Summary
Looking back at how ill-receivedGotham Knightswas at launch, let alone how contentious it is to this day, shows that fans had little patience for an action-RPG DC game where Batman wasn’t playable and villains were sparse.Gotham Knights’ narrative also had a lot weighing it down aside from how it rehashes Bruce Wayne for emotional beats, such asa lackluster Court of Owls. That said, WB Games Montreal has always had a mindful approach to Batman and it is all the more upsetting that he dies twice inGotham Knightsdue to how great his portrayal is.
WB Games Montreal’s last game beforeGotham KnightswasBatman: Arkham Originsa decade ago, and even in his own playable protagonist role, the developer was able to take Rocksteady’s interpretation of Batman and round him out to be a robust character in the prequel.Originsestablished a number of villain relationships that have closure in laterArkhamentries from Rocksteady, but while Batman was seemingly meant to be coldhearted inOriginsand more open to companionship in later games, the opposite was true andGotham Knights’ Batmanis equally comprehensive.
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WB Games Montreal Understands Batman’s Emotionality Better Than Rocksteady
WB Games Montreal’s Batman interpretations should be appreciated for how they represent Bruce as someone cherishing his companions rather than estranging them.Rocksteady’s Batmannever truly emerges from the stoic lull in Kevin Conroy’s beautiful performance, and the character is written to always push his loved ones away.
Moreover, Rocksteady’s Batman has a penchant for belittling his antagonists, which may either arise from despising them or not seeing them as a threat. This could boil down to Batman having needed to deal with them on countless occasions, but his cold exterior is not warranted when it comes to hisBat Family companions.
One of the most egregious decisions Rocksteady ever made with its Arkhamverse storytelling was glossing past how each of his sidekicks was recruited. BetweenAsylumandCitythere are new sidekicks added to the Bat Family and all culminate inKnight, but Batman is never fully empathetic toward them except with Oracle inAsylum. If Batman’s behavior toward them is a product of his failure regarding Jason Todd that would make sense by the end ofKnight, but not enough was established beforehand to make that seem legitimate.
Indeed,Jason’s inclusion in the storyfeels like it was written forKnightexclusively and was not considered during the writing ofAsylumandCity, but if it was then it needed to be alluded to much more. Otherwise, Batman is equally callous and uncaring throughout all three games. Then, WB Games Montreal created a bit of a plot hole with its Batman inOriginsby allowing him to open up to Jim Gordon and the tease of Barbara eventually becoming Batgirl.
This willingness to work with others is quickly upended inAsylum, and without any context of what happened to Jason it plays like a retcon, particularly since he’s supposed to be the same iteration of the character.Gotham Knights, on the other hand, shows a Batman who is as experienced as Rocksteady’s, but who is able to fully respect and adore his Bat Family in a way that Rocksteady’s never could. Not only does Bruce die twice for Gotham in this game, but he does so to protect his family.
Meanwhile, Batman’s “death” in the Arkhamverse is due to his identity being exposed, and his callousness toward the Bat Family makes that decision feel selfish rather than to protect them.Gotham Knights’ Batman knows he can leave his city in the hands of his sidekicks and it’ll be safe, whereas that is perhaps the last thing Rocksteady’s Batman would consider, especially since he goes to the effort of putting Azrael through trials for that purpose instead.
Gotham Knightsis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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