The sorrowful undertones that seem to be a part of the parcel for the upcoming action game set the scene for what is to come. The lengthy trailer above starts with the shocking, sad, and yes, disappointing news that Bruce Wayne is bat soup and has left this mortal coil. In the first minute of the video, we are treated to a post-humorous video from the man himself declaring his death. He tells Robin that the Bat Cave is set to explode (counter-productive, if you ask me).
However, all is not quite as bad as it first seems as it is revealed that there will be four playable characters this time around; we’re just not sure if this will be enough to fill the rubber boots of Gotham’s favorite superhero.
Gotham Knights: The Knights
In the absence of the big man himself; Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood are set to assume the role of their predecessor in keeping the streets of Gotham free from the murky underbelly of the dark city.
Despite the extra playable characters, I’m still rather dubious about how well this will work out for Warner Bros games. The characters chosen aren’t the most inspiring of characters. I’m looking forwards to playing as Batgirl; this may well be owing to the fact I remember her from my childhood. Age-old nemesis Red Hood will bring a refreshing element of playing as a bad guy – presumably turned good (almost).
Gotham Knights: Storyline
The villains that stalk the streets of Gotham this time around are the Court Of Owls (hoo?). This motley mob are relatively new to the DC universe, so it will be nice to see a little more of their backstory (hopefully).
The general order of the day in GK is, Batman is dead (I have my doubts) and the four characters assemble (ahem) and take over in ridding Gotham of it’s crime. Expect the usual ‘fetch it’ side quests and generic – albeit solid – combat mechanism.
Nur, Nur, Nur, Nur, Nur, Nur……BATBIKE!
Seemingly, Batman had the heart to leave Robin the Batbike in his last will and testament; because it’s going to replace the Batmobile from previous games. This is another bold move from WB Montreal, but one that does have a chance of paying off. We all saw (and loved) what was done with the Batmobile in Arkham City and Arkham Knights. Everything about it screamed awesome and the weaponry was second-to-none. However, If they manage to pull a similar stunt with the Batbike I will be more than impressed.
Gotham Knights will have Seamless Co-Op
AT LAST, this is what we have been waiting for – co-op play. We were expecting this when we first found out about the multiple playable characters. However, what we weren’t expecting was for multiplayer to be a large focus for this Gotham City installment. Like a gift from the heavens, WB cheekily hint at seamless multiplayer (“Robin joined the game”). This means that a friend will be able to jump into your game and help you out; all with no trace of interruption to your flow. Just hop in, kick-ass and hop out like the warrior you are.
Summary
As a lifelong fan of Batman, I was sad to see that Batman isn’t going to be an integral part of Gotham Knights, or even playable. However, I am a fan of all things DC, so seeing the likes of Nighthawk, Robin, Batwoman and Red Hood as playable characters kind of cushioned the blow.
It will be interesting to see what they do with the Batbike. It would be great to see the old vehicle mechanics coming into play but WB may have something entirely different planned. Either way, I have every faith in WB Montreal.
Gotham Knights is set to swoop onto our shelves in the first quarter of 2022 and will be available on; Xbox One, Xbox Series One/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC. While it seems like an eternity away, the wait will hopefully be worth it. There’s a lot of potential in the formula, it would be great to see it executed in true WB style.
