Gotham Knights plans to introduce a new take on Batman's many sidekicks that sees them team up against the forces of evil in Gotham. Players will be able to put themselves in the boots of Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Tim Drake's Robin, in an RPG experience that will blend elements of co-op gameplay. Although there are a couple of similarities to the Batman Arkham titles, this game will be providing a completely original story that is separate from that series. One of the biggest features that fans have noticed is the looming presence of DC's biggest superhero team.
The Justice League is one of the most iconic teams in comics, but their video game appearances are pretty slim. The Injustice games have given players a twisted version of the League, but there hasn't been much else in recent years. Now that the Batman Arkham series has concluded, publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment seems to be shifting focus. While Rocksteady's next endeavor, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, seems to be putting a big focus on the heroes, WB Montreal seems to be taking a more understated approach with Gotham Knights.
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Not much has been revealed about Gotham Knights, with the last trailer being the premiere that showed at last year's DC FanDome. That trailer didn't reveal much about the League, but there was one detail that revealed enough. When Robin's abilities were being shown, one of his main modes of traversal was short-range teleportation by way of the Watchtower. This immediately establishes that the Justice League exists in some capacity, as the Watchtower acts as their general base of operations.
Some fans may ask, why does Robin have access to this very sophisticated teleportation tech? Well, the answer most likely lies in the death of Batman. The first trailer for Gotham Knights revealed that the caped crusader died in some kind of explosion, leaving his many wards to defend Gotham. It's clear from the brief moment in the first trailer that Robin has some kind of clearance to access the Watchtower. It's likely that he was either given authorization because of his partnership with Batman, or that the League gave Robin access as a token of their gratitude after his death.
This small connection to the Justice League likely won't amount to very much, but it could foreshadow some cameos from different League members. The main focus of Gotham Knights is Batman's apprentices, so throwing Superman in during key moments might overshadow them. There could, however, still be room for other heroes to briefly appear in a cutscene, but anything more than that could detract from the overall story. Plus, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League already plans to give players an all new adaptation of the team, so it's doubtful that WB Montreal would want to step on Rocksteady's toes like that.
Unfortunately, for those looking forward to fight crime with the Bat Family, Gotham Knights has been delayed from a 2021 release to 2022. The game will be joining a long list of titles that have been delayed in the past year, with the primary factor in most cases being the ongoing pandemic. Although this may be disheartening, in most cases it's better for a game to be delayed so that the developers are able to deliver a more refined and satisfying gameplay experience. Hopefully, more information on the game will be revealed later this year so that fans can get a better idea of how it's shaping up.
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