Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: Beat the campaign
In August 11’s weekend guide, I said I was having “a great time” with Marvel’s Avengers, Crystal Dynamics’ attempt at a GaaS (games-as-a-service) superhero action-RPG. Well, that fun has largely dissipated thanks to combat that feels fine but lacks punch and a narrative filled with samey quests. I still want a superhero action-RPG to play before Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 drops on October 20, so I’ve decided to go back to WB Games Montréal’s Gotham Knights.
I’ve talked a lot of shit about Gotham Knights since it came out on October 21, 2022. I’ve called it “mid” across a few different posts on Kotaku Dot Com, and while I still believe that it is middling at best, Gotham Knights certainly hits a much better chord than Marvel’s Avengers.
The two games are functionally identical: Pick a hero, load up into the world, traipse from one moshpit to the next, collect loot to make the number go up, rinse and repeat until the credits roll. The main difference is that Gotham Knights has oomph behind its combat. It’s floatier than any of the Batman Arkham games, sure, but punching a bad guy in the face has satisfying audio and visual feedback, something I was sorely missing in Marvel’s Avengers.
When compared to WB Games Montréal’s superhero RPG, Gotham Knights‘ characters have a considerable weight that give the impression of heft as you pummel goons on Gotham’s dark streets. It too suffers from an uninspired open-world design in which quests are largely the same, but Gotham Knights just feels way better to play than Marvel’s Avengers, and that’s what I’m looking for: something that feels good. And with my tanky Barbara “Batgirl” Gordon almost maxed out, the game feels great, so I’m stoked to finally beat the campaign. — Levi Winslow