Gotham Knights didn’t just kill Batman — it also killed Gotham - Gamezon

Batman: The Animated Series’ animation department had a standing order from the show’s co-creator, Eric Radomski: Instead of working on the industry standard of dark colors on white paper, backgrounds would be painted using LichtThe colors Black paper. This formed what the show’s producers called “dark deco,” a unique aesthetic drawn from Tim Burton’s Batman films, detective noir, and art deco. It is the center of Gotham to me. ThisGotham comes to my mind.

Rocksteady drew inspiration from the animated series when it created Arkham Games. Not only did the trilogy pull from the animated series’ brilliant voice cast, but modeled its version of Gotham on the dark deco style: the Gothic architecture, large moon, art deco interiors and exteriors, noir mood, and lighting. This is the core of Arkham City Arkham Knight.

It’s a pity, then, that in the latest open-world game set in Gotham, WB Games Montréal’s Gotham KnightThis rich, unique character of Gotham is now diminished, and so are the villains. Gotham, Batman, and his rogues’ gallery are inexorably tied together: All the great Batman stories are woven out of these three threads. Any one of these threads can be trimmed to make a thinner tapestry, resulting in fewer Batman stories.

[Ed. note: Spoilers for Gotham Knights follow.]

Red Hood, with his back to the camera, surveys Gotham City in Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights sees you take on Batman’s mantle as the defender of the titular city after his death, in the shaky boots of four proteges: Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin, and Red Hood. Each night the quartet patrols an open-world Gotham. The city is covered in fog, which clings onto buildings. Multicolored lights shine through the darkness. Gentle rain falls down on walls. Gargoyles are everywhere. At least, it seems to be trying to imitate Gotham. However, I found it to be completely bereft of character: Its homogenous, lifeless districts are only different in name, and it doesn’t evolve at all over the course of the Bat-family’s campaign in Gotham Knights. This Gotham is more flat and monotonous than it seems. It lacks personality.

Arkham City Arkham Knight Gotham was your direct space and character: Permanent alterations to architecture and landscape were experienced. (In Arkham CityJoker explodes a tower. Arkham Knight, Batman often “redecorates” buildings and roads with his tank.) You can find out more at In Arkham City, Two-Face’s minions, prominent in their two-toned wardrobe, break into banks and cars; Joker’s henchmen in clown makeup hang around carnival-like sets. Gotham gained depth and identity through the staging of targeted events in particular neighborhoods. Rocksteady’s takes on Gotham, along with WB Montréal’s own in 2013’s Arkham OriginsTo a lesser degree, they were more connected to Gotham’s deeper aspects, because Gotham was a full-rounded character. Gotham of Gotham KnightsHowever, he is boring, static and monotonous. What is the long-term damage done by Mr. What is the lasting damage to Mr. Where is the structural damage after Clayface’s escape?

This is what makes it worse. Gotham Knights mishandles a group of villains who, throughout their runs in the comics, are compelling, insidious embodiments of the city’s lurid history: the Court of Owls.

Key art from Gotham Knights of several members of the infamous Court of Owls - all three have ornate masks and luxurious suits on

Despite being one of the canonically oldest entities in Batman’s universe, the Court was only introduced to the Batman mythos in 2012. The Court is composed of Gotham’s most influential and wealthy families. They control Gotham by assassination or espionage. They are cultish and creepy, they work in the shadows, and they’re an actual threat to Batman because they are also a threat to Bruce Wayne.

Only one other animation has ever featured the Court outside of comics. Batman vs. RobinAnd in the TV Show Gotham. It was, naturally, a possibility of them butting heads. Gotham Knights’ biggest initial draws. These new villains were a result of my passion for everything creepy and cultish.

Unfortunately, Gotham Knights The Court is abruptly removed from the scene after an attack by the League of Shadows (another recurring antagonist in Batman’s lore). The Court is now free from all the mystery and intrigue. While they may involve fighting with a handful of stragglers these encounters do not lead to anything more. One of the principal threats to the Bat-family in the game’s marketing becomes little more than a chapter in the larger narrative. Gotham Knights I missed an opportunity to probe into Gotham’s veins to find out why the Court is poisoning it. It’s the same group that believes itself to have the cure. Without the Court, would Gotham fall apart? What if the Court was not there? Would Gotham cease to exist? These are important questions. However, these are important questions. Gotham Knights, they’re asked only in passing.

Concept art for Gotham Knights, in which Red Hood and Nightwing sit on the edge of a building in the foreground, looking up at The Belfry

Batman is dead and the most important villains of the Batman era are gone, so the weight fall to the city for them to lift. Gotham Knights. Gotham is not well-sold. However, the landscape can change in isolated main missions that do not permanently scar the open-world.

Rocksteady’s Batman was constantly deteriorating, and its Gotham was no different: plants bursting from crevices, poison hanging in the air, the ocean finding purchase, and so on. It was due to CharactersChange and Gotham themselves shouldbe considered a character. This notion is missing in Gotham Knights.

Gotham Knights did Gotham dirty by making all of its districts and in-world activities homogenous; it had access to the Court of Owls, one of the Batman canon’s most compelling actors, but discarded it like Batman might discard a loaded gun. Because this world’s world is merely background, there is no growth. Gotham Knights It makes a large show out of killing the Dark Knight during its initial moments. It was the most tragic. Gotham was also killed.