The four playable Gotham Knights characters arrive in the city at a time when Batman is dead, and Gotham needs new heroes. In the wake of his demise, this team of extended Bat-family members have rallied together to protect Gotham City in this open-world game. The four playable characters that make up the family are Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood, and they’re tasked with saving the city from a wave of new crime.
Before you begin, it’s worth delving into each of the Gotham Knights characters, including their unique playstyle and abilities as well as their chosen weaponry. And, according to an exclusive behind-the-scenes look, community manager Pauline Zampolini says, “The team put a lot of effort into making every character really special with emotional ways to react to situations. Every character has its own path.” Let’s take a look at what that means.
Batgirl – Barbara Gordon
“Gotham City still has a Bat, and she’s going to make sure everyone knows it.” Daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, is a popular character in the DC Universe with a lot of backstories. As part of Gotham Knights canon, the storyline of Batgirl’s spinal injury from the comic books has been taken onboard. Barbara became confined to a wheelchair and became Oracle, a computer expert with skills in hacking and coding. In Gotham Knights, it seems we play as a healthy Barbara, complete with an arsenal of gadgets that would make Batman jealous.
When it comes to Batgirl’s skillset, she’s highly trained in a variety of fighting styles, such as kickboxing, capoeira, and jiu-jitsu. So, not only is she back from near paralysis, but she’s back with an arsenal of self-defence moves.
Batgirl’s signature weapon in Gotham Knights is a tonfa – also known more commonly as a T-baton. The tonfa is a melee weapon best known for its use in Okinawan martial arts but in the game, it’s not just a baton. During Batgirl’s character trailer, the tonfa can also be seen turning into a set of nunchucks as well as a grappling hook device for mobility.
Robin – Tim Drake
The youngest, lightest, and stealthiest of the Knights, Tim Drake is the third version of Robin. During the events of the comics, Drake was reluctantly accepted as Jason Todd’s replacement on a trial basis after saving Batman and Nightwing from Two-Face, though Batman feared that Drake was motivated by anger. After convincing Batman that it’s the desire to do what’s right that drives him, as well as saving Batman and Vicki Vale from the Scarecrow, Batman bestows the title of Robin on Drake.
We know Robin to be Batman’s sidekick, but without Batman in Gotham Knights, it’s this DC Universe character’s time to shine and he’ll do so with a family around him. According to the developer, Robin possesses “a background in combined psychological warfare and behavioural sciences” that come into play when completing missions.
In Robin’s character trailer, he can be seen armed with a collapsible quarterstaff, showing off his expert fighting, and practising his skills in the art of stealth. He can also be seen exploring the use of teleportation tech from the Justice League satellite, which he figures out he can harness to zap himself forward short distances whilst fighting.
Nightwing – Dick Grayson
As the first Robin, Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson was adopted by Bruce Wayne after his parents were killed in a tragic accident in the circus. After many years of accompanying Batman as the Boy Wonder, he grew up and left the Wayne family estate, becoming Nightwing in an effort to assert his independence. In the comics, Grayson has donned Batman’s cowl multiple times whenever Bruce has been unable to do so, mostly due to his apparent death. Curiously, he doesn’t do so here.
Described as the most charismatic of the Knights by the team, as well as being angular, agile, and sharp. Because he grew up as part of a circus family, his abilities include a mastery of acrobatics, which we see in Nightwing’s character trailer, using flips to evade and take down enemies one by one. When it comes to Nightwing’s signature weapon, he has dual escrima sticks attached to his back at all times. He can also fire wrist darts giving him a ranged attack as well as melee expertise.
Red Hood – Jason Todd
Red Hood was originally one of the original aliases for The Joker, although in more recent times, the crimson mask is worn by a man named Jason Todd, and it’s Todd’s version of Red Hood that will feature in Gotham Knights. Thought to have been killed off by The Joker, Todd returned years later, donning the mantle of Red Hood, now an antihero. Unlike the rest of the playable characters, Red Hood is more willing to use lethal force and weapons to get the job done.
According to WB, Red Hood is “proficient in multiple combat techniques with all manner of weapons – both traditional and high-tech.” For this, in Red Hood’s character trailer, we see him wielding dual pistols to gun down enemies with non-lethal rounds, as well as attaching grenades to enemies that blow up once he fires at them with accuracy.
As far as characters go, Warner Bros hope that players will find a character they resonate with the most, but each one is playable in their own right. They also have a selection of Gotham Knights styles, each taking inspiration from their outfits over the years and costumes from other DC comics. We also have tips on how to fuse rare mods, as well locations for Batarangs, street art, and landmark plaques, which make up some of the more desirable collectibles in the game. Finally, to speed through the Gotham Knights main story, you can unlock Gotham Knights fast travel to zip across the city in no time.