Gotham Knights wrapped up its story with many threads still dangling, and the potential for Gotham Knights 2, from technical improvements to story expansions, is too big to ignore. From villains still roaming free to the Knights still being relatively new to being Gotham City's sole protectors, there are many elements from Gotham Knights that a sequel could pick up on and run with. The framerate caps and co-op limits that hounded the game's release could be removed and reworked, providing plenty of fodder for a truly fantastic sequel.
[Warning: the following article contains spoilers for Gotham Knights.]
A Gotham Knights sequel has plenty of story threads to pluck left over from the first game. The League of Shadows and Gotham Knights' Illuminati-like Court of Owls are still both at large, having escaped the first game without being dismantled. Players don't know how the Knights are viewed as Batman's successors, and a sequel could show more of Gotham City's reaction. But aside from story concerns, there are also several technical improvements, like better graphics, more detailed cutscenes, and seamless 4 player co-op that would make a Gotham Knights sequel shine.
The League Of Shadows And Court Of Owls Are Still Threats To The Gotham Knights
Gotham Knights ends without any of its major bad guys properly defeated. Though they started out as the main villains of the piece, the Court of Owls was quickly overshadowed by The League of Shadows, leading Gotham Knights to repeat Batman: Arkham's worst trope of having the poster villains swept under the rug in favor of a more recognizable foe. Their early exit does leave potential for the new Voice of the Court to play a major role in Gotham Knights 2, though, as in the end, neither group ended the game incarcerated. A sequel could show the Knights' continued efforts to disband both groups and conclude their arcs.
Gotham Knights Doesn't Show Much Of Gotham's Reaction To The Knights
Taking place in the immediate aftermath of Batman's death, Gotham Knights players may miss Batman, but the game doesn't give much insight into the public's reaction to losing their Dark Knight. Most of the populace is unaware that Batman is dead, thinking him missing and a chronologically later sequel could show more of the public's reaction to Batman's death. The presence of civilians in Gotham Knights was touted, but not much was done with them, nor seemingly did they react to Batman's death.
The Gotham Knights Have Yet To Encounter A Majority of Batman's Villains
Aside from the Court of Owls and League of Shadows, the only villains that appear in the base version of Gotham Knights are Mister Freeze returned to his life of crime, Harley Quinn who starts as an uneasy ally, Penguin who isn't even a villain, and an amnesiac Clayface. There are still dozens of villains from Batman's Rogues Gallery that the Knights could face off against. Seeing Joker return to Gotham to cause chaos without Batman to stop him would be an interesting story. Aside from the Joker, there are also no sightings of Two-Face, Scarecrow, Riddler, Poison Ivy, or Catwoman in the game, meaning that a sequel still has its pick of high-profile villains.
More Of The Knights Are A Must For A Gotham Knights Sequel
The game features four playable heroes, yet Gotham Knights only has two-player co-op. A four-player mode is slated for release soon, but in free roam players are only limited to having one other friend them in their nightly patrols. Having the ability to have all four Knights in Gotham at the same time would do wonders for immersion and fun, making the group feel like more of a team.
Whether players choose to patrol different sections of the city at once or all come together to take on a bigger challenge, having all four Knights together during free roam is a logical next step for the series, making up for Gotham Knights' weirdest co-op choice. Having more than one Knight per story cutscene outside the Belfry would also increase the verisimilitude of the experience and make the game feel like all the Knights were working together out in the field rather than one Knight tackling one issue at a time.
Technical Improvements Would Make Gotham Knights 2 Shine
Much has been discussed about Gotham Knights' technical specifications on console platforms. Specifically, its limiting to 30 frames per second on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. With a sequel, the technical aspects could be improved upon and finally bring full 60 fps to consoles, as well as improving on various other technical problems that have plagued the game since its launch. Not only that, but in-game systems could also be improved. Streamlining the Transmog and crafting systems in the game to be more player-friendly and adding more instruction on the mod-chips would do wonders for player understanding of these key systems.
Gotham Knights laid the foundation for what could be a very successful and well-loved series. Gotham Knights isn't just a Batman: Arkham sequel. By combining the rich lore of the Batman mythos with tight gameplay, open-world drop-in drop-out co-op, and an open-ended narrative, it has all it needs to make a sequel worthy of standing in the shadow of the original, much as the Knights themselves are proving themselves worthy of being Batman's successors. By tackling the issues listed above, a Gotham Knights sequel could very well be Game of the Year material.
Source: DC/YouTube
