Although he is generally the most serious member of the Justice League, Batman is, as we have seen over the years, rather dimwitted. Adam West scaling buildings and blasting his way through bad guys? Silly. Val Kilmer in a jumpsuit with nipples? Silly. Does Ben Affleck have a fight with Superman over Martha’s name? Very stupid.
So we shouldn’t be surprised that Batman has consistently made the transition to Lego so undeniably easy, from the early Traveller’s Tales games to the exceptional big screen release LEGO Batman. No matter which era or iteration of Batman you attribute to, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight brings them all together in one place, with adoration, reflection and respect at the heart of what is often a wildly irreverent take on the caped crusader. It’s also one of the best Lego games of all time.
Legacy is key to Lego Batman. Years of legacy comics, cinematic releases, and video game entries were examined, selected, then pushed, shoved, and inserted into every second of Legacy of the Dark Knight. The various film franchises form the backbone of everything here, but for every familiar moment, reminiscent of Tim Burton’s genre-defining original film, to Robert Pattinson’s most recent turn in The Batman, there are also changes and alterations in the overall storyline that ensure that longtime Batman fans are well-served.
From the early days of Detective Comics to the most recent modern storylines, there’s something for almost everyone, and I loved playing cooperatively with my son and explaining all the enemies he didn’t know about as well as the little visual winks. If you loved Batman at any point in your life, you practically owe it to yourself to play Legacy of the Dark Knight, with reference after reference gracing every corner of Gotham City.
What’s particularly wonderful about Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is how funny it is. Comedy in games is difficult to pull off, but where many other Lego games might elicit a smirk or polite smile, Lego Batman had me laughing throughout its entire runtime.
As with some visual reminders, I had to explain to my son what it was. It felt like the welcoming combat and open world was aimed at a younger audience, while the deep cuts were aimed at the over-30s. I don’t want to spoil too many – but if you’re online regularly you’ll probably have caught quite a few – but an early favorite sees Ra’s Al Ghul training Bruce Wayne, taking inspiration from Batman Begins where Liam Neeson plays Ra’s. I really loved Ra’s then quoting a line from Taken, one of Neeson’s most famous and memorable roles. Heck, there are even references to Sir Michael Caine’s typos on Twitter and a reference to Limmy based on a wild pun.
For all that I’ve called Batman out for his most comedic and silliest moments, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight plays a very good game of Batman. There are the basic trappings of any Lego game, smashing the scenery to reward you with a cascade of studs, building useful items from the wreckage, and solving an abundance of light puzzles, but Legacy of the Dark Knight ultimately takes inspiration from Rocksteady’s Arkham games.
Now it’s Arkham-lite, for sure. My 9-year-old co-op partner had just as much success in the game’s combat as I did, but this again takes the brawling up a notch from what we’ve come to expect from Lego games over the past twenty years. The key here is countering and dodging, with clear button markers appearing when you’re about to get beaten up or a badnik lines you up in their line of sight. It’s very forgiving – these markers appear a good second or two before you get hit – but it’s still just a good time.
This extends to Arkham-style stealth. Stealth is a completely viable option here, and you can pull all your favorite wrestling tricks to the highest point, methodically taking out each of the bad guys one by one, jumping down and elbow dropping them, tapping them on the shoulder and scaring them, or dragging them up and out of the action. You won’t fail if you mess up, although being discovered normally sees a huge crowd of enemies appear that you can fight your way through. It’s just great, and while younger players might prefer to hit everyone, it’s great to have the opportunity and variety to take your own approach.
There’s also the city to explore and navigate, and it once again feels like a brick-based retread of Arkham City and Arkham Knight. You can either take flight using updrafts to glide and move, or call upon the Batmobile and other character-specific road vehicles. One of the biggest inclusions here is your garage, containing a full suite of Batmobiles from all ages, starting with the Adam West era, all the way up to the modified Plymouth Barracuda from The Batman. Driving is simple but fast, and there’s no real nuance, but… it’s the Batmobile(s)!
When you’re not navigating Batman’s story narrative and Legacy of the Dark Knight’s series of main missions, there’s a very interesting twist to be found in customizing the Batcave. You can expand this area and add your own level furniture, allowing you to build the Batcave of your dreams, where you can make cool flourishes, like customizing the appearance of the Batman logos on the walls. There’s very little you’re forced to engage with, but it’s a nice change of pace from the open world, and it gives hardcore Lego players – that’s my 9 year old again – something to do once everything else has been seen and done ten times.
Some might lament the reliance on nostalgia here. They’ll tell you that there’s nothing new, that it’s all rehashed content that we’ve seen before, but that’s missing the point of Legacy of the Dark Knight. There’s a real warmth and affection for Batman, which, after several installments of its predecessor, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, wasn’t as apparent last time around. It’s also the best Arkham game we’re likely to get in the near future, bringing a new level of challenge and interaction to Lego games.
