Gotham Knights is the upcoming game from WB Games Montreal which will allow players to fight crime as four different characters from the Batman universe. Set after the death of Bruce Wayne, the game exists in its own timeline despite the studio’s work on Arkham Origins.
With Bruce gone, Gotham Knights has the potential to explore the interesting dynamic between Batman’s successors. Three of the four playable characters were even Robin at different points in the timeline, but although WB Games Studios could explore this strange relationship, exploring their intricacies would be best.
The Gotham Knights
There are four playable characters in Gotham Knights: Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood. Nightwing is the new alias of Dick Grayson, the first Robin. Dick grew up in the circus with his parents when a Gotham mobster orchestrated his parents’ deaths, leaving Bruce to take him under his wing. By the time of Gotham Knights, Dick has taken on his own vigilante persona, and Nightwing may have a painful past to confront. The Court of Owls is set to be one of the antagonistic factions, and their training grounds are Haly’s Circus, where Nightwing grew up.
Red Hood is the new alias for Jason Todd, one of the other famous Robins in the comic book run. Jason was famously murdered by the Joker in one of the most brutal and heart wrenching scenes in the comics before being revived by Talia Al Ghul in the Lazarus Pit. Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon. Formerly known as Oracle after she was paralyzed by the Joker, this version of Batgirl has undergone surgery to cure her paralysis and return to fighting Gotham’s crime head on.
The Robin in Gotham Knights is Tim Drake, who entered into the world of crime-fighting after he uncovered the identities of both Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd. All of these playable characters have their own reasons to consider themselves the true successor to Batman, and all of them have reason to feel abandoned by the Caped Crusader at different points. The game has the potential to explore some very interesting dynamics between these characters, making the plot even more compelling.
The Bat Family’s Relationhip
The studio has confirmed that players can play through all of Gotham Knights as one character, which raises a few questions about how much the four main characters interact. If a player players exclusively as Red Hood, it’s hard to see how they would have opportunities to interact with Batgirl if Batgirl as an NPC also needs to be available at any given moment as a playable character. Nonetheless, that should create some interesting moments between them.
It is possible that the story will be set up in such a way as to imply that all four playable characters are investigating the mystery at once, with opportunities to interact back a the Batcave customized in Gotham Knights based on which character played through the last mission. Hearing their theories and how complicated their relationship is will be an interesting aspect of the story.
WB Games Montreal has a recipe for success, at least story wise, if it can capture the interesting dynamic between Bruce Wayne’s successors. It is likely that tensions will arise between the four protagonists as Batman’s legacy and the future of Gotham crimefighting comes into question. For now, fans will have to wait until the game’s release.
Gotham Knights will be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X in 2021.
