When Gotham Knights landed on the scene, it didn’t arrive in a vacuum. It followed the Arkham trilogy, a series that didn’t just set the bar for superhero games but practically built the bar from scratch. Rocksteady’s shadow loomed large, and Warner Bros. Montreal, the team behind Arkham Origins, had a tough act to follow. But Gotham Knights wasn’t trying to be another Arkham clone. It aimed higher, or at least differently, with a co-op, RPG-driven spin on the Batman universe. Ambitious? Sure. Successful? Not even close. What we got was a game that teases potential but collapses under the weight of its own execution.

I snagged it on sale, expecting a diamond in the rough, something flawed but redeemable. Instead, I found a game that starts with a flicker of promise only to unravel into a frustrating, under baked mess. The deeper you dig, the more the cracks show, until you’re left wondering how a concept this solid could go so wrong.

The combat kicks off with a faint echo of Arkham’s fluidity, punches land, counters snap, and for a moment, you think it might hold up. Then reality sets in. Enemies are damage sponges, soaking up hits like they’re auditioning for a survival horror game. Fights drag on, not because they’re challenging, but because they’re tedious. Your attacks, meanwhile, feel like they’re swinging through molasses—inputs lag, animations stutter, and the dodge mechanic might as well be a coin toss. Half the time, it doesn’t register, leaving you eating damage you swore you avoided.

The enemy AI doesn’t help. It’s painfully predictable, cycling through the same handful of patterns with all the creativity of a broken clock. They don’t adapt, they don’t flank, they just stand there, waiting to be punched. It’s not a test of skill; it’s a test of patience. Combat doesn’t build momentum, it grinds to a halt, turning every encounter into a slog you’d rather skip.

On paper, the story has legs: Batman’s gone, and his protégés (Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Robin) have to fill the void. It’s a setup ripe for emotional stakes and gritty drama. Instead, Gotham Knights takes a hard left into quirky territory. Characters crack one-liners at moments that demand weight, undercutting any sense of loss or urgency. Nightwing’s charm feels forced, Batgirl’s resolve gets buried under banter, and the whole crew comes off more like sitcom roommates than grieving heroes.

The plot doesn’t fare much better. Twists are telegraphed so far in advance you could call them from the tutorial, and the pacing stumbles between drawn-out sidequests and a rushed climax. It’s not terrible—it’s just forgettable, a narrative that coasts when it should soar. For a game about legacy, it leaves none of its own.

The RPG elements, gear upgrades, skill trees, and loot drops are billed as the game’s backbone, but they’re more like a ball and chain. Progression is a slog, demanding you grind through copy-paste missions for scraps of gear that barely move the needle. A new suit might bump your stats by 2%, but you won’t feel it in combat. Skill unlocks promise variety, yet most boil down to marginal buffs or recycled moves. It’s a system that asks for your time without earning it, turning a potentially rewarding loop into busywork that wears thin fast.

Gotham Knights isn’t just bad, it’s disappointing. It’s a game that flashes glimpses of brilliance: a co-op superhero RPG with a unique roster and a fresh take on Gotham. But those glimpses drown in a sea of clunky mechanics, technical failures, and design choices that never fully commit. It’s not the ambition that’s the problem; it’s the execution or lack thereof. This could’ve been a bold step forward for the genre. Instead, it’s a stumble, a cautionary tale about what happens when a good idea isn’t given the time or polish it deserves.

In a way, Gotham Knights mirrors the state of too many modern releases: big promises, bigger budgets, and a rush to market that leaves the cracks exposed. Even at a discount, it’s hard to recommend. Your time and Gotham deserve better.

Gotham Knights – A Bat-sized Disappointment

If Gotham Knights were a vigilante, its superpower would be making time feel longer.

As a long time HUGE fan of the Arkham games, I really wanted to like Gotham Knights. The devs previously made Akrham origins, an underrated game, and I had some high hopes. The idea of stepping into the boots of Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Robin after Batman’s death had so much potential. But unfortunately, the execution is as clunky as Red Hood’s dialogue.

The combat – arguably the most important part of any superhero game – feels sluggish and repetitive. It lacks the satisfying flow of the Arkham series and replaces it with floaty hits and awkward animations. The enemies? Oh, they’re durable alright – not because they’re tough, but because the devs thought “Hmm, what if every common thug could take 47 punches to the face and still monologue?”

The story, which should’ve been the emotional anchor of the game, is painfully predictable and underwhelming. It’s filled with uninspired dialogue and wooden performances that make even the most dramatic moments fall flat. The Court of Owls storyline, which could've been dark and gripping, is squandered in favor of generic mission design and shallow character development.

Oh, and multiplayer! Nothing says “teamwork” like waiting for your buddy to finish a slow-mo animation while you get curb-stomped by a dude in sweatpants.

And let’s talk about the open world: Gotham looks nice at first glance but quickly reveals itself to be lifeless and repetitive. Patrol missions are just recycled busywork, and the city never truly feels alive or dangerous.

If Gotham Knights were a vigilante, its superpower would be making time feel longer.

Overhated, I had/having a lot of fun with this!