LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Developer: TT Games
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S (Reviewed), PC
Release Date: Available Now, Switch 2 (2016)
Price: $69.99 USD – Available Here $109.95 AUD – Available Here
Overview
For the longest time if a franchise had any type of popularity, it would receive a LEGO game devoted to it in some form or another, even while LEGO was producing their own original games at the same time. Along the way these LEGO games shifted from being silent to featuring dialogue and plenty of extra detail, including containing multiple stories within a single package. Now however, LEGO and Warner Bros are revisiting a franchise they’ve previously covered and giving it perhaps the most attention they have ever done in the form of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Putting together its own original storyline filled to the brim with plenty of inspirations from the comic books, films, and other games in the franchise, along with plenty of signature background LEGO humor, is this a title only for the young fans of Batman or one that even die-hard fans will enjoy?
Story
Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up. This quote may not be stated directly in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight but does begin with the game’s philosophy and its origins. As a young Bruce Wayne, over-excited to see his favorite movie, falls into a well filled with bats his father and butler Alfred come to his rescue only for that moment of joy to be short lived as, for every Batman story, his parents become victims of Crime Alley. This is where things start to diverge a bit as TT Games has made full use of their license of the Batman franchise to take so many different pieces from the caped-crusader’s history and create one of their very own, though much of the origin is still the same.
After growing up under Alfred’s care, Bruce still wishes for revenge against the man responsible for the rampant crime in the city of Gotham and targets Carmine Falcone, only to find out that money and a bit of skill can’t beat out a crime boss in a city where corruption runs everywhere. Only when he catches the eye of Ra’s al Ghul and begins training with the League of Shadows does he start to understand what he can be capable of. Or at least that is until he discovers the true nature of the League and sets out on his own, returning to Gotham as the freshly trained Batman and eager to put his new skills to the test and take out Falcone for good. But when one crime boss falls, a power vacuum brings with it dangers that Gotham has never seen before and only Batman and his small group of allies can put things right.
It is very obvious going into Legacy of the Dark Knight that a lot of love has gone into making sure that any fan of the characters and franchise will enjoy the game. As mentioned before, not only does the story take and blend together some of the most unique and memorable moments of Batman’s roster of villains and his encounters with them but also some of the deepest cuts around. Have an absurd joke or gadget that maybe was used in a one-off cartoon or film? There’s a real good chance that a deep cut will appear somewhere here. Whether it is as simple as a costume or as complicated as featuring a full on villain that plays only as an optional side-quest and never one that would be highlighted as a true foe to Batman and his allies, they will likely be at least some reference.
Of course alongside these deep cuts are plenty of more obvious signature moments and encounters as well. It wouldn’t be a Batman game if players didn’t take on the Joker in some form, even as unique as he arrives in this entry, or any number of his signature rogues gallery. As players make their way through the game’s different levels that make up each chapter, these will feel like a unique story of their own as players travel through signature locales transformed into LEGO setpieces, with the story coming together to work towards a solid enough conclusion in the end, though it is worth noting that the beginning tutorial section does feel like the slowest of them all.
Now it wouldn’t be a LEGO game if there wasn’t humor written into almost every story-beat though with even some of the more dramatic events having a few jokes worked in subtly. Such as seeing just how Harvey Dent ends up as Two Face is a far cry from the usual suspects and plenty of other situations. If there is a chance to work in some slapstick humor or sight gags in the background, TT Games takes it at almost every turn and there is a ton of charm packed into the game thanks to that. Players will easily find themselves smiling or straight up laughing at how ridiculous things can be portrayed in a LEGO world, especially when it comes to enemy dialogue and even the characters themselves breaking the fourth wall. Those who are concerned that the darker tone of Batman would lessen the humor of LEGO needn’t worry and those that might be worried that LEGO may take away from the seriousness of Batman can rest assured, the team has managed to find an excellent balance here all while living up to as many fan expectations as possible.
Gameplay
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight takes a rather drastic step away from the usual LEGO game choice by scaling the playable characters way down. Compared to having over a hundred characters, such as random NPCs, Droids, or other misc. characters, players will only play as seven characters total throughout the game with Batman always being one of the playable characters and his ally being one that is mission designated or swapped freely during free-roam in the open world of Gotham City. While this change is a significant one it also allows for almost every character to have a unique function and somewhat different playstyle from one another.
Each character has the same standard combat set but where they differ involves their various “gadgets.” Of course, every character comes with a glider and a grapple-hook to make moving around easier but the similarities end there. Batman can throw batarangs to knock objects down or stun enemies in combat, use his grappling hook to pull open or down targets or pull enemies in to attack. On the other hand Gordon utilizes a solidifying foam gun that can jam up gears and enemies as well as a ricochet pistol that breaks objects and hits multiple enemies at once. Similarly Catwoman can use her whip to wind and unwind objects, claws to cut glass, and even summon a cat with a laser pointer to either scratch at an enemy or sneak through small passages as distractions. This doesn’t even cover all of the unique character elements but it is worth noting that it makes every character feel like they are actually unique and worthwhile rather than being gun character #63.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a LEGO game if there still wasn’t plenty of things to collect and unlock and that is just as true here though instead players will unlock a massive array of costumes for Batman and his crew, different vehicles that each character can drive, decorations that can be set-up in different parts of the batcave to customize it to any batfan’s liking, and more. Every mission in the game also features a variety of breakable objects that, if players break them all, unlocks a trophy that can be displayed in the batcave, hidden Waynetech caches that contain chips that are used to upgrade any character’s gadget in any order players wish, and a red block usually hidden behind an optional puzzle. Red blocks here are little customization options on top of costumes and vehicles that change the color pallette entirely, adding even more customization options. The various studs players acquire throughout the game can be used to purchase Batcave expansions, items from the “Bat-mite” store, and even vehicles though some must be unlocked through completing open world challenges.
Combat in Legacy of the Dark Knight is best described as Arkham-lite as it features a lot of what made that game’s combat so enjoyable but also really doesn’t push the envelope at all when it comes to challenge or much in the way of stealth. Players will fight using combos and build up a combo meter as well as “focus” that can be triggered to instantly take out any small enemy or deal large damage to brute types, dodge incoming attacks, parry blows, and stun foes to lay down the smackdown all while using gadgets to mix things up. The standard combat for every character plays out the same way except for many having unique finishers and their own unique gadget attacks but it is stealth that suffers the most. Even with Batman’s upgraded stealth capabilities, that allow him to do things such as grapple-take down enemies from gargoyles, they can only be done once per perch and after that players will need to simply drop down and stealth eliminate one enemy before likely entering a brawl. Meaning stealth is sadly not much of an option here.
That isn’t to say that combat is hard. If anything most players will find it too easy even on the harder difficulty that the title offers. Rather than the usual LEGO game, Legacy of the Dark Knight features three difficulty options. The standard simple LEGO experience, a more middle-ground challenge, and a hard mode that introduces tougher enemies earlier and limits the amount of lives per mission. That being said, between the game’s simple but easy to understand combat system and plethora of health, we never came close to dying even one time in battle even in boss fights since they usually feature a number of grunts that can be picked away for health drops.
The real highlight of Legacy of the Dark Knight happens to be the in-between mission segments or anytime the player has the chance to free roam around Gotham City. Not only will they be able to swap out their unlocked partners at will, but they will find the city absolutely brimming with all kinds of collectables, puzzles, races, and other little challenges that players can tackle at any pace they feel like. As mentioned before, some of these side-activities even involve some minor characters in Batman’s rogues gallery so it is definitely worth visiting them, especially for fans that want to see just how ridiculous a LEGO game can get when given as much free reign as they have here. Whether it is rolling through the streets in a classic batmobile or even the buyable Batman Beyond hover-vehicle, zipping around from grappling hook points and gliding around the city solving anything from basic crimes to full on side missions, players will have plenty to indulge in and enjoy.
Audio & Visuals
LEGO titles always have a certain aesthetic to them since well, they are designed to look like real life LEGOs but the amount of detail in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is absolutely exquisite. Players can see the rain drops dripping down the plastic of a character model or the felt looking appearance of Batman’s cape while traveling around. Similarly some of the most signature locations that fans have come to know and love from the Batman franchise have been lovingly recreated in LEGO detail while others have been given their own unique twist to add a bit of levity to things. Plus, as mentioned before, the developers are masters of background sight gags, making sure to keep even the most dire seeming event potentially humorous.
The voice work throughout the game is similarly impressive though players may be a bit caught off guard by some characters not sounding quite like how fans of the franchise may remember. This is due to most of the characters being voiced by new actors in the roles and while they do their best to portray some signature villains well enough, it doesn’t always work the best. Plus, Batman’s voice work ranges from great to sounding completely off the mark depending on which character he is interacting with which is strange. Thankfully the title features an incredible set of background music to fit with the franchise and theme of the game, making sure to keep plenty of familiar sounding themes intact for fans.
Overall
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is perhaps one of the most lovingly crafted LEGO games in recent memory as it honors nearly every aspect of the deep lore of Batman, pulling from the most entries to even some of the deepest cuts possible to satisfy exactly what fans crave, the absurdity that a LEGO game can bring while still sticking true to Batman’s narrative and style. Featuring enjoyable enough combat that has a decent amount of variety, even if it is on the easy side, and a severe lack of stealth systems it is clear that the developers knew exactly what they were aiming for here, a new and refreshing take on the LEGO style while making sure there are plenty of collectables and puzzles to go around and keep fans interested in the long haul.
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