Gotham Knights sets Batman aside and shines the spotlight on his sidekicks, but their definitively modern portrayals may leave some fans wanting more. The game's complex character customization system allows for a wide variety of armor and equipment combinations. From what's been shown so far, however, it may not include some of its protagonists' most iconic looks.
The four playable characters of Gotham Knights are Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), and Robin (Tim Drake). Each of these characters has a storied history in DC Comics and an array of appearances that they've taken on over the years. Between all of them, many of the most iconic styles belong to Nightwing, also known as Dick Grayson. Nightwing has sported numerous costumes, but his most famous - or most infamous - era saw him don a fantastic mullet. If Gotham Knights' character customization is worth its salt, it will allow players to fight crime and mourn the death of Bruce Wayne while wearing that classic hairdo and a costume to match.
Character customization has been a point of contention for Gotham Knights thus far, with its gear mechanics being compared to games like Marvel's Avengers due to its abundance of upgradeable gear whose power is measured by a host of vague numerical values. One upside of this system appears to be that each suit is substantially visually different from the others, providing players with a variety of options to embody their favorite heroes. Surprisingly, when Gotham Knights showed Nightwing in action, none of his suits bore his iconic mullet. If the classic styles of Nightwing and his adopted siblings are not implemented in some way, it will have been a huge missed opportunity.
The Bat Family's Iconic Styles Deserve To Appear In Gotham Knights
As a whole, Gotham Knights' suit designs appear to be more original rather than replicating existing costumes like the Arkham series did. This trend, along with the game's cosmetics being tied to mechanical values, puts limitations on players' abilities to fully immerse themselves in the characters they're playing. Having to grind in order for one's favorite suit to be viable, or a given suit having stats that don't match one's play style, or the suit not even existing in the game to begin with are problems that Gotham Knights could very well encounter. The problem with Gotham Knights' suit design is that portraying classic costume details such as Nightwing's hair have been supplanted by a gear system that is deceptively restrictive.
Compared to the systems in place in Gotham Knights, Batman: Arkham Knight had none of its problems. The game featured almost two dozen suits for the titular character, as well as alternate suits for Robin, Nightwing, and Catwoman. Any costume that wasn't from the series itself was a direct adaptation of a suit featured in another property, whether a comic, movie, or television series. In addition, none of these costumes had mechanical consequences; this allowed players to pick from a whole host of iconic costumes without worry.
Nightwing's long-haired looks were a staple of the character in the 90s, accompanying him not only in comics but in animated adaptations as well. Gotham Knights' Nightwing may be different from previous iterations, but there's nothing preventing WB Games from paying homage to his signature styles. There is no shortage of suits to draw from that could employ Nightwing's mullet, and original designs could even be employed, but neglecting to include it at least once would be a mistake. If Gotham Knights is as dedicated to customization and player choice as it claims to be, recognizing Nightwing's mullet and other trademark features would be an obvious step in the right direction.
