Every new DC game will bear some comparison to games that have come to the IP before it, especially if they present open worlds with similar gameplay mechanics. Gotham Knights has certainly earned its comparisons to the Arkhamverse franchise, if for no other reason than WB Games Montreal having previously developed Batman: Arkham Origins. There are a lot of features that Gotham Knights introduces as an action-RPG, however, and its approach to an open-world format is incredibly thoughtful, making the title stand apart starkly from other Batman games before it.
To be fair, the Arkhamverse only featured Gotham City as its open world in Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Knight. The latter of the two has been compared directly to Gotham Knights for fans to discern which game they believe to have the higher fidelity and graphical density, whether those comparisons were fair or not. Though Batman: Arkham Knight’s island borough districts are detailed and full of militia occupation events, Gotham Knights’ night-to-night patrol system is a more riveting approach, with premeditated crimes and clues adding weight to the RPG experience.
Gotham Knights’ Night Patrols Give Its Open World Great Significance
Gotham Knights’ core gameplay loop tasks players with heading out into Gotham City and stopping crime. Unlike previous Batman games, or any other open-world superhero game for that matter, Gotham Knights has a dedicated patrol system that takes place on each night as its own distinct event. Once players are out on patrol, they are free to explore and engage with whatever activities they would like, between opportunistic crimes, secret caches, and miscellaneous collectibles. Premeditated crimes are much more involved, and are where the patrol system truly shines.
Players are encouraged to interrogate enemies in as many spontaneous crimes as possible, since the clues gathered from enemies will contribute to the whereabouts of premeditated crimes throughout the city. These are larger, more substantial encounters, such as a “Criminal in Hiding,” “Bomb Threat,” or “Prisoner Transport Attack,” to name only a few. The trick to these activities is that a particular premeditated crime is only available on that night.
Of course, new crimes will crop up in Gotham Knights’ open-world Gotham City as more enemies are defeated or interrogated, but failing a premeditated crime omits it from the map completely without the opportunity to retry it. Players must then pick their targets carefully, depending on how many health packs they have, what difficulty the premeditated crime is scaled to, and whether they have an incentive to take out a certain faction gang.
Gotham Knights’ Case Files Distill Its RPG Progression Nicely
Then, once players retreat back to Gotham Knights’ Belfry, those premeditated crimes are recycled. This makes the open world tangible and consequential, rippling effects through each night and making the player’s time much more considered when they are out in Gotham. Reconvening back at the Belfry allows players to get a lay of the land and see what leads they have to pursue. The Batcomputer shows what premeditated crimes will be available when players head out again, and players are encouraged to prepare accordingly with new gear crafted or a particular Knight selected.
Likewise, there are three distinct villain case files to pursue in Gotham Knights. In order to locate and subdue Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface, players will have individual case file quests to follow. Case files also occur nightly alongside premeditated crimes, until dungeon-esque missions can be launched straight from the case file menu. These missions take players to alternate areas they cannot explore otherwise, like the interior of STAR Labs or the sewer network Clayface is discovered in. As far as RPG progression goes, Gotham Knights’ case files and night-to-night patrol system create an enthralling open-world system that future Batman games should certainly take a page from.
Gotham Knights is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.