Gotham Knights Preview – Hands-On Impressions And Key Takeaways

Gotham Knights launches in just a couple of weeks, and Batman fans have been excited – and trepidatious – about the Bat clan’s big family adventure. For two hours, I played the game at Warner Bros. Montreal. I spent time-fighting crime as all four characters, explored Gotham’s open world, and took down criminals alongside a co-op partner. To learn more about the adventures, I spoke with developers. Here are some general hands-on impressions and intriguing fun facts I learned about the Gotham Knights as the march towards its October 21 launch draws near.

Arkham Games’ Combat Is A Completely Different Experience

I suited up as all four heroes at different points during my two-plus-hour play session. Combat feels markedly different than the Arkham games, which, if you haven’t been keeping up with Gotham Knights, may surprise you. 

A single button for melee attacks is used in the game to perform simple combos. The elaborate animations that accompany each attack make Gotham Knights seem less fast-paced than Arkham’s combo-driven, rapid action. It was off-putting at first, but I gradually fell into the game’s more deliberate pacing, though I would like a bit more weight behind the offense. 

A ranged attack lobs projectile weapons, such as firing Red Hood’s pistols or throwing Batgirl’s Batarangs. A more potent version of every assault can be unleashed by pressing the melee/ranged button. Batgirl’s shotgun-like projectiles are unleashed when Batgirl presses down on that button. 

These can be combined in combos to create momentum. Each meter has two bars. The special abilities of each Knight are activated by spending these meters. The psychology behind fighting games such as Street Fighter reminds me of earning special moves through mastering the basics. I believe the same formula can be applied to third-person action games. Robin’s portal teleport is one of my favorites, allowing him to open a rift that transports distant enemies towards him. Nightwing has the ability to drop a healing tool that can restore him and his co-op partners. 

WB Montreal hopes the combat’s initial simplicity will help players quickly settle into the Knights before they layer on more abilities, unlocked by spending ability points on a skill tree. It’s worth noting that I played the base versions of these characters and only upgraded them a few times, so although combat begins relatively one-note, it hopefully becomes more robust and entertaining as you progress.

Surprise, Co-op Playing is More Fun

While soloing Gotham Knights can be done, it is possible to team up with a developer in a co-op session. This was my favourite part of my experience with the game. While Robin was being taken on by Nightwing’s partner, I played Robin. Together we worked to stealthily eliminate gang members and then get into brawls if things got out of control. It’s also very similar to performing tag-team moves in wrestling games, where you can grab and hold your enemies. 

No matter what level they are, players can play together. WB Montreal promises the game’s balancing allows rookies to fight alongside veterans with fully leveled Knights and have a good time. It’s even better that players can choose their difficulty settings. If someone likes the challenge of Hard mode while their buddy wants to cruise through the experience on Easy, it’s all good. But the best news is that…

Independently from story missions, co-op partners can explore Gotham independently

While story missions can keep the players tied together in a tight group, teams have freedom to roam free. That means you could be in Gotham’s southside fighting street crime while your buddy is across the map exploring the university in search of secrets. WB Montreal hopes not to make players feel like they are being held together. Instead, WB Montreal wants to create the super hero fantasy of giving up all but your stomach and allowing your friend to take over. It makes it more enjoyable to chat with your friend if you find something new. 

Storytelling is best done with two players

Many gamers were puzzled by the fact that Gotham Knights supports only two-player coop, despite supporting four players. The gameplay team explained that it decided this format was best for the story. 

“Storytelling is also one of our really important pillars of the game,” says game director Geoff Ellenor. “We really wanted to deliver on that. As we were going through prototyping we came to the conclusion that four people together are like a group moving in one direction. And it’s fun, but it’s not storytelling if the experience becomes more and more about the social experience and less about the story you’re experiencing in the game.”

There are four variations of important cutscenes

Depending on who you’re controlling, pivotal story moments will be tailored to that character, meaning theirs four versions of every big moment. Although the story gist remains the same for each scene, interactions and cinematography change. As Batgirl, Harley Quinn was my host in Blackgate when I met her. Joker’s former sidekick referred to me as “Bratgirl” and seemed ironically excited to have some girl time with me (much to Barbara’s chagrin). Robin, however, has never met Harley in this universe, so they’ll have a much different conversation. With that said…

This is the complete story.

In light of that previous point, I wondered if Gotham Knights was the type of game that required multiple playthroughs for each hero to understand the full scope of the narrative. Thankfully, that isn’t the case. 

“You can absolutely get the whole story from a single playthrough,” says narrative director Ann Lemay. “ But if you want to get the nuances we’ve done for each character, I strongly encourage you to do the playthroughs [at] different times. There’s a different flavor.”

Learn from Civilians How Great Of A Hero You Are

The Gotham version is not like Arkham, and it includes both normal citizens as criminals. These normies aren’t here just to make the city more dynamic; they serve as constant reminders of your progress as a hero. 

“In the beginning, they don’t think you’re as good as the last superhero who defended the city, and they will tell you,” says Ellenor. “ And as you progress through the story, you gradually win over the citizens. The people around you are more confident. They’re happier with what you’re doing. 

People were often receptive to me as I walked the streets. In most cases, they were largely supportive, cheering me on while occasionally making funny remarks that greatly reminded me of the street-level interactions in Marvel’s Spider-Man. 

You can find up to 40 cinematic scenes in The Belfry

Between nights fighting crime in the streets, you’ll return to the Belfry hideout to change gear, unlock new gadgets, and, most of all, hang out with the team. A lot of storytelling and relationship-building unfolds at the Belfry. So much so that the hub area alone features over 40 cutscenes, according to the game’s cinematic director, Wilson Mui. 

“There’s an underlying tension with them in the start of the game, but you’ll see that kind of drift off as they kind of find their spaces and their comfort zones around each other…I think we’ve managed to do something pretty awesome because that’s not something we’re used to seeing in a superhero game.” 

The scenes have been evenly split to create individual stories for each Knight. Many will focus on how each teammate handles the trauma of Bruce’s death.

Robin’s costume was not inspired by Damien Wayne.

Many fans mistakenly believed that Tim Drake was Damien Wayne, when Gotham Knights first appeared. It is likely because Tim’s Robin suit featured the famous poncho-esque design Bruce’s father made and Tim’s Robin suit. Jay Evans, Jay’s art director said that the similarities are not intentional. 

I’ve made the same analogy for him. In the beginning it was more like streetwear. We were influenced by jackets. [It] kind of became a little, almost poncho-like. But these suits, like the default suits or the starting suits, you know, are a mix of real-world wearable outfits and a mix of a super suit. You know, somewhere between. That’s exactly where we wanted it to be.”

Harley Quinn Is A Total Villain

Thanks to Harley Quinn, Harley Quinn’s popularity exploded over the past few years. Suicide Squad/Birds of PreyThe animated and films Harley Quinn series. These adaptations have portrayed Joker’s former main squeeze as more of an anti-hero with occasional heroic tendencies, but Gotham Knights returns Harley to her villainous roots. WB Montreal promises a new take on Harley, despite Harley being brought back to dance. 

“…As [a]Fleur Marty, executive producer, says that Harley is a huge fan and what they have done together with her has been unheard of. Fleur Marty says, “And, it’s amazing to see where her narrative and character teams have led her. It makes her not anti-hero.” The full-blown supervillain. They’re going full bad, and she doesn’t need anybody else than herself to do that.”

Gotham Knights will launch October 21 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.