WB Games Montreal recently announced an earlier release date for Gotham Knights alongside an Official Villains Trailer that debuted during the Gamescom 2022 live stream. The new Gotham Knights trailer gave players a good look at which villains they will be up against, with the main antagonists revealed to be the mysterious Court of Owls, Clayface, and Harley Quinn.
The super villain's involvement in Gotham Knights seems quite unique when compared to recent portrayals. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League paints Harley Quinn in a bit of a different light, imagining her as an antihero and playable protagonist. That concept is similar to Harley's portrayal in other mediums as well, more specifically in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad and the HBO Max TV show Harley Quinn. While the Gotham Knight's version of Harley Quinn is incredibly interesting, she is lacking something vital.
Haley Quinn is Missing A Piece of Herself
This version of Harley has already sparked discussion over the decision to return the Joker's ex-girlfriend to her more villainous roots. In this storyline, she's not simply a hench woman or a side character whereas, in the past, she's often been just that. In Rocksteady's Arkham games, it wouldn't be uncommon to see the Joker or Batman himself writing Harley off as a nonthreatening joke. When Harley received her own DLC in Arkham City, players got two more hours of content, but still didn't actually get to fight the villain.
However, in Gotham Knights, Harley Quinn is ruling large portions of the criminal underworld. Her genius intellect, along with her unpredictability, is being properly introduced to the game. When it was announced that Harley would be receiving a boss fight, many fans were excited to see that she was being taken to the next level. In some iterations of the character, the psychiatrist hasn't been able to go toe to toe with members of the Bat Family, but this version of her can and will.
Unfortunately, in the gameplay footage of the boss fight against Harley Quinn, it feels as if WB Games Montreal missed its chance to feature what should have been a more chaotic fight. There is a lot of focus on Harley's hammer, along with her fluidity in which she's able to dodge attacks. In the video, the vigilante fighting her is Nightwing, and sadly, it is a bit difficult to tell the two skill sets apart since they're both incorporating gymnastics fluidly into combat. While Harley being flexible isn't an issue exactly, Nightwing's acrobatic past and expertise should be levels beyond hers, and seeing the two portrayed similarly could be upsetting for some.
The fight overall feels very safe and a bit generic without any real memorable moments. Harley's dialogue is not the most interesting, which again feels like missed potential as WB Games Montreal had a chance to deliver comedic and fun dialogue like what is seen in Spider-Man PS4, which recently received a PC release.
For Gotham Knights players, it could have been really enjoyable to see Harley accompanied by her hyenas, Bud and Lou, or even flinging about explosives and traps reminiscent of the Joker. MultiVersus really had some fun playing with Harley's personality and what her kit should carry, with abilities such as 'Prank Shot,' 'Batter Up' and 'Confetti Grenade.'
While some of these methods could arguably to take away from the seriousness of Gotham Knights, such actions would actually be more in character for the psychotic villainess. In a darker realm, where Harley Quinn isn't fighting the MultiVersus version of LeBron James, it could be truly disturbing to see her laughing cheerfully whilst using a grenade launcher that also happens to be filled with confetti.
After all, this fight is eerily similar to Batgirl's DLC A Matter of Family, which acted as a prequel to Arkham Knight. This makes sense of course because WB Games Montreal also developed this title. However, seven years later, it would appear the company isn't going to do anything truly different with Harley's combat style.
When Gotham Knights releases near the end of October, perhaps interactions and fights with Harley Quinn will be more diverse and engaging. Having her as a real villain again is already compelling, and with the right story, the clown princess of Gotham might feel more like herself after launch.
Gotham Knights will be available on October 21 for PC, PS5, and Xbox X|S.
