Gotham Knightsoffers a lot of personalization between its four playable protagonists. The game does not have distinct character classes in particular, but Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood all have separate playstyles and distinguishable skill tree abilities. Part of these unique abilities is each character’s own means of traversal: Nightwing’s glider, Robin’s short-range teleportation, Batgirl’s cape, and Red Hood’s mystical leap.Gotham Knights’ traversal mechanicsare exclusive to respective characters, but a grapple and a Batcycle will be ubiquitous no matter who fans play as.
The last time that fans had a AAA DC game with a vehicular component was inBatman: Arkham Knight. Early previews have already remarked upon howthe Arkhamverse’s roots can be discerned inGotham Knights, but that itis ultimately its own individual experience. There is no doubt that Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal’s Arkhamverse is seminal, butGotham Knightsis stamping its own mark on the DC mythology. This applies toGotham Knights’ protagonists, co-op features, and also its Batcycle mechanics, which should not need to compete withBatman: Arkham Knight’s Batmobile.
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Batman: Arkham Knight’s Batmobile is a Controversial Powerhouse
The Batmobile fromBatman: Arkham Knightwas highly conflicting. In the fourth installment of an incredibly influential franchise, the Batmobile is a refreshing feature that introduced new mechanics. The Batmobile can be used as a means of traversal, where players could barrel through cement pillars and the corners of buildings at remarkable speeds.
Pursuits throughout tight, winding streets on each island borough of Gotham City is exhilarating, and ejecting from the Batmobile to launch into a cape-glide along the city’s tallest skyscrapers is phenomenal. However, such a foundational addition stirred disappointment in many fans. There are many fans who believeBatman: Arkham Knightis bogged down by how much the Batmobile is entrenched in the game’s narrative, and how much of the Batmobile’s gameplay involves meticulous puzzles or obstacle course trials.
A huge part of the Batmobile’s gameplay is combat-oriented in a maneuverable tank function, where players strafe and dodge while firing missiles. There is an abundance of instances where players must maneuver in an enclosed area and fend off approaching militia drones, and having to sneak up to the Cloudburst in the Batmobile is certainly arduous.
Gotham Knights’ Batcycle is Little More Than a Means of Traversal
The Batcycle fromGotham Knightsseems to purely be an alternate means of traversal through Gotham, and that may be what all fans had hoped it would be. The more that it differs fromBatman: Arkham Knight’s Batmobile the better, since it will create fewer comparisons between the two.
Because bothGotham Knightsand theBatman: Arkhamfranchise share a DC mythology and characters, it is impossible for the former to ignore any comparison or influence from the latter. ButGotham Knightsis taking mechanics and making them as unique as they can while still taking place in an open-world Gotham City full of crime. For example,Gotham Knightsmade a smart play by giving each character their own drastic traversal in the open world.
Gotham Knightshas a grapple gun, but it does not seem to have a grapnel boost feature.Gotham Knights’ Batcycleis great for players who are disinterested in their preferred character’s unique traversal, giving them the option to simply ride through city streets to their destination.Gotham Knightsmay also include more street pursuits than it has let on, since it has been revealed that players will be able to fire their characters’ projectiles while on the Batcycle.
Further, the Batcycle will have co-op time trials that fans can compete in as an optional, fun feature for the vehicle. Being much more streamlined and less intrinsic toGotham Knights’ narrative may be what sets it apart most fromBatman: Arkham Knight’s Batmobile, but both should be respected for what they bring to the table.
Gotham Knightsis scheduled to release on June 18, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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