Summary
Though Batman is often portrayed as this mysterious lone wolf figure, that’s simply not the case for the vast majority of his comic book appearances. At all times, Batman is surrounded by allies, with some of his closest ones often being colloquially referred to as the “Bat Family.” Whether it’sNightwing, Batgirl, the many different versions of Robin, or even Alfred, Batman also has friends around him. And with Batman making an appearance inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, it would only make sense for his Bat Family to follow him there too.
WhileSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewill presumably focus on the titular corrupted superhero team, if the game’s anything like Rocksteady’s past DC titles, then there’ll hopefully be an array of secondary villains to fight as well. And with Brainiac’s brainwashing in play, any DC hero could become a villain in an instant, including the Bat Family. The Bat Family hasn’t had a great track record in the video game space in recent years, but if anyone can redeem them, it’s Rocksteady.
The Bat Family Wasn’t Utilized Too Well in Gotham Knights
Gotham Knightsgot a pretty bad wrap when it first came out at the end of last year, and it’s easy to see why. Trying to follow inBatman: Arkham’s footsteps, at least in fans' eyes,Gotham Knights' floaty combat, slow traversal, and repetitive mission design made it a bit of a disappointment. That disappointment is now unfortunately linked with the Bat Family, some of whom really didn’t get the love they deserved.
When it came tothe Bat Family’s characterization, WB Montreal did a fairly good job overall, making sure that each hero felt close enough to their usual comic counterparts. Each hero’s unique moveset was also a major highlight ofGotham Knights, giving each member of the Bat Family an immediately distinctive set of skills that, again, fit well with the source material. However, for every good decisionGotham Knightsmade with its Bat Family, a number of strange ones soon followed.
One of the most infamous decisionsGotham Knightsmade was eachBat Family member’s traversal ability. While Batgirl got the usual cape glide, Nightwing received an absurdly large glider, which immediately resulted in comparisons toFortnite. Red Hood’s movement wasn’t much better, with the anti-hero bounding off mystical energy in midair. Robin’s was arguably the worst of the lot, simply gaining the ability to teleport short distances. Another odd decision was to limitGotham Knights' co-op functionality to just two players, which meant that half the Bat Family was always left lurking in the shadows.
The Bat Family is an integral part of the Batman universe, and it’s time they were given their redemption, which Rocksteady is more than capable of doing.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguehas the perfect opportunity to give fans the version of the Gotham Knights they were hoping for, and deliver a boss fight worthy of the history books. With four members on each team, the Bat Family is a perfect match-up forTask Force X, and it’d be great to see not only each of their own unique, special abilities in combat, but see the entire Bat Family team work together to try and stop the Suicide Squad, a big element thatGotham Knightsdropped the ball on.
