By Freddie Coles
On the 20 year anniversary of the first Batman Lego Set, TT Games has treated players with an ambitious new video game that takes players through The Bat’s best bits. Taking inspiration from more than 85 years of stories, including comics, movies and games, Legacy of The Dark Knight is a true love letter to a titan of the superhero genre while retaining the signature wacky humour of past Lego games. You wanna get nuts? This game gets nuts.
Usually, Lego gameplay follows a simple formula. Spam one button to attack, solve some puzzles and build a crazy contraption or two to finish the level. This game takes that formula and flips it on his head. Taking inspiration from the monumental Batman: Arkham games, combat has been completely redeveloped to fit the martial arts training of Bruce Wayne. With multiple combos you can chain, throwable gadgets and a diverse range of enemies, the game is a Batman fan’s dream.
Likewise, traversal of the enormous Gotham City map is on Arkham level. You can climb, grapple and glide your way across 4 islands chock full of side quests and collectibles (including the infamous Riddler Trophies of Batman games’ past). But the true highlight of the open world is the ability to speed through the streets in the Batmobile, or one of many once you unlock the different designs that reference multiple corners of Batman media. This leads to multiple excellent chase sequences that had me grinning ear to ear, from The Dark Knight’s highway chase to the Penguin’s getaway from 2022’s The Batman.
But the titular hero isn’t working alone, as he is accompanied by any one of 6 sidekicks that range from Robin to Commissioner Gordon, who each have unique moves and gadgets. Each character has a range of outfits that you can interchange, with Batman having 43 so far.
Gotham itself is gorgeously designed, suitably grimy and gritty but covered in the glow of neon signs. Fan-favourite locations are found across the map, from the Monarch Theatre, where Bruce’s parents met a tragic end, to the customisable Batcave that can be decorated with trophies of your choosing. The atmosphere is perfect, and there are easter eggs on every skyscraper and street corner, including a heartwarming tribute to the late Kevin Conroy, Batman’s main voice actor through the years.
The story truly surprised me in how well-written it was for a Lego game. Each level harkens back to a different Batman movie, from the 1989 Tim Burton classic to the previously mentioned 2022 film. The voice acting across the board is stellar, with Matt Berry (of I.T Crowd and Toast of London fame) absolutely killing me in how he plays the main villain, Bane. You can clearly see the reverence the developers had for Batman lore in how every level is designed and written. My only gripe would be a bit more love could’ve been shown to Batman Forever, like a Jim Carrey Riddler appearance, but the end credits song is Seal’s Kiss From a Rose so I can’t complain.
Lego Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight is an absolute feast for any Lego or Batman fan, with an incredibly imagined Gotham City to explore and buttery smooth combat. Even if you’ve never played a Lego game, I implore you to pick this up for a hilarious but heartfelt look back at a comic legend.
