When you can't talk about a game, it can feel like Jose Mourinho's famous line, "If I speak, I'm in big trouble." Not just with the publisher but also with those spreading the idea that Gotham Knights is a lousy game before it even comes out. The latest game from Warner Bros. Games Montreal has been significantly criticized in the months following its release. Some of the criticisms are fair, but it all seems a bit unfair now that I've played it. Is Gotham Knights as good as the Batman: Arkham main series? No, but it's a good game anyway.
Gotham Knights stand out from games like Marvel's Spider-Man with a surprisingly good story, a fun combat system, and exciting investigations. Gotham City's open world is your playground, but the campaign still loves set pieces in carefully designed indoor environments and high-quality cutscenes. It's very cinematic and shows Batman's death in real 4K.
Gotham Knights Game Review
Since he was killed in the opening scene, it's up to his friends who fight crime to pick up the pieces. Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood decide to look into his death. It leads them to the doorsteps of some of Gotham City's most notorious people and the Court of Owls.
You can be a part of the investigation by playing the game. There are crime scenes to look at and evidence boards at the Belfry that tell you what the team has learned so far. Even though it's not a CSI simulator, you'll be putting together pieces of evidence to find new clues and draw conclusions based on what you find. It's a fun part of the story that pulls you into the details and makes the payoffs that come later that much better.
The story is the best surprise of the whole package, with interesting cutscenes and side quests to enjoy in addition to the main case. With a few dashes of the typical superhero comedy style, it all comes together to make a fun story that surprises and entertains.
During the 20-hour story, you can freely switch between Batman's four apprentices. It lets you try out their combat and parkour skills before committing to the primary mission. You probably already have a favorite. For example, we liked Batgirl, but it's worth trying out others in case you connect with them. There are some significant differences between the four heroes, making each sound in different situations.
Robin's skill tree is focused on being sneaky, while Nightwing gains power by avoiding attacks from enemies. Red Hood is all about big explosions; Batgirl can bring herself back to life and hack into cameras and turrets. The Knighthood talent tree then gives you more unique skills. It either gives you brand-new tech or improves your existing skills.
You'll usually get ready to use these powers by landing basic punches, kicks, and ranged attacks that take advantage of elemental weaknesses. Momentum is gained with each hit and can be used to buy an ability. Then you do this over and over again until everyone is dead.
Combat is most fun when you have a full Momentum bar and a lot of skills to use, but even the basic attacks you need to learn to get there are still a lot of fun. Fights in Gotham Knights are similar to those in the Batman: Arkham series, but without a party or even a block button, you have to avoid attacks from the thugs of Gotham City and strike when the time is right. It's not even close to being the most complicated way to fight. But beating up bad guys gives you a good amount of satisfaction, and bringing a friend along lets, you get creative with your attacks.
The whole game can be played with just two people. You can have a friend play as one of the other superheroes join you at any time, whether to explore the open world or help with a crucial story mission. The feature works well. When you return to your own game, your progress and XP carry over. The focus of cutscenes is always on the host, but you can split up and do tasks on your own.
It's a great way to get to know the Gotham Knights. With a friend by your side, you can bounce ideas off each other and see how your skills work together. But it's important to note that if you play Gotham Knights by yourself, it doesn't feel like a less fun game. We played almost all the game ourselves and never felt we were missing out. Even though it's more fun to fight crime with a friend, people who don't want to work together can still have a great time.
There isn't much to do in Gotham City, so it would be nice to have someone to joke around while exploring the open world. Using the Belfry as your home base, you can explore the city's five districts at night, do optional activities, and find collectibles. These goals are related to well-known Batman bad guys like Harley Quinn and Dr. Freeze. Others are more general, like getting rid of waves of enemies. They work fine, but besides getting XP, there's not much reason to return to them.
The best way to get around in Gotham Knights is to jump and swing from rooftop to rooftop. It's because the streets below show how bland the nightlife is. Gotham City feels like it has no life. Few people walk on the sidewalks, and the roads are quiet. Everything stays the same, and nothing you do changes the open world. When you ride around on the Batcycle, cars will sometimes appear right in front of you, causing you to swerve or crash into them.
Even though Gotham Knights is supposed to be its IP, the fact that the open world is so one-dimensional after Batman: Arkham Knight is a bit of a letdown; as fast as you learn how to use the fast travel system, you'll use it instead of walking around the city to reach your next goal. You know you won't be missing out on anything except for some hidden bearings and a couple of bad guys to beat up.
Another problem is that the controls are so hard to use that it's easy to get stuck on things in the environment, and it takes a long time to get back on track. They feel fine when you're in the flow of combat, but if you press against a wall or sit on a gargoyle the wrong way, the controls will fight you just as hard as Clayface.
The interface for using it isn't much better. Because there are so many menus, the pause screen is very busy and hard to understand because it shows different pieces of information about the same subject in different levels of detail. There are three places in the UI where you can learn about the main goals, but none of them tell you everything you need to know. Only one of the menus will show you where to go on the map. It makes for a confusing interface that doesn't get any better when you move on to the loadout and crafting screens.
We don't know who told Warner Bros. Games Montreal that a superhero game needs crafting materials, but they were wrong. You can make new melee and ranged weapons in Gotham Knights, but there's no reason to do so. These new versions are just the same pieces of gear with better stats. They don't look different, and they don't give you any new abilities. They are the same weapons repeatedly, just with better stats and different weaknesses to different types of elements. Even better versions of the same suit can be made! It's trash, so get rid of it.
And then there's the frame rate, which is the biggest problem. We got our review code before the announcement, so we were surprised that the game could only run at 30 frames per second. The game runs smoothly in single-player mode, with only a few noticeable slowdowns. Gotham Knights slow down when you go online for co-op play, but it feels great when you play by yourself. Some people will be turned off because it can't output at 60fps on PS5, but you don't have to worry if you're okay with half the frame rate.
If anything, it's something that shows what the game is all about. It has a lot of minor problems that are easy to forget once the action starts. A good cutscene shows a new part of the story, or playing detective at a crime scene gives you new clues. Gotham Knights show much love and care for Batman and Gotham City by making nods and references to other parts of the Batman universe. If you're interested in them, there's a lot to enjoy.
Gotham Knights are the kind of game you want to love, but it keeps giving you reasons why you shouldn't. Warner Bros. Games Montreal has made a game with a great story, well-directed cutscenes, and a fun combat system, but they have added too many unnecessary and confusing mechanics. It's a great game if you can get past those things. We think you should try your hardest to do so because you'll find an exciting story on the other side.