![]() There's no aim or lock on feature, so it all feels terribly random. ![]() More often than not though, he'll leap clear across an area to pounce on a distant grunt, rather than the tougher foe you're currently engaging. For instance, Nightwing has a Momentum move where he jumps on an enemy, then springs back out of range. Meanwhile, those special Momentum skills seem to hit any enemy other than the one you're attacking. Even dropping down on enemies from above seems to randomly flip between allowing you to do an actual takedown, or simply an aerial attack, which instigates regular melee combat. Instead, every encounter feels more like button bashing, where enemy hits connect even after you've performed a perfect dodge – there's an animation cue to show you've been successful, yet enemies still seem to grab you or land attacks – and where stealth approaches rarely work. There's nothing personal or unique to developing each hero, just the same drawn-out tasks. There's the option to be tactical, marking enemies and environmental hazards using an AR filter, or to try to stealthily approach enemies for silent takedowns. A mix of melee and ranged attacks, light and heavy damage, well-timed dodges and counter-attacks – all of which help charge a Momentum bar that allows more powerful skills to be used – should result in fluid, versatile battles, especially when you're playing co-op, where another player can control one of the Knights. In practice, no matter who you're controlling, fighting feels frustrating and samey all the more so because there are all the components for a great combat system. It should result in combat that feels unique to each hero and caters to different players' preferred styles. ![]() On the plus side, each has a notably different play style, reflecting their personal approaches to crime fighting: Nightwing, with his circus background, is more flamboyant, flipping around between enemies and dazzling with speed Red Hood is more of a tank, delivering brutal blows and the only character willing to use guns Batgirl laser-focuses on one enemy at a time, while Robin is best suited to stealth and gadget-related takedowns. Unfortunately, outside of the writing and the back matter, Gotham Knights struggles to make the case for its cast being the next generation of heroes. While the main story is fully accessible for anyone without a deep understanding of the wider Bat-lore, those who know these characters will get so much more out of the game. It unapologetically presents its core characters as having long-established relationships and personal backstories – Jason Todd/Red Hood having previously died and been resurrected, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl having recovered from spinal injury and taken on the identity of Oracle, Robin/Tim Drake's father still being in the picture, and more – rather than being blank slates for newcomers. Background info found in files and emails peppers in references to niche supporting characters from the comics and members of other superteams such as Young Justice or the Titans, while the streets and districts of Gotham are named after comics creators. Much of the framework of Gotham Knights manages this – the entire game is a love letter to wider DC Comics continuity. By switching focus away from ol' pointy ears and towards these four other heroes, developer WB Games Montréal has a chance to move the whole franchise forward, out of the Shadow of the Bat, and show these legacy characters for the icons they are. That's what makes Gotham Knights so exciting a prospect at first glance – in the wake of Batman's apparent death, protection of Gotham City falls to Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, and Batgirl. Fans of the original comics have even more creative takes and iterations to choose from.įar more interesting now are the partners, protégés, and sidekicks that Batman has gathered, each having different approaches to superheroing and more interesting personalities to explore than poor orphaned Bruce Wayne and his questionable approaches to reducing crime in a major metropolitan area. Whether portrayed as campily as Adam West, as suave as Michael Keaton, as brooding as Christian Bale, or as, er, murderous as Ben Affleck, audiences have seen endless remixes of the Caped Crusader. Hot take: Batman is the least interesting member of the now vastly expanded Batfamily of characters.
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