Gotham Knights’ original narrative looks gripping because of how much context fans will need to be filled in on. Indeed, players are hopping into this narrative at the cusp of Bruce Wayne’s death, and therefore they will be unfamiliar with what Batman’s role as a Dark Knight has amounted to in WB Games Montreal's version of Gotham City. The Bat Family’s relationship with the Gotham City Police Department, for example, seems to be heavily strained after Jim Gordon’s death in Gotham Knights. Blackgate Penitentiary, however, seems to have a much worse relationship with the Bat Family.
Each member of the Bat Family will have their own backstories and relationships with one another, as well as with supervillain antagonists who are likely less intimidated by Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, or Red Hood. Gotham Knights is centered around the Knights coming into their own as defenders of Gotham, and there will undoubtedly be roadblocks in their ascension. Jim Gordon’s death means the GCPD no longer has to trust the Bat Family, and Blackgate is also apparently at such odds with them that its guards are literal enemies in Gotham Knights.
The Bat Family’s Relationship with Blackgate Has Come to Blows in Gotham Knights
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Lots of gameplay footage for Gotham Knights has flooded the internet recently as the game is only a few days from launch. In these early previews, the build that fans, influencers, and others had received seemed to highlight a lot of Harley Quinn’s storyline. Harley Quinn’s boss fight, for example, has now been seen with every possible playable protagonist against her. In another sequence of her case file, players interact with her at Blackgate during a riot. One particular sequence in the riot sees myriad orange-clad inmates loose and grappling with Blackgate guards in an open, general population courtyard.
Players soon enter the fray and begin fighting the inmates themselves, but the fight doesn't go as players might expect. Blackgate guards themselves, as well as inmates, are targetable as enemies that players can attack. This explicitly suggests how terrible the Bat Family’s relationship with authority is, or at least with Blackgate itself, if guards are indistinguishable from rioting inmates. It will be interesting to see if this enemy dynamic is apparent in Gotham Knights’ open-world Gotham City with the GCPD, or if the guards are simply a mission-specific enemy since players will be inside Blackgate at the time.
Gotham Knights’ Bat Family Has Few Authority Figures It Can Trust
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Civilians do not seem to have an issue with Gotham Knights’ Bat Family, as they are seen remarking casually about whichever character they see as players traverse the open world. The GCPD allegedly discourages the Bat Family’s actions, which is interesting to know since it is probably arguable that Batman himself had thwarted countless perils that the city would have endured otherwise.
Either way, it is clear that the GCPD will not be an authority that the Bat Family can rely on any longer, but there is one GCPD detective who still has faith in the Bat Family’s morals. Renee Montoya becomes close with the Bat Family and is essentially their eyes and ears within GCPD for more information on crimes throughout Gotham. Believing in what Jim Gordon stood for, Renee is risking her career by sticking her neck out for the Bat Family.
It would be valuable to see Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl and Renee share a moment in the narrative where Barbara reveals who she is to her. This would cement their bond in Gotham Knights and reinforce Renee’s belief in the Bat Family, knowing that Jim’s daughter is affiliated with them.
Gotham Knights releases on October 21, 2022, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.