Gotham Knightsfeels as though it is sitting in development purgatory at the moment, at least where the reception and feedback from fans is concerned. Because of how ithas been received in the past few weeks, it is fair to assume thatmany fans are unhappy with howGotham Knightslooks, whether their concerns lie with gameplay, performance, or fidelity.
Indeed,Gotham Knights’ release is only months awayand the game’s marketing has already rolled out with pre-orders available for separate editions. Some fans still believe thatGotham Knightslooks fantastic and are willing to purchase it for day one of release, but other fans are less certain based on the recent gameplay walkthrough that was shown. It is unknown whether WB Games Montreal will be able to make favorable changes toGotham Knightsin the short time that it has before release, but eager fans should continue to hold out hope for a preferable quality from it.
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The Current Reception for Gotham Knights is Underwhelming
Gotham Knights’ initial announcement was met with a mixture of confusion and excitement. It was first believed thatGotham Knightscould be a part of theBatman: Arkhamseries, which had fed into a couple of close ties WB Games Montreal has with the franchise.WB Games Montreal developedBatman: Arkham OriginsandSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewas confirmed to take place in theBatman: Arkhamcontinuity, so the fact that fans thoughtGotham Knightswould too was unsurprising. It is not, however.
Once gameplay had been shared for the first time with Batgirl and Robin, fans got to see that the combat did look reminiscent ofBatman: Arkham’s Freeflow, with some exceptions to enemy health and how combination strings were carried out. This walkthrough, which included a glimpse at a Mr. Freeze boss fight, was received positively for the most part. Then, fans had to wait for a considerably long time before they got theirfirst official look at gameplay for Nightwing and Red Hood, which is where the reactions began to sour.
Based upon the feedback from fans, comparisons to theBatman: Arkhamfranchise have continued despite there not being any connection between it andGotham Knights. This is also unsurprising since the combat in both still looks like it bears similarities in combat and general open-world gameplay, withGotham Knights’ idiosyncrasies relating to its individual, unique characters.
Reactions determined that gameplay looked stiff with clunky animations that were not as smooth as those from, say,Batman: Arkham Knight, which was released seven years ago. The concern here is thatGotham Knightsis being advertised as a next-gen exclusive titlewhile looking less impressive thanBatman: Arkham Knight; further, fans are unsatisfied withGotham Knights’ action-RPG features and are worried that it will not have time to make improvements to it in the little under five months it has before it releases.
Comparisons to another series or title entirely seem relatively unfounded and unfair, especially sinceGotham Knightsis its own canon and game. It is fair, however, that fans want it to look and play as optimally as possible, and it is clear from comparisons thatGotham Knightscurrently lacks the polish that it sorely needs as a next-gen exclusive title.
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Gotham Knights Has Time to Make Necessary Changes
Of course, five months may be more than enough time to make such changes, and any fans who are quick to be deflated by its present visuals may be surprised in the next few months by how much it can improve. Regardless, ifGotham Knightshopes to improve its goodwill with fans, it needs to be as openly transparent with its audience as possible in the months prior to launch.
Gotham Knightswas inadvertently insensitive in its backstory for Barbara Gordon, and fans were quick to address this when it was noticed last week. Since then, the developer has responded apologetically and rectified this mistake. WB Games Montreal also hosted a developer Q&A recently on Discord, where it answered any questions it was able to. These small steps demonstrate that WB Games Montreal will hopefully be transparent and candid throughout the remainder of its development and well into its post-launch content.
There is always the chance that these visual and performance changes could be made after release, but of course, fans would prefer to haveGotham Knightsbe at an optimal quality when it releases. Players should not have to wait until a post-launch patch for it to meet that standard, but that might be the reality of things ifGotham Knightscannot show that it will in fact meet that standard in October. Rather, there is another opportunity in the near future thatGotham Knightshas to quell lingering concerns and demonstrate that it is truly listening to feedback from interested fans.
Gotham Knights Still Has The Opportunity to Turn Heads at Summer Game Fest
Thankfully,Geoff Keighley’s hotly anticipated Summer Game Festis right around the corner in under a week.Gotham Knightshas already been confirmed to appear at Summer Game Fest, where it has already shared an updated key art visual.
Here,Gotham Knightsis set to present a “world premiere new look and reveal,” which can only mean a couple of things based on the fact that pre-rendered cinematics and gameplay have already been shown. With any luck,Gotham Knightswill have gameplay to share at Summer Game Festthat looks far superior to what was shown in its latest walkthrough, which would determine that WB Games Montreal does have what it takes to make integral improvements in a short period of time.
IfGotham Knightscan put forth a stellar presentation at Summer Game Fest with improvements made over its Nightwing and Red Hood walkthrough, it would earn WB Games Montreal a ton of goodwill leading into the next few months. It would no longer be a question of ifGotham Knightswill be up to the desired standard when it releases, but a mission statement declaring that the next several months will be going toward polishingGotham Knightsand making sure it exceeds expectations.
ButifGotham Knightslooks as underwhelming to fans as it didin its latest walkthrough demonstration, there may be little to encourage fans that it will be of better quality in October. There is a lot that rides on whatGotham Knightshas to show next week, and it may solidify fans' opinions for the next while if it does not promise a quality that is worthy of next-gen exclusivity.
Gotham Knightsreleases October 25 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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