5 ways how Gotham Knights pales in comparison to the Batman Arkham series

It is hard to imagine that Gotham Knights was released seven years after the last major Caped Crusader game, Batman: Arkham Knight came out. Pit against the mysterious Arkham Knight and Scarecrow, Batman had to save the city he had sworn to protect, but at what cost?

As the final entry in the series, Arkham Knight wove a compelling tale and ended the saga of Bruce Wayne as the Dark Knight in style.

Meanwhile, Gotham Knights takes place in another entirely separate continuity where Batman is killed off at the start of the game. The four Knights of the Bat-Family must scramble to pick up the pieces and save the city from the ominous Court of Owls taking over it, in place of the Bat.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views. Major spoilers for both Gotham Knight and the Batman Arkham games may follow. Reader discretion is advised.

---

5 reasons why Gotham Knights is step-down from the Batman Arkham series

1) Visuals and atmosphere

Gotham Knights somehow manages to look worse than a seven-year-old game. Gotham has never looked so lifeless, its streets barely populated with either criminals or NPCs. In stark contrast, Arkham Knight featured an expansive city full of citizens and criminals to hunt down at every corner.

The game also lacks any distinct look to it, feeling like a generic open-world title at times, especially when pitted against the previous games. Even rain and atmospheric effects are absent.

---

2) Awkward combat

The Arkham games are famous for their simple yet effective combat. Combat requires precise counters and attacks, complemented with various extra skills and gadgets. This combat system has been widely adopted in other titles such as Shadow of Mordor and Marvel’s Spider-Man to great success.

Batman’s punches and counterattacks have real weight to them, and it feels incredibly satisfying to beat down a group of thugs as the Caped Crusader.

Gotham Knights tries its own unique spin on the previously established rhythm-based combat of the Arkham games. Counters are replaced with dodges and classes now exist among the heroes. Each character has a unique playstyle that incorporates elements of Batman’s kit into their own.

However, the game treats each individual hero as a fragment of Batman’s skills, and you eventually feel like you are playing a stripped-down version of the Bat in each member.

While the RPG-like progression system is a unique take on the combat, it eventually falls short in making it an enjoyable experience. Combat in the game can be best described as clunky.

---

3) Poor representation of Batman’s Rogues Gallery

The universe's Rogues Gallery makes up for half the appeal of Batman. In Gotham Knights, the Rogues Gallery is barely represented and boss fights are recycled using the same four major antagonists. The payoff is not worth it at the end either.

In contrast, the Arkham games featured plenty of bosses and optional boss fights locked under side missions for the players to discover.

---

4) A poorly executed story with an unsatisfying ending

Arkham Knight ends with the triumph of Batman over Scarecrow and the psychological battle between him and the parasitic Joker lodged in his subconscious. In the grand finale, Batman "dies" and we cut to the future that hints at his return. It is a well-executed farewell to the series that ends things on a high note with no major loose ends or burning questions.

Gotham Knights, on the other hand, ends with the resurrection and subsequent death of Bruce Wayne while our chosen hero of the Bat Family takes on the role of the city’s protector, promising to rid Gotham of the Court of Owls.

The ending leaves more questions than answers — a lot of loose ends. It can be speculated that the ending may lead to a story expansion, but in its current state it is undoubtedly the weakest part of the game, providing a mediocre end to a mediocre game.

---

5) A frustrating state of the game across all platforms

While the Arkham series of games have had their fair share of technical issues, they have always been playable on consoles. Gotham Knights is the rare exception, being barely playable on any platform. The title is plagued by technical bugs and issues, and not even the best PC you can buy on the market can maintain steady frame rates with it.

This is simply unacceptable, and developer WB Games Montréal has a lot of work to do in patching Gotham Knights to a playable state.

These issues are still largely unresolved as of now, and it is hoped WB Games will continue to patch the game moving forward on all platforms to provide a pleasant crime-fighting experience for players to enjoy.

---

Gotham Knights was released for the PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on October 21, 2022.