The saga of Batman Arkham has certainly left its mark, positively: the adventure of dark Knight by Rocksteady Studios is certainly one of the most important trilogies among those dedicated to the DC hero (apart from spin-offs and various prequels). With the original team working on the new Suicide Squad title, the city of Gotham has been left a bit on the sidelines, waiting for better times. It is therefore not surprising that Warner Bros. Montreal has decided to take back the Batarang, but creating a title completely disconnected from the Arkham series and therefore set in a universe of its own.
But not only that: for the occasion, it was decided to put aside the Hooded Crusader, or Batman, relegating him to the background, dead, as the specific introduction to the game right away. So who are we going to take on to stop crime in Gotham City? Simple, the Bat-Family in full force: Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing e Red Hood they are in fact the four main heroes, the Gotham Knights who give the game its name, the Gotham Knights who - taking the place of their missing mentor - have to get by through the city's ill-famed streets and alleys.
The Long Nights
As mentioned above, the plot of Gotham Knight starts from the simple assumption that Batman is no longer there, killed in the field and therefore leaving the burden of defending his city to his pupils, four heroes who will not fail to demonstrate a courage equal to that of the Dark Knight.
With their own differences and characteristic abilities, the four heroes will decide to work together in order to honor the last wish of Bruce Wayne and working together to defend Gotham City from organized crime. While cutting cleanly with the successful Rocksteady trilogy, Gotham Knights puts on the plate a gameplay that blends the mechanics already seen in the Batman Arkham trilogy, but with the addition of some elements typical of role-playing games.
La Bat-Family in fact, he will be able to use close and distance moves, which will differ according to the chosen hero. For example, Red Hood will prefer ranged attacks thanks to the use of firearms, while Robin or Nightwing will prefer to use more direct and physical approaches. The special abilities that we can unlock by completing various challenges during the adventure will fill a specific skill tree, in which we will have to choose which features to unlock. Clearly, we will have to decide which skills to choose, since during the first run we will certainly not be able to unlock everything for all four protagonists of the game.
Luck has it that, except for some initial fear, Gotham Knights is not a GaaS (or Game as a Service), given that net of the overall replayability, the adventure actually has a clear and outlined beginning and end. By not offering a 4-player co-op at launch (which will only come later in the form of a downloadable game mode via DLC), making four heroes available will inevitably push your vigilante to switch, although most of you will be pushed to choose. a specific member of the Bat-Family and complete missions only and exclusively with him. It is true that the idea of the developers is that the experience was shared between all four heroes, but apparently there is nothing that really pushes them to do so.
Also true that after completing primary missions and we will not be able to get materials to use for crafting new costumes and weapons, although the system will put the emphasis on the characters most used by the player (not that this is strictly bad, but so be it). Unfortunately, however, despite obvious differences during the cutscenes, the narrative of Gotham Knights will not undergo changes depending on the character chosen: that is to say that, with the exception of the dialogues, the adventure will be narrated in the same way for each element of the hero quartet. .
Don't call it GaaS
Fortunately, the game action and the mechanics seem to be made on purpose to make up for the shortcomings on the narrative side, given that Gotham Knights it has a markedly action soul and most of the enemies will require different approaches and fighting styles, encouraging us to change strategy constantly.
From a technical point of view, having tried the game on consoles PS5 It is good to know that there is no additional graphics mode to improve performance. This means that we will be able to benefit from a maximum of 30 fps regardless of the resolution of your TV or gaming monitor. The thing is only relatively out of place, given that the polygonal size and the overall show put up by the developers is in any case completely satisfactory and absolutely up to expectations.
Gotham set up by WB Montreal it is also really suggestive: leaving slightly aside the gloomy and dark metropolis seen in the series of Batman Arkham, in Gotham Knights the city will be just as immense and freely explorable, although definitely more “colorful” and luminous. Unlocking the fast travel points will facilitate your crossings, but know that by doing so you will nullify one of the maximum peaks of the whole experience, namely the real feeling of guarding the streets of a crime city. Of course, we can use grappling hooks or bikes to explore Gotham far and wide, complete with a map useful for discovering any crimes in progress.
To underline the unprecedented relationship with civilians, who will not recognize you at the beginning and then learn to trust you (and literally cheer you) as you reach the central stages of the adventure. The possibility of tackling the campaign in co-op with a friend and the presence of environmental puzzles and investigations designed to break the action during the Gotham Knights campaign, close an absolutely positive picture.
Review- Gotham Knights (Tested on PS5) 8 Final Vote
Despite the fears after the announcement, Gotham Knights turned out to be a valid and all-in-one adventure that, while not reaching the technical and playful goals brought home over the years by the Batman Arkham series, manages to shine with light. own. The adventure of Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing and Red Hood is in fact really unmissable for every voracious reader of DC comics, especially lovers of the Dark Knight and his historical opponents. In short, Gotham awaits you.
