The Barbara Gordon background found on the game’s website flippantly described recovering from paraplegia.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Gotham Knights has faced criticism from fans for aspects that they considered neglected. A few weeks ago, the Red Hood gameplay was the subject of controversy after Jason Todd used a “mystic jump” to move, an energy boost that would come from his condition of being resurrected.
Now it’s up to good Barbara Gordon, who had a biography on the game’s website where she talked about recovering from her injuries. The original Gotham Knights biography recounted a confrontation that had left Barbara in a wheelchair, making her the Oracle, a communications expert and great source of information. But her father’s death would have given him “the drive to recover” from her injuries and become Batgirl.
Criticism from fans was not long in coming, who saw recovery from paraplegia through sheer willpower and training as a frivolous tale. The creators of the game seem to have taken good note of the fans’ discomfort and Patrick Redding, creative director, revealed in a question and answer session echoed by Eurogamer, that the team has worked with AbleGamers, an American association dedicated to the improvement in the accessibility of the games, to learn about the different types of spinal injuries and the recovery of mobility.
The biography appealed to willpower to cure paraplegiaRedding acknowledged criticism of the character’s description and confirmed that a good portion of it had been changed. The creative recalled that many of the elements of the characters in the game differ from the history of the comics, but in Gotham Knights, Barbara has undergone multiple surgeries, a lot of rehabilitation and pain control exercises. This rehabilitation will be present in the game and we will be able to see Barbara doing many exercises, as well as encountering back braces in both Barbara’s street clothes and Batgirl’s outfit. In recent days, Warner Bros. has been sharing interesting information about Gotham Knights and the reasons why it has been canceled on PS4 and Xbox One.
More about: Gotham Knights, Batgirl and Warner Bros..
