Gotham Knightsreleases in less than a few weeks, and its marketing has been superb for the past few months. Myriad coverage has shared new looks at Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood asGotham Knights’ four playable protagonists. Likewise,Gotham Knightsrecently revealed that Harley Quinn and Clayface will accompany Mr. Freeze as supervillain antagonists. Its multiple special editions have been detailed with pre-orders available, andGotham Knights’ latest announcement revealed high-end PC featuresthat players can enjoy.AsGotham Knightshastily approaches, it may be in some fans’ interest to take a nostalgic look back at itsBatmangame predecessors.
Gotham Knightsis an original IP with distinct RPG features, but there are a few seminalBatmangames that players should be introduced to or revisit in the meantime.Gotham Knightswould likely not exist if it were not for theBatmangames that came before it, particularly theBatmangames that feature Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood as playable characters.
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Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003)
One cannot discuss the Bat Family’s importance in games without puttingBatman: Rise of Sin Tzuon its proper pedestal.Batman: Rise of Sin Tzuis a co-op beat-’em-upadapted fromThe New Batman Adventures’ animated series, featuring Batman, Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl as playable characters. Each character is playable from the beginning, meaning that players can choose the dynamic duos they want, or a lone character if in single-player. Batman and Nightwing are comparable as a larger pair while Robin and Batgirl are comparable as a smaller pair, which has an effect on attacks, animations, and frame data.
For example, Batgirl’s throw from a grab sweeps enemies in a tight AoE, but is a longer animation that could consume precious seconds. This is important to consider, since each level is on a timer that will fail the player once expired. Regardless of which character players pick,Batman: Rise of Sin Tzuis a fantastic beat-’em-up with the Bat Family and a wonderful celebration of the DC Animated Universe.
Batman: Arkham City (2011)
Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse is mainly celebrated for its depiction of Batman and his rogues’ gallery of supervillains, but while Batman is inarguably the Arkhamverse tetralogy’s focal point, a couple of its installments also wonderfully portray the Bat Family. For example,Batman: Arkham Cityintroduces a grittier Boy Wonder in Tim Drake’s Robin. This Robin is perpetually hooded, dons armor similar to Batman’s own suit, and wields unique gadgets and a retractable bo staff.
Robin appears briefly as an NPC inBatman: Arkham City’s main narrative, but is featured as a playable character in the Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC. Further, Robin is playable inBatman: Arkham City’s challenge modes, dubbed Riddler’s Revenge. Interestingly, it is in these Riddler’s Revenge challenge packs that Nightwing is also playable. Nightwing has no voice lines, but does have his own animations and Escrima stick abilities, making him a well-rounded addition toBatman: Arkham City’s playable characters.
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)
Batman: Arkham Knightconcludes Rocksteady’sBatmantrilogy, and as such it throws in the kitchen sink in terms of content.Batman: Arkham Knight’s AR challenges present an abundance of comprehensive combat and predator encounters for players to complete, and in them every playable character is available. This includes Batman, Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman, Azrael, Harley Quinn, and Red Hood—followingthe Arkham Knight’s reveal as Jason Todd. Perhaps the most exciting among these additions are Batgirl and Red Hood, who are exclusively playable in this game.
Each Bat Family character also has an individual Arkham Episode story mission, with Batgirl’s being the most substantial as a prequel tale toBatman: Arkham Asylum. Being able to play as each ofGotham Knights’ playable characters is fantastic, and playing as themBatman: Arkham Knightmay be a great way to get excited for WB Games Montreal’s new DC IP.
Gotham Knightsis scheduled to release on July 19, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
