Summary
- Gotham Knights failed to resonate with fans due to technical issues and an uneven narrative setup.
- A sequel tied to the Arkhamverse could better sell the original game's premise and story.
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League sets the stage for an intriguing Gotham Knights sequel in the future.
Gotham Knights failed to land with many DC and Arkhamverse fans. While the game suffered from a range of technical issues, its biggest detractor was its uneven setup and narrative. Despite being developed by WB Montreal and sharing key gameplay mechanics, Gotham Knights had no connection to the Batman Arkham series, which famously ended with the supposed death of Batman. Regardless, the very Arkham-esque Gotham Knights took place in a world where the hero was canonically dead. The Arkhamverse has since released another chapter, in which its hero’s fate was sealed once and for all. Were an Arkhamverse-set Gotham Knights sequel to see release, it would be able to sell the original game's premise much better.
Gotham Knights featured an all-new original story, where Batman’s absence saw Gotham’s criminal underworld take hold of the city. Players could swap between four unique members of the Bat Family to take the city back, with Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin offering distinct playstyles and narrative twists to the campaign. The game was unfairly compared to the Arkham games in the lead-up to release and failed to step out of the series’ shadow due to its clearly similar elements and vague storytelling. However, a sequel set within the Arkhamverse could flourish, thanks to the events of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Gotham Knights Developer Reportedly Working on Upcoming Wonder Woman Game
A new job listing reveals that Gotham Knights studio WB Games Montreal is assisting Monolith Productions with its upcoming Wonder Woman game.
Suicide Squad Saw Arkham's Batman Canonically Killed Off
Gotham Knight's opened with a scene in which a mortally wounded Batman and Ra's al Ghul are killed off, leaving Gotham's safety in the hands of a mourning Bat Family. With the title telling an original story, this scene simply existed to set the tone, as the state of Gotham, its rogue's gallery, Batman, and the Bat Family are simply assumed once the game begins. However, this enormous sacrifice is unraveled by the time its final act occurs. When the credits roll in Gotham Knights, Batman is dead again, the Bat Family is mourning, and things are largely back to where they started when players began the campaign.
In February 2024, Rocksteady Studios and WB Montreal released the first Arkham title in over 8 years — Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The title saw the titular Task Force X villains face off against a brainwashed Justice League, leading to the untimely death of many of the heroes. Chief among these was the canonical death of the Arkhamverse's Batman, who faked his death five years earlier at the end of Batman: Arkham Knight. Before turning evil under Brainiac's control, Bruce leaves notes on how to defeat each member of the Justice League, which the Squad then uses to dispatch each corrupted member. Near the campaign’s end, Batman is canonically killed off by Harley Quinn, ending a legacy that began in 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Kill the Justice League Sets the Stage for a Compelling Gotham Knights Sequel
While Gotham Knights failed to make its intended mark, given its one-shot narrative, an Arkhamverse-set sequel, or spiritual sequel, could deliver a compelling spin-off adventure. The death of Batman in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League set the stage for a Bat Family adventure far better than Gotham Knights' two sacrifices, and with Suicide Squad restricting the action to Metropolis, there’s ample room for a compelling narrative that continues that of Arkham Knight. What’s more, the next three seasons of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League could make room for Elseworld’s editions of the DC’s heroes and villains to make an appearance.
It remains to be seen what the future of Gotham Knights and the Arkhamverse may respectively hold, as both left off in a similarly low spot. While the Arkhamverse is set to feature at least one more entry, Fall 2024’s Batman: Arkham Shadow, it’s believed to take place between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum. This leaves Suicide Squad as the definitive jumping-off point for any follow-ups, and Gotham Knights’ sequel as the perfect follow-up for fans. Until WB Montreal and Rocksteady Studios offer more insight, fans of Gotham Knights and the Arkhamverse are left to speculate what comes next.
Gotham Knights
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 68 /100 Critics Rec: 42%
- Released
- October 21, 2022
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- WB Games Montreal
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Batman
WHERE TO PLAY
- Number of Players
- 1-2 (Campaign); 1-4 (Heroic Assault)
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 17 Hours
