WB Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights, which finally launched on October 21, follows the adventures of Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin after Batman is killed. This bold move sets off an unpredictable plot that ultimately centers around two secret societies that want Gotham for themselves.
While the game’s middling reception and a plethora of performance issues might turn you off from picking the game up, Batman fans might still want to learn about its entertaining story. As such, here's a recap of what goes down in Gotham Knights and how it all comes to a head in its exciting ending.
Gotham Knights - Official Cinematic Launch Trailer
How does Batman die in Gotham Knights?
Gotham Knights kicks off by showing you exactly how Batman died. Ra’s Al Ghul ambushes Bruce Wayne in the Batcave, resulting in an entertaining brawl throughout Batman’s iconic base of operations. Batman sends out a call to his sidekicks, but none of them are close enough to help him in time. When it becomes clear that the only way to defeat Ra’s Al Ghul is by blowing up the Batcave, Batman does so and also kills himself in the process.
Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin arrive on the scene soon thereafter and find Bruce’s dead body. We then see his funeral, where Kane Industries CEO and Bruce Wayne’s uncle Jacob Kane gives a speech about how Bruce Wayne served Gotham City well. The former sidekicks quickly realize they now must defend Gotham City and decide to investigate Batman’s final case. Their efforts bring them to the murder scene of Dr. Kirk Langstrom, where they learn they need to infiltrate the GCPD to get a biometric key off his body.
There, they run into Talia Al Ghul, who’s burning the body of Ra and claims that she is not in charge of the League of Shadows anymore. From there, the case continues as the crew sets up a base of operations at the Belfry in Gotham City and confronts the likes of Harley Quinn and the Penguin, who is now reformed but knows about Gotham’s secret society.
The secrets of the Court of Owls in Gotham KnightsÂ
Penguin directs the Bat Family to The Powers Club, an old-money Gentleman’s Club in Gotham City. There, they find an entrance to an underground cave network and the Court of Owls, a secret society thought to just be an urban legend, even by Batman. They are led by The Voice of the Court, who eventually catches the heroes and throws them into a death pit. The heroes escape and obtain a key in the process.
Using that key, they find information about how the Court of Owls murdered the brother of Judge Elena Moreno as she tried to stop construction at Gotham City’s Chelsea Tunnel. Sneaking into that build site, the Bat Family comes across feral zombified creatures called Talons, who the Court of Owls revived with an element called Dionesium. After escaping the tunnel, Talia reveals that Dinoseum has the same properties as the Lazurus pit, causing the League of Shadows to declare war on Gotham.
She asks the heroes to take down the Voice of the Court to stop the conflict, and they comply. After more investigating, they learn that Bruce’s uncle Jacob Kane is the Voice of the Court and knows Bruce was Batman. He escapes in the chaos of the League of Shadows, murdering many Court of Owls members at a masquerade. Penguin then calls, asking for the heroes’ help, but it turns out to be a trick, and whoever you’re playing as is sedated and brought to the Court of Owls’ Labyrinth.
The Labyrinth is a massive mechanical stage that, combined with toxic gas, makes the captured hero hallucinate and question whether Batman actually cared for them. Eventually, the captive hero breaks out of the illusion, but the Court of Owls starts to attack Gotham City more publicly. The Bat Family decides it’s time to take down Jacob Kane and work with Renee Montoya and Judge Moreno to get a warrant for his arrest.
