WB Games Montreal, the studio that developedBatman: Arkham Origins, is returning to the DC lineup withGotham Knights, an open-world action-adventure game set in Gotham after the death of Bruce Wayne. Players will be able to take on the role of four of the Caped Crusader’s successors, Robin, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Nightwing.
AlthoughGotham Knightshas strong connections to theArkhamuniverse established by Rocksteady, it takes place in its own separate continuity. There’s one great way, however, thatGotham Knightscould distinguish itself from the Arkhamverse to give its own version of Gotham a unique feel, and to avoid direct comparisons between its new project and theArkhamseries.
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Character Design in Gotham Knights
WB Games Montreal has already revealed that there will be at least a few classicBatmanvillains still at large after the death of Bruce Wayne.Mr. Freeze, for one, appears in a gameplay video as part of a “villain crime,” whichGotham Knights’ creative director Patrick Redding describes as “a series of encounters where the player has to do a certain amount of legwork and detective work to hunt down the villain at the next major confrontation.”
This makes it seem likely that, as well as the main plot involving the Court of Owls, there will be classicBatmanvillains returning throughoutGotham Knights’ open-worldversion of the city, which provides a great opportunity forGotham Knightsto distinguish itself from the Arkhamverse. TheArkhamgames, like each new version of theBatmancomics, movies, and TV shows, had its own spin on its villain designs, with many being conceived as grittier versions of their counterparts inBatman: The Animated Series.
The design of Batgirl’s costume inGotham Knightsstill strongly resemblesBatman:The Animated Series, as does some of the architecture shown off in the game’s Gotham so far. However, ifGotham Knightstoo closely emulates the design ofThe Animated Seriesand by extension theArkhamgames, it risks not being able to create its own feel for the city while also inviting comparison to Rocksteady’s own upcoming co-op Arkhamverse game,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. While the two games are always going to draw comparison, finding areas to experiment with its own visual style could go a long way towards makingGotham Knightsstand out.
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Gotham Knights' Villains
That’s where villain crimes come in. There have been so many different designs for the huge variety of bad guys in theBatmanrogues gallery over the years that WB Games Studio could easily draw aesthetic influence from. With more rumored returning villains likePoison Ivy inGotham Knights, that variation in design could makeGotham Knightsstand out. Of course, having characters who died in the Arkhamverse like Poison Ivy in the game will also be a reminder that they’re separate continuities, but by exploring different designs fully inGotham Knightscould make that distinction seem worthwhile rather than just technical.
For now, much remains to be revealed aboutGotham Knights’ plotand which characters fans of the franchise can expect to see appear in-game. However, drawing on different artists’ runs, different actors who played the characters over the years, and the other ways thatBatman’s villains have been reinterpreted in the long-running franchise could be key if WB Game Montreal wants to encourage people to judgeGotham Knightson its own merits instead of comparing it to theArkhamgames.
Gotham Knightswill be available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in 2021.
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