Riddler’s challenges were a big part of the exploration in the Arkham games. Now that he doesn’t appear in Gotham Knights, who will take up his mantle?
Of Gotham Knights ushering in a new era away from Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse, some characters will necessarily be left in the past as the company moves on to new opponents for the titular knights. After Patrick Redding, creative director for Gotham Knights, confirmed during a fan Q&A that there would be “exactly one” question mark throughout the game, it appears that the Riddler is one of the villains not appearing in the game, along with Joker and (possibly) Harley Quinn. With Riddler’s trophies and puzzles as one of the pillars of the Batman: Arkham exploration mechanics of the series, it would make sense that another villain from the gallery of Batman’s villains would step in to fill the role of collectible distribution in Gotham.
Gotham Knights features Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl and Robin fighting to keep Gotham City safe after Batman’s death. It has already been confirmed that villains like Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, and the sinister Court of Owls are in the game, with more yet to be revealed. Since this Gotham is one of the biggest in a video game, it is paramount that there is more to find than criminals to fight so that players don’t tire of the game too quickly. While this was the Riddler’s territory in the… Batman: Arkham games, a new villain should take on the mantle given his absence.
Batman’s long list of adversaries includes a few that could take the Riddler’s method of leaving collectibles and challenges in Gotham for the Knights to clear up. These villains (like the aforementioned Court of Owls causing bigger trouble) would need the know-how to confuse the knights with devious challenges, the resources to place their duties in areas where an average citizen wouldn’t be able to stumble, and a flair for the dramatic to rival the Riddler to even appear on the already crowded radar of the Knights. Even with these limitations, several candidates are immediately apparent.
It’s no mystery to see Cluemaster succeed at the Riddler in Gotham Knights
Cluemaster, the supervillain alias of former presenter Arthur Brown, already bears more than a passing resemblance to the Riddler. Both focus on devious puzzles to confuse their enemies, and neither has superhuman abilities to give them an advantage. While Riddler focused on riddles to taunt Batman, Cluemaster’s taunts come in the form of game show quiz questions, which reference his previous career. These quiz bowl-esque clues would fit in Gotham Knights where the Riddler’s riddles previously confused Batman. There is also the possibility that Spoiler, an ally of the Bat family and daughter of Cluemaster, will appear while in the game, leading to possible banter between her and her ex, Gotham Knights Tim Drake aka Robin.
Mad Hatter can control the Gotham Knights Batty
Mad Hatter is already well established in the Arkhamverse and another version of the character may appear in Gotham Knights. Published in Arkham Origins, Arkham Cityand Arkham Knight, Jervis Tetch is already a seasoned pro when it comes to dealing with Batman. With his skill in neuroscience and hypnosis, Tetch could be a nasty foe if he decided to leave Wonderland-esque clues around town for the Gotham Knights find. These clues can be as simple as rhyming couplets pointing to a specific location to work out mind-blowing mazes that mirror some of the Riddler’s later trophy challenges in Arkham Knight. Given that his most recent appearance in Batman: Arkham Knight saw him send Batman in search of missing police officers, the jump to litter Gotham City with collectibles isn’t as long as it originally seems, even if Gotham Knights is not part of the Arkhamverse.
OMACs would put the Gotham Knights’ technology to the test
OMACs (stands for “Observational Metahuman Activity Construct” or “Omni Mind And Community”) are a race of nanotechnology-powered cyborgs created to collect data on all metahumans. Through the Brother Eye satellite, they are able to track, record and store superhuman activities in a database. The ability to see everywhere and everything at once, as well as their ability to activate OMAC sleepers in the general population, would make them a surprisingly suitable replacement for the Riddler in Gotham Knights.
Rather than the Arkham games’ job of tracking down informants to get information about Riddler challenge locations, finding OMAC sleepers could keep the Knights busy all night. Once found, these hidden collectibles could be files or information about other metahumans that are added to the Knights’ database. This would make the work of tracking down every hint more rewarding, as seeing the metahuman database build up is much more satisfying than simply solving a riddle and being done with it.
The Court of Owls is always watching the Gotham Knights
While their connection to Nightwing has yet to be seen, The Court of Owls has been confirmed as the main malevolent threat of Gotham Knights. The shadowy organization has ruled Gotham City from the shadows from the beginning, and they have their claws in every aspect of Gothamite’s life. With a reach in the city that extends far beyond what any enemy of the Bat family (even the Riddler) could ever have achieved, they are the ideal candidate for hiding clues and collectibles in places they have for that purpose in Gotham. built. Instead of finding striking green trophies scattered around Gotham, searching for the hidden owls in the architecture or signage could be a great follow-up to the Riddler’s games. Their secret assassins, the Talons (who have also been confirmed to be in the game) can perform similar functions to the Riddler Informants, in addition to real threats to the Knights.
Gotham Knights can improve the Riddler aspect of the games. Despite ostensibly being a side character, the Riddler and his challenges were a big part of the exploration in the Batman: Arkham titles. Its trophies and riddles propelled players to explore every nook and cranny of Arkham Asylum, City and Gotham as a whole. With only “exactly one” Riddler question mark in all Gotham Knights, someone new should take on the mantle of seeding Gotham City with an almost infinite amount of collectibles the knights can find. While Cluemaster would be the obvious first choice, arguments can be made for Mad Hatter, OMACs, and The Court of Owls themselves to take up the mantle and confuse and confuse players when Gotham Knights will be released this fall.
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