As a multiplayer superhero title with a loot system, Gotham Knights and Marvel's Avengers.
Released back in September 2020, Marvel's Avengers lets players embody Earth's Mightiest Heroes through both a single-player story campaign and a multiplayer endgame dubbed the Avenger's Initiative. While the game's story was praised upon release, the live-service superhero experience has received abundant criticism thanks to rampant technical issues, ever-present microtransactions and a distinct lack of meaningful content. Since release developer Crystal Dynamics has worked to improve Marvel's Avengers through free updates, though the last real piece of new content was released way back in November 2021. While Crystal Dynamics has promised new content in the form of Jane Foster Thor, many fans believe that the end of Marvel's Avengers is fast approaching.
On its surface, Gotham Knights seems to share many of the staple features and unfortunate quirks found in Marvel's Avengers. The game's combat system looks quite clunky, for example, which has drawn many comparisons to the similarly floaty and disconnected combat found in Crystal Dynamics' Marvel misstep. Gotham Knights is also set to feature a loot system, with players building and upgrade each hero's gear using blueprints and resources earned by completing tasks across Gotham. A similar feature in Marvel's Avengers, where players collect character-specific loot and use currency to upgrade it, earned endless criticism from fans for forcing them to grind. Letting players control multiple unique superheroes is also a major aspect of both projects, and Gotham Knights' 2-player co-op is reminiscent of Marvel's Avengers' focus on four-player multiplayer content in its endgame.
Gotham Knights Can Still Sur Marvel's Avengers
Despite these similarities, Gotham Knights can still sur Marvel's Avengers and become as beloved as its Batman: Arkham predecessors. While Crystal Dynamics' venture into the superhero genre has players repeatedly revisit the same handful of maps, WB Games Montreal has created a fully open-world rendition of Gotham to explore. Gotham Knights will include side missions and optional objectives, creating a living world unlike the one in Marvel's Avengers. The DC Comics game will also be free of microtransactions, with players earning cosmetics through gameplay. This stands in sharp contrast to the real-world money needed to acquire Marvel's Avengers skins and cosmetics, which has frustrated players since launch.
All told, there are both clear similarities and blatant differences between Gotham Knights and Marvel's Avengers. Both are superhero games that emphasize multiplayer gameplay, feature multiple playable characters, involve loot-based gear upgrades and contain similar combat. The latest Gotham Knights gameplay trailer seemed to show off some clunky combat, too, which has fans worried that they will face another Marvel's Avengers situation upon release. However, only time will tell whether the open-world DC adventure suffers from the same issues as its mission-based Marvel counterpart.
