LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight Review - Rise
If you’ve been keeping an eye on some of my gaming exploits through our weekly games podcast, Patched, you’ll know that over the last 12 months, I’ve been jumping into LEGO Batman games, both old and new, as my son begins to become more immersed in the world of video games. It’s been an awesome exercise, as we’ve wheeled out the PS3 and PS4 to check out LEGO Batman 2, and LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, respectively, and he’s been able to clearly identify some of the changes (for better or worse) that came between titles. Having been pretty comfortable with the well-established LEGO formula myself, I was intrigued to see what LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight would bring with it. There are several huge changes to the formula, also when compared to previous LEGO Batman titles, and it makes this entry the best one yet.
My son isn’t old enough to play a game as serious, or as systemically complex, as one of the Batman: Arkham titles as of yet, but TT Games has, in the development of LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight, channelled every bit of what Rocksteady accomplished over a decade ago, and channeled it into a simplified gameplay model that never ceases to put a smile on your face, both due to the LEGO charm, and the mechanical magic playing out. LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight first pushes you through 22 main missions, that will take you in the area of 12-15 hours to complete, should you choose to golden path your way through it, but it also leaves a big juicy, Arkham City/Knight-inspired world, filled with crimes to break up, challenges to participate in, Riddler challenges to best, fast-travel points to unlock, and much more. It’s not quite as exhaustive as what you would come to expect from one of the Arkham masterpieces (yes, that includes Origins, WB, remaster that bloody game already, please!), but for its target demographic, there’s a lot to chew on. Mature gamers will find a lot to love as well, but will also find the various challenges much simpler than what they’ve come to expect from their beloved Arkham titles.
Beyond the campaign and the side activities of Gotham City to partake in, the player can return to the Batcave at their leisure to buy new outfits for Batman, Robin, and the small roster of other playable characters, as well as new vehicles and accessories to decorate select parts of the Batcave. At the Batcomputer, you will also be able to view important information about what has transpired in the game so far, and find a few collectibles littered about as well.
Throughout the aforementioned 12-15-hour campaign, Batman will link up with a range of notable characters from the Batman universe, beginning with Jim Gordon, and looping in the likes of Nightwing, Batgirl, and Catwoman as well. The seven playable characters of LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight aren’t the exhaustive number seen in previous LEGO games, but it allows for more defined roles, and the ability to utilise each character’s unique skills to participate in a range of different challenges around the city (typically the Riddler challenges). It might feel like a downgrade to go from the hundreds of available characters that are in most LEGO Batman games to suddenly a sub-10 figure, but the lack of float felt good in this case, and the various suits that you can change in or out of help keep things visually fresh.
The combat is the star of the show here, having seemingly been lifted directly from the Arkham titles, and then sprinkled with some LEGO magic to make it a bit more accessible. Players will need to be mindful of the various enemy types in the area, as some can take a flurry of punches without protection, but others will bring shields which you’ll need to vault over to get behind them and attack, others have large AOE attacks that need evading, others fire ranged shots, and some are huge, hulking figures that are more of a grind to beat down. Chaining large combos together, escaping damage, and leveraging stealth opportunities in the area are all a part of the gameplay loop, loved in the Arkham games, and deployed successfully in LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight as well. It has been way too long since we got to enjoy these mechanics, and while they’re not appearing in the context we had all expected, it’s appreciated nonetheless.
The narrative is throwaway, with a range of short stories that connect iconic Batman characters together in a wider narrative that puts a smile on its face due to its self-referential nature. There are a lot of Batman (and broader fiction) touchstones present in LEGO Batman: The Dark Knight, and when paired with the game’s gorgeous visuals, fantastic attention to detail in the soundscape, you’ve got the perfect immersive experience for lovers of the Dark Knight of Gotham. There’s a lot of heart and soul to be found here, and it’ll be present through all presentational elements of the game.
LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight is the Arkham game we never would have wanted, but are so glad that we received. It’s low stakes and puts fun first, leading to one of the most enjoyable playing experiences of the year to date. You won’t be seeing anything new or revelatory here, but that is more than okay. LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight had a few clear boxes to tick in development, and it ticks those boxes emphatically. The stealth is a bit on the basic side, and the second half of the game disappears in no time, almost like the team had to rush to the finish line, but the fun never fades. LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight is a fantastic title that is fun for the whole family.
LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight was reviewed on PS5 with a code kindly provided by Plaion Australia on behalf of WB Games.
