Gotham Knights features co-op in a Batman: Arkham-styled title for the first time, but one aspect from those games didn’t make it into the Bat-Family’s latest outing. All crooks big or small fear Batman and his proteges, but the lines players heard when they took on the role of The Dark Knight in the original Batman: Arkham trilogy became iconic. The enemies in Gotham Knights still shout to their accomplices whenever they see one of the game’s protagonists, but their voice lines don’t have the same punch as they did with the Caped Crusader.
There are many reasons why the Batman: Arkham games are must plays before going into Gotham Knights. One of those reasons is the series' dialogue. Whenever players revealed themselves in the Batman: Arkham titles they were greeted with hilarious voice lines from random henchmen. As seen in YouTube videos by R Lou and KBGameOver, some of the lines that stuck with players in particular were, “It's the Bat!” and, “It’s the freakin’ Bat!” These quotes would be heard frequently as Batman surprised numerous thugs wandering around Gotham. Unfortunately, these hysterical lines cannot be heard with Batman's absence in Gotham Knights.
Gotham Knights' Goons Aren't As Charismatic As Arkham's
The enemies in Gotham Knights still react when Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood confront them, but the lines they say are nowhere near as funny. In the comics, Batgirl is considered the scariest Bat-Family member at times, but Gotham Knights' Batgirl had the most to prove, so it's a shame this isn't something incorporated in the game's voice lines. The thugs are more to the point this time around, simply yelling, “It’s Robin!” or, “It’s Nightwing!” Although it may have gotten repetitive if each member of the Bat-Family had an “It’s the freakin’ Bat!” style remark, no inclusion of it at all is slightly disappointing for long-time fans of Batman games. After all, hearing something akin to “It’s the freakin’ Red Hood!” once in a while would’ve been a nice change of pace.
The original line was heard in 2011’s game-of-the-year-winning title, Batman: Arkham City, and was later brought into the series’ final installment Batman: Arkham Knight. The final title wasn't as highly regarded as Arkham City, but graphically some believe Batman: Arkham Knight looks better than Spider-Man Remastered. Unlike Spider-Man, the Batman universe is pretty gruesome, hearing witty banter between goons can be a nice way to lighten the mood. As shown by Rewskie M on YouTube, the funniest dialogue heard from henchmen isn’t even when Batman shows up, but when they’re left to discuss things on their own. Conversations like these could've been used in Gotham Knights to help immerse players in its world.
Batman is one of the most recognizable superheroes ever created, but he’s nothing without adversaries and goons to apprehend. Gotham Knights has its own fair share of villains and thugs to take down, but it does feel like something is missing dialogue-wise from the Batman: Arkham series. Hopefully, if WB Montréal does take another stab at a Batman game they’ll throw in voice lines that fans will remember. That is assuming Rocksteady won't do Batman again after Suicide Squad.
Source: R Lou/YouTube, KBGameOver/YouTube, Rewskie M/YouTube