Gotham Knights has such huge shoes to fill that it’s easy to think it’s an impossible feat. Batman has had a decorated gaming resume in recent years that’s just too hard to ignore, ranging from family-oriented Lego titles for the adult themes covered in the Arkham series. The Caped Crusader is nowhere to be seen in WB Montreal’s latest project, as the family that often surrounds it takes center stage this time around. The absence of Batman is certainly palpable, but taking advantage of Gotham City’s rich history and some of its unique quirks can make the game feel like a fully justified experience.
One of the staples of any great Batman story is a villain of nearly equal size. Bruce Wayne has no shortage of opponents as Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman have been an eyesore for decades. One of the newer additions to its rogue gallery – and the leading enemy in Gotham Knights – is the elusive Court of Owls, which makes its debut in the New 52 series and quickly becomes one of the best evil entities in Batman history. To really make them stand out in a video game space that has no shortage of great villains, Gotham Knights will have to look for some unorthodox places for inspiration. Final Fantasy 7 should be such an example, as the Shinra Electric Power Company bears strong similarities.
Shinra and Court of Owls are two sides of a coin
Lovingly recreated in the remake and initially made before 1997 Final Fantasy 7, Shinra are the biggest threat in Midgar, the game’s opening city. Shinra disguises his evil deeds as a sincere business, depleting the planet of its life force while supplying mako energy to power the inhabitants of Midgar, albeit at an expensive price. Barret and his crew of Avalanche eco-terrorists do everything they can to bring the company to its knees, but the firm hold it has on the city seems too much to overcome. The desperate battle between the two had catastrophic consequences for the area, setting much of the mature tone of the game throughout.
The Court of Owls is much more likely to work in the shadows, directly affecting Gotham City’s structures to work in its favor. Rarely does the Court get its hands dirty and instead deploy Talons – deadly assassins that are centuries old – to take out the trash. It’s not overt in its posts and doesn’t want to be known to the public, making it far more dangerous than most of the other more established groups in DC Comics like the League of Assassins, ARGUS, and Sinestro Corps.
Which malicious companies offer video games
As Shinra proved Final Fantasy‘s now beloved seventh entry, having an all-seeing villain to amplify the protagonists’ underdog narrative can be such a compelling narrative thread. Batman and his accompanying sidekicks have often won against overwhelming odds, but the Court of Owls’ vast, far-reaching influence means the bat family won’t be able to control the threats they face this time around. The Court of Owls proves that knowledge is power and that brute force is not the only means to get the best out of Batman. Shinra are pretty much the same, just like Umbrella Corporation in Resident Evil or Hyperion in border areas.
In front of Gotham Knights to learn from Final Fantasy 7 and the 2020 remake would be wise not only because Shinra has become one of the most threatening presences in gaming, but also because it is ripe for internal divisions and disagreements. The Court of Owls is made up of Gotham’s elite, and rarely do such important organizations agree on all issues. Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl and Robin have their story with the secret criminal society, but there’s still a lot of potential for narrative threads to unfold within the Court itself. There are enough scenes in it Final Fantasy 7 that target Shinra’s employees and higher education and the internal struggles of the company, and Gotham Knights should do the same, making sure the Court of Owls it presents doesn’t feel one-dimensional.
Gotham Knights launches October 21, 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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