirmation that there will be many villains in Gotham Knights. We also saw the Court of Owls, which tells use that WB Games Montréal is delving into more recent Batman comic books.
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Merely having an abundance of villains appear isn’t enough. How they are portrayed is going to impact the game’s enjoyment. With substantial character development, Gotham Knights could be a masterpiece in the making.
3 Microtransactions (Needs To Avoid)
Gotham Knights should avoid microtransactions altogether for the sake of pleasing its fan base. Players want to see vehicle customization, gadgets, and costumes all included with the base game. Microtransactions can work when gamers are given additional content that wouldn’t have been included, yet the argument to offer free content with a base game is strong. With the purpose of draining our wallets, microtransactions would be a blemish on what could be a smashing hit.
2 Batman (Want To See)
Even though Batman is confirmed to be dead, he could return by using the Lazarus Pit. Used by Ra’s al Ghul, The Lazarus Pit is a natural phenomenon that can give immortality. It can even resurrect the dead.
Batman might be dead, but his legacy continues to live. Flashback gameplay sequences and illusions of Batman could make it so Gotham Knights doesn’t leave out its pointy-headed protagonist. WB Games Montréal could also make it like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, where a major character appears at the end of the game. Darth Vader is a villain, and Batman is a hero, but the same concept could work.
1 Drifting Too Far From Source Material (Needs To Avoid)
The best Batman films share that they all take inspiration from the comic books. While movies like Batman & Robin had loose connections, others like The Dark Knight Rises had stronger links to Batman’s greatest comics. Whether Gotham Knights is related to Batman: Gotham Knights #43 (2003) remains to be seen. As long as the developers at WB Games Montréal stick to the source material and aren’t too daring, this game will live up to expectations. Showing little understanding of the source material is unforgivable.
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