Highlights
- One character in Gotham Knights, Red Hood, stands out as being better suited for a solo game rather than a collaboration with the Bat Family.
- The game failed to fully utilize the potential of a Bat Family crossover, and the mechanics made it difficult to appreciate playing as all four characters.
- A Red Hood game could better showcase his unique combat abilities and morally ambiguous nature, potentially resembling a game like Devil May Cry.
One of the protagonists of Gotham Knights may be more suited for their own solo game rather than a Bat Family collaboration. Gotham Knights did collect several of Batman's most well-known apprentices for a single game, though it can be argued that they weren't used to their full potential. In particular, one member sticks out for not being a great fit with the rest of the game's dynamic. However, the issues raised by this could likely be rectified with a solo game rather than another team effort. At the very least, they deserve another chance outside of Gotham Knights.
The story starting with Batman's death in Gotham Knights was a guaranteed way to draw attention, as well as bring the four playable characters together. The ability to play as Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood throughout the game was its main selling point, and to be fair, a big Bat Family crossover is an idea that has been underused thus far in gaming. Still, the game itself failed to deliver on the full potential of this promise, with the mechanics being a bit too unwieldy to really appreciate having all four characters playable. Now, they have enough exposure to try again in the future, though one character deserves their own time in the spotlight.
Red Hood Could Do Better on His Own Than in Gotham Knights
Among the playable Bat Family members, Gotham Knights' take on Red Hood feels the most out of place. He's easily the most morally ambiguous member of the group, with his earlier appearances in comics edging into outright villainy before he settled down into an anti-hero role. Sharing Bruce's talents for fighting and detective work, Jason is far more vicious as a combatant and willing to kill in order to fight crime, and he can even work on both sides of the law due to his vigilante nature. Time around other Bat Family affiliates has tamed him somewhat, but he's still the roughest and most aggressive of Batman's apprentices.
Of all the decisions made for the game, the nonlethal version of Red Hood in Gotham Knights is one that sticks out. Jason will refrain from lethal tactics in certain situations, and yet his willingness to go that far is one of the main points of tension between him and Bruce. A shooter starring Red Hood could do a better job of showing what sets him apart from the rest of the Bat Family. Besides Gotham Knights having adequate combat, a standalone Red Hood game could focus on his own style rather than making him share a combat system with three characters whose fighting styles differ from his.
A Red Hood game could be a shooter with beat-'em-up elements that embody Red Hood's combat abilities in all of their forms. Jason's a master with firearms and he can also dispatch his foes with his fists, his sword, or any weapon within arm's reach. After all, he was trained by one of DC's greatest martial artists. Because of these skills, the game could be set up in a way that rewards players for high combos and skillful maneuvers in dispatching enemies. In essence, a more fitting game revolving around Red Hood may look more like Devil May Cry than Gotham Knights.
Red Hood has more potential in the gaming sphere than he got to show in Gotham Knights. Plus, even though Red Hood's appearance in Injustice 2 was a good start when it comes to showing off what he can do, a full game to himself could let Jason truly show what he's all about. The detective aspect of Red Hood shouldn't be abandoned since his status as a deadly gunslinger is vital to his identity, and his next video game appearance should make that clear. Red Hood has a lot to offer beyond his role in Gotham Knights, and a solo game could prove that.
Gotham Knights is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.