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Fast Facts

A Legacy Returns Brick by Brick

LEGO games based on movie and tv licenses have been mainstream for several decades now. Along the years I have played my fair share of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Marvel Super Hero, and Batman games. With each new game there have been several quality of life improvements and experiments with the tried and true break (mostly) everything and rebuild some of it gameplay. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is no different. The game meshes classic LEGO gameplay, mostly mimicking the gameplay you would find in the LEGO Star Wars Skywalker Saga game and leverages Warner Bros. Games’ Batman Arkham series and it is all the better for it.

A Legacy Retold

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (LB:LotDK) puts you under the cape and cowl of everyone’s favorite brooding hero as he works to save Gotham from the ever growing group of rogues and movie carrying bad guys. In LB:LotDK you will meet up with The Penguin, Joker, Catwoman, Bane, and many many more. Along the 13-15 hour main campaign you see LEGO reenactments of Batman’s storied past from iconic movie beats to comic and cartoon inspired tales. The full history of Batman is put on display in what seems like a love letter to fans of Batman and of LEGO games in general.

The variety of bad guys and Gotham’s large map ties everything together in one large overworld linked together by a tunnel system used for fast travel, as well as a variety of caped and companion moves like gliding and grappling gun swinging from building to building. At times LB:LotDK pops up an overwhelming number of main and side missions, as well as, Riddler and Cluemaster puzzles and rooms to solve. There is also a side mission that asks Batman to tag and recover animals that have been lost and running rampant in the city, and finding crooks based on wanted posters.

A utility belt of vengeance

If there is one thing that LB:LotDK has less of than most of the LEGO licensed video games is playable characters. While limited to 7 characters at the time of this article: Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Jim Gordon, Catwoman, and Talia al Ghul, there are individual character upgrades and suits to find and unlock. This might come as disappointing to some LEGO video game fans, but I found the focus on the characters better, as it fit with how the story is told.

The overall gameplay has main missions scattered throughout several zones of Gotham, most of which also have groups of minions overtaking Gotham, just like the Arkham City game. As you progress through the story new missions will open up in the overworld that drop Batman and the other playable characters in a variety of missions towards the end goal of fighting and defeating a boss.

Each mission have their own hidden secrets that unlock character outfits, new gear, vehicle models for driving around Gotham, and more. Finding the secrets hidden within the missions might require the use of multiple characters and gamers to notice something out of place that could lead to hidden areas. I felt like the mission pacing was great and main-lining the story was easy, though oftentimes I was distracted with new side quests, races, puzzle rooms, and other ‘map marker’ to do list items.

The best a LEGO game has ever looked

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is ambitious in scope as it takes a Gotham City that is teeming with nightlife, pedestrians, gangs, tall buildings that are recognizable from a distance, and iconic set pieces from the movies. Smashing all of this into a game that can be adored by fans and casuals is no easy feat. The overall moodiness of Gotham’s rain soaked streets, dirty underground tunnels, and rough neighborhoods shines in LEGO studded streets lit by streetlights and neon hues. It’s easy to get lost in Gotham as you jettison your Batmobile boosters or swing from balcony to rooftop.

Gotham City itself becomes a main character some of the times during gameplay sessions as you escape into the world of LEGO Batman. It is easy to see that fans will appreciate the game on multiple levels as the inclusion of the Arkham style gameplay, fighting, dodging, and varied enemy types will mean you can’t just brute force your way through every fight. On top of that, the sheer amount of Riddler and Cluemaster tasks will require some detective vision and sleuthing to complete. While not a difficult game, it’s not a cakewalk either.

A Complete Package

I absolutely loved my time with LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. The game has great visuals, a storied past that wraps and intertwines decades of Batman tales, a traversal and gameplay out of the Arkham series, all in a well-built Gotham City. If you love Batman or LEGO games, this is a must buy.

5 out of 5

5

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight can be purchased on consoles and PC. I purchased mine at a local video game store, but you can get yours here: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/lego-batman-legacy-of-the-dark-knight/