Gotham Knights, snakes thrive in the shadow of the bat | Review

Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights is a collection of sensations. I love the noise and the sweet delirium that crawls in the streets of Gotham City, it has always fascinated me. A city made of masks and cloaked in a thick blanket of darkness, as if the whole place were the epicenter of evil. I look out into the streets and I know I breathe in the realm of contradictions and opportunities. A world that has never hidden that it is the corrupt reflection of our souls, a place where the most tragic stories of the superhero universe have long fermented. I open the window and I am addicted to the moral perdition that hovers in the neighborhoods. The harsh reality of the DC world is fictional, but it is much closer, in its cycle of paradoxes, to our everyday life than we can imagine.

In this evocative setting, which would galvanize any lover of the superhero universe, WB Games Montréal tries to propose a different Gotham, even more rarefied in its abyss of perdition. We all know how arduous virtual reconstruction of the iconic city of the DC world is, so expectations have also been inflated by its business card. An open world action RPG that has the honor and the burden of satisfying the orphans of the Batman series and teasing those who love superheroes in the gaming world. Without delay, therefore, let us be pampered by the new champions of justice who will arrive in your things on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X / S and PC platforms on 21 October 2022. When you turn on your platform will you see the bat symbol in your room?

Batman is dead. A phrase that numbs the good of heart and makes the cowardly rejoice. It is not just the end of a hero, a symbol, but the very death of justice. It is as if the thin thread that kept Gotham hanging just above the abyss of darkness had suddenly snapped. The news does not even need to spread. Ever since the bat's wings began to fail from the moonlight for too many nights, crime has returned. Creeping out of the sewer of selfishness, the city's disease has returned to proliferate, now aware of having the clearance again to win over every heart. In this terrible climate of chaos, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and Red Hood must become true magicians, even before they succeed Bruce.

The foundations of Gotham Knights corruption and the twilight of justice

The main story is in itself an experience that manages to embrace many aspects of city, from its history to the ramified socio-political intertwining. As you learn a little more about Gotham's nature, it will be natural for you to read or listen to the various stories that swarm the neighborhoods with pleasure. In addition to the main campaign, the work boasts a long set of really well managed and amalgamated micro stories, which will surely capture your attention from the main quests. A globally captivating, enveloping and successful writing, which always manages to keep us glued to the screen, between a fist fight and the other.




Fortunately, the investigations are well condensed in the game environment and you will have way to run around freely to satisfy your curiosity. However, I must warn that, although the crimes of small intensity are numerous and sufficiently diversified, in the long run there is a sense of repetition typical of this playful genre. What I really missed are the in-game events between rounds, secrets to bump into that would break the routine or bizarre activities to find. You will undoubtedly have many activities to complete and wandering around the city still has its charm, so I'm sure that boredom will knock on your door only after several tens of hours of play. The explorable Gotham City was built on the logical and creative basis of the classic "city of superheroes" model for play.



Gotham Knights

A dull city and the echo of history

An open world entirely explorable, which will make you wander among dark alleys and skyscrapers wrapped in the grayness of the smog. On the ground, the city is perceived as alive in the points of interest, those of crime and in the shadow of the great monuments of Gotham. The rest, alas, is a set of choices that this playful genre has perpetuated for years. Virtually no interaction with citizens, buildings only minimally real and for the greater part aesthetic cardboard and scarcity of in-game events. Obviously it makes no sense to cross the game in question, also because it is clearly affected by market influences. The formula, with its flaws and stage bottlenecks, works very well and guides the player's focus in the nerve centers of the city, not rewarding much free exploration.

It is also necessary to underline the exceptional work done on the historical-comic front. The memorable places present in Gotham dominate the various areas in all their glory and the reconstruction is fascinating. I am not speaking only of development skills, but also of the excellent dissemination of details and available materials that carefully explain the numerous anecdotes since its foundation. It is a pleasure to see that the whole game world is a mine of information to be absorbed, even passively. On more than one occasion it happened to me to be bewitched by the stories of those places and I let myself be lulled by the various documents I found. A great job done on the side of artistic re-enactment. Finally, the move to the city has been well thought out and enhanced.

Legacies of the old gen and role-playing qualities in Gotham Knights

We will be able to move on the various holds with the grappling hook, spread your wings to glide, unlock fast travel points to change neighborhoods and always rely on the Batcycle. The motorbike on call will appear in front of us and will always be available for a nice walk in the whiteness of the moon. Handy and customizable, a real pleasure for the eyes and for the controls. The only flaw is that at high speed there are slight drops in the frame, the victim of neglected optimization. Really frustrating to praise a game for its playful qualities and then see it spoiled for technical trifles. The controversy about the fps is, in my opinion, absolutely inflated, but legitimate.

The game, not only for this aspect, is anchored to the rusty limits of the old gen, but it does not mean that it is not to be bought . The frame drops, I want to point out, do not affect the gameplay in any way, nor disturb the normal course of the game. However, when you have the opportunity to get angry about a wasted opportunity, I must dutifully stop and reflect. Now, I don't know if these flaws will heal with subsequent updates, but I can reassure you that you won't feel them as disabling.

On the gaming front Gotham Knights juggles pretty well, offering a well-branched variety in the game. time and rewarding to discover. Strengthened by the presence of four playable characters with many peculiar abilities each, the gameplay lets itself be approached as if it were placed in our hands. Each mission can be strategic tested and modeled according to the strategy we want to use, the powers of our hero on duty and his warlike attitudes. Fortunately, you can change characters when you want from your base of operations and all will level up evenly.

A freedom of play that cannot be dismissed in a nutshell during the evaluation phase, also because each of the four heirs of the bat it holds a well-articulated number of qualities. I don't mind saying that each of them is comparable to every other superhero in any single player story. I strongly emphasize this to emphasize the fact that each of them has a unique gameplay and its own inventory, which is also artistically breathtaking as well as functional. Aesthetics in this sense is a solid strength of the work, as it draws on many costumes or gadgets that fans will surely remember. The role-playing side may not be avant-garde, but it performs its task very well. In addition to enhancing the basic traits of the characters in the skill tree, there are also elemental supports for weapons and special moves. This variable allows for a smarter and more enjoyable approach, as well as a more varied weapon park.



Gotham Knights

The crime ballad that never sleeps

The equipment it can be forged and placed in the headquarters, while the material can be found both at the end of the various quests, and in the trunks scattered around the game world. Beyond the rich inventory, what leaves you stunned is undoubtedly the fleet of moves that can be used in battle. You will immediately notice that the progression system is well balanced and calibrated, so there will often be a way to show off unique skills. Once you have mastered the basic combat, which you can refine in the training room at the base (amazing, first time a tutorial does not bore me) you will be ready to choose your style.

There are clearly more useful moves against certain enemies and, in this sense, you will be punished for any forgetfulness. Aware of the best way to get your opponent drunk, between perfect dodges and disruptive blows, it will be your approach to the crime scene that will make all the difference. We now come to the thorniest topic when analyzing games of the genre: playful depth. I have previously pointed out the presence of a variety of actions during the sufficiently varied patrols, but I have not yet discussed the secondary ones. Although at first glance Gotham Knights does a decent job of making the gameplay stimulating and never stagnant, the work done in writing the secondary schools has to be raised far above mediocrity.



Gotham Knights

Boredom is not in Gotham City

Between thick villains, articulated stories and a flood of optional activities, the trip to the city is far more colorful than many other games on the market. The art of the development team was to enhance the big names in this chapter, then seeking the right alchemy between patrol activities and arduous challenges. In fact, your commitment to the game world is poured into the secondary missions and what seemed to be dark areas of the city now have another flavor and meaning. Gotham Knights' writing is, once again, commendable. The elements that act as a winning glue are interrogations and investigations. Occasionally, you will be able to squeeze an enemy with low health in a fight to extract information about crimes or to advance in some faction-related quest.

Your wits and wits are tested as you search for clues to solve complicated cases or gruesome puzzles. In addition to the well-written secondary you can have fun doing races with the bike, or spend time in the mini-games present at your base. In short, in terms of longevity and pure student spirit we are here. The cooperative side is the one that thrives on ups and downs unfortunately. Don't get me wrong: the mode is enjoyable and playing with your friend will make your stay in Gotham Knights enjoyable, exhilarating and never boring, but there is no news of any kind. I would have expected some couple combos during the fights, a series of additional team activities or a way - even simple - to make the most of this mode. We just do a good homework, but with little courage.