Gotham Knights will break many trends that the superhero games of the past, and upcoming future, have set. Mainly, only games with A-List heroes were worthy of getting their own titles. Batman, Superman, Spider-Man with Peter Parker and Miles Morales, Wonder Woman, Wolverine, the Avengers, and so on are examples of this. In addition, the only games to dive into certain characters’ extended families are MMORPGs like DC Universe Online or the LEGO titles. But with this new game from WB Montreal, there’s a clear difference in vision as it’s the Bat-Family taking a stand to save Gotham, not Batman.
In the title, you’ll only play as Nightwing, Batgirl, Tim Drake’s Robin, and Jason Todd. As for Batman, he dies in the opening scenes of the game. Of course, not many people in the gaming space believe he’s really dead, but the WB Montreal team has repeatedly asserted that he is gone. Hence, so many villains are popping up to try and take over Gotham without him there.
In an interview, the Creative Director for Gotham Knights, Patrick Redding, talked about why the team felt this was important. He noted that they spoke with WB during the early parts of the game’s creation and stated that the focus was on character growth, which is hard to do with a character like Batman–who, as Redding noted, is fully formed when you see him. Even in the Batman Arkham titles, he didn’t have character growth; he just endured everything the villains through at him.
That’s why in the end, the team had to remove Batman from the equation.
“The more we looked at it, and looked at it honestly, the more we realized Batman becomes an obstacle to that because his presence robs you of your desire to be invested in those heroes.”
As he says further in the interview, if Batman is looming in the background, the point of the game is lost. Batman would eventually swoop in to save everyone, which robs the player of the chance to grow the Bat-Family throughout the game. So he had to be gone, and that’s why they kill him at the beginning of Gotham Knights. To do anything less would deprive the story of its meaning.
In the past trailers for the game, we’ve seen teases of Batman’s death affecting the four playable characters in their own way. For example, Nightwing wants to live up to Batman’s legacy, and Jason Todd comes to terms with his troubled past to ensure Batman’s vision of Gotham comes to life.
No doubt it will be odd for some to play this game knowing Batman is dead, but if the team did everything they hoped, you’ll enjoy the journey of these four Knights of Gotham as they become the city’s newest saviors.
Source: ComicBook.com
