Shortly before the release of Gotham Knights Developer Warner Bros. Games Montréal announced that there will be no performance mode and that the game will be limited to 30 FPS on the PS5.
This caused a great deal of negative feedback, as 60 FPS has become almost standard for every major game in the current console generation. Almost all of Sony's exclusive titles, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Elden Ring etc. offer such a performance mode. This was then hotly debated, but I want to tell you: it's all relatively irrelevant, because even at 60 FPS, the many problems of Gotham Knights don't diminish.
Gotham Knights forgets what Arkham did well.
On paper, we have here some of the elements that made the Arkham series some of the best superhero games. The city of Gotham, without which Batman cannot exist, returns, along with an interesting combat system and many familiar faces from the Batman universe. So where's the problem? Let's try to explain.
Gotham
It starts with the look. Between Rocksteady's Arkham Knight and Gotham Knights There is a clear visual difference with the Warner Bros. version. The fact that Gotham used to look more atmospheric is immediately noticeable when you watch it again. Arkham Knight anschaut. Gotham Knights In contrast, the background is completely lifeless. At least the 4K textures and reflections look great, but the performance suffers as a result. But one thing at a time.
Rocksteady's Gotham and even that from Arkham OriginsDeveloped by Warner Montreal, the game shone with its fantastic atmosphere and detailed game world. Around every corner, there was a new challenge from the Riddler to complete or a secret to uncover. A highlight were the side quests, such as that of the serial killer Zsasz, who calls various phones around the city and commits murders.
There are indeed "side missions" in Gotham KnightsBut these mostly consist of simple and repetitive fights. The witty dialogues between the crooks when they get scared or simply chat about events in the game are almost entirely gone.
What remains is a significantly emptier open world where there isn't much to do. And what little there is, becomes repetitive after just a few hours.
The combat system
The side quests are uninspired "hit-the-wall" missions. But is the hitting at least fun? Yes and no.
While the combat system is similar to the Free Flow system of the Arkham series, it does a few things differently – or not at all. For example, you can no longer counter. You only have a dodge roll, which is somewhat imprecise. It simply doesn't offer the same rewarding feeling as countering an attack at the last moment and turning it against the enemy. Whereas in the Arkham games, it's all the more fun when multiple enemies attack, as you can counter several attacks simultaneously, in this game... Gotham Knights This makes it all the more boring, as you sometimes have to slide across the floor five times in a row to dodge one attack after another.
Combat quickly devolves into a mindless button-mashing exercise, alternating between attacking and dodging. While you can execute a precise dodge with perfect timing and follow up with a more powerful attack, it feels forced and rarely worked for me. The subsequent animation is also almost always the same. A real shame.
A combo meter for successful winning streaks has been replaced by "Momentum". This works similarly to... Assassin's Creed ValhallaWhen you hit an enemy, a small bar charges up. Once it's full, you can unleash a pre-made special attack. The attacks look cool and deal decent damage, but they're extremely simplistic from a gameplay perspective. They also disrupt the flow of the game rather than continuing and rewarding it.
the story
Here, I have exceptionally little to criticize, except for the fact that Batman newcomers might lack the background knowledge to understand who all the characters are. Because the backstories are rather superficial. Gotham Knights It doesn't really last long. At least the four playable heroes have their individual quests that reveal a little more about them.
progression
Okay, Gotham Knights It has no in-game shop, no XP boosters, no paid skins or weapons. Was that ever planned differently during the five-year development period? It certainly seems that way.
The crafting of equipment and weapons feels very tacked on and is not an organic part of the game world. Weapons differ only minimally in appearance and are always just slightly stronger or have bonuses.
Then there's the Knighthood system. This is essentially a separate skill tree that truly transforms you into a Gotham Knight. For example, this skill tree unlocks Batgirl's gliding ability, which should really be part of the standard arsenal. The ultimate ability, which deals massive damage, is also locked behind the Knighthood system. And how do you unlock these things? By grinding through the tedious open world. Unfortunately, you don't get them at convenient points in the story. If you enjoy the open world and the combat system, you won't have a hard time unlocking them. Personally, I found it annoying.
How cool would it have been if they had to find old Batman parts and turn them into new gadgets? Instead, the current system reeks of live service, even though it isn't. It's as if someone pulled the plug during development when they saw what was going on with... Avengers, Anthem and Breakpoint has happened.
Performance
Okay, let's address the elephant in the room just before we finish: the performance issue. Yes, only 30 FPS. Within the linear story missions, this is maintained almost continuously and doesn't detract from the enjoyment, but it's a different story in the open world. When moving quickly through the city on the Batbike or with the grappling hook, you'll notice frequent slowdowns, and the frame rate can't quite keep up.
If you look at the world from Arkham Knight If you're comparing it, then I don't understand where that's supposed to come from, because the performance was significantly better and the world much more detailed (at least on consoles). Sure, back then there probably weren't any 4K textures, but a lot has changed in terms of optimization since then.
Warner Montreal's second argument: the co-op mode. While it does reduce performance, why should single-player players suffer? I played alone most of the time because I enjoy single-player (yes, I have friends, honestly!), and yet I still had to do it at 30 FPS. Why not implement a performance mode for offline players, of which there will certainly be a number, since the Arkham games have never had co-op before?
As a consumer who's used to better from the competition, I find it disappointing. If the game were otherwise top-notch, no problem. But as it is, it's just another item on the long, long list.
Gotham Knights 2?
The problems of Gotham Knights I've worked this out, and hopefully it makes sense to everyone. If you see things differently, that's perfectly fine. I don't want to spoil anyone's fun, but simply offer a different perspective on the game.
Nevertheless, I'd be happy with a sequel. Yes, it sounds strange, but I think if they draw the right conclusions from the first game—for example, by bringing back counters, making the progression more organic, and filling the world with more interesting content—then it could be really good. The story definitely has a lot of potential for more. But 60 FPS wouldn't hurt either.
For the sake of completeness, AC Valhala does have a 60fps mode, but this suffers from extreme tearing in large cities (England) or large crowds (France DLC).
Only the Dawn of Ragnarok DLC runs smoothly. Origins and Odyssey look better or have larger game worlds and don't have these problems. It's best to use a PS4 version to get 60fps. Unfortunately, this version is locked.
According to Digital Foundry, the CPU is the bottleneck. What's strange is that Arkham Knight ran on Jaguar CPUs that were already outdated at release. I think it's the developers' fault. The 30fps is bothering me; sorry, I just can't stand it. It's also odd that PSN promotional material for Plague Tale 2 is available at 60fps, but the game itself only runs at 30fps. That's a real rip-off.