Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Review
Thwack, Kapow
by William Thompson
reviewed on PC
The result is an incredibly entertaining, content-packed love letter to DC's greatest detective that only occasionally gets tripped up by its own combat loops. For fans of Hooked Gamers looking for their next massive local co-op obsession, this trip to Gotham is worth every single stud.
A Love Letter to Bat-History
At its heart, Legacy of the Dark Knight is engineered around a heroic, story-led campaign that painstakingly blends iconic moments from Batman's illustrious history. Whether your preferred era is the grounded grit of comic books, classic animated television series, or blockbuster films, TT Games has woven them all together here. The narrative journey starts right at the beginning, following a young Bruce Wayne training alongside the League of Shadows, tracing his path all the way up to becoming the ultimate Caped Crusader.
What makes this campaign shine is how many scenarios will feel instantly familiar to Batman aficionados. The game actively follows the plotlines of various cinematic outings, but filters them through the studio’s signature brand of lighthearted, fun-filled LEGO humor. Seeing legendary, dramatic cinematic beats re-enacted by plastic minifigures with a penchant for slapstick never fails to bring a smile to your face. It is hilarious, beautifully paced, and genuinely affectionate toward its source material.
Exploring an Open-World Playground
When you aren't progressing through the main cinematic story, you are cut loose in an expansive, multi-tiered open world. Gotham City is built as a massive LEGO playground spanning four separate islands. This isn't just a flat map, either; the districts stretch vertically high into the sky and dive deep underground, seamlessly integrating legendary locales like Arkham Asylum, Ace Chemicals, Wayne Tower, and the Gotham Botanical Gardens.
To navigate this vertical concrete jungle, the game arms you with an exceptional suite of movement tools. You can zip from rooftop to rooftop using Batman's grapple launcher, soar through the air with the Batglider, or summon a stunning array of vehicles. Car enthusiasts are heavily catered to here; you can cruise the streets in the heavily pinstriped classic 1966 TV series Batmobile, the gothic 1989 cinematic version, the skeletal Batman Forever design, or even the heavy-duty Tumbler from The Dark Knight Trilogy.
The Dynamic Duo
While Batman takes center stage, he is far from a solo act. The campaign focuses heavily on forging a family of crime-fighting allies to confront a sprawling gallery of DC Super-Villains. Throughout your playtime, you will alternate between or fight alongside an impressive roster of playable characters, including Jim Gordon, Robin (Dick Grayson), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Catwoman (Selina Kyle), and Talia al Ghul.
This deep roster feeds perfectly into the game's spectacular "Dynamic Duo" local couch co-op. A staple of the franchise, the seamless drop-in/drop-out split-screen co-op allows one player to control Batman while the other takes the reins of the current sidekick or ally. Each character brings entirely unique gear to the table to shake up gameplay. These gadgets aren't just for show; they are vital for puzzle-solving. Many of the puzzles across Gotham’s locations are completely locked off initially, requiring players to backtrack later with a specific character's tool—such as Batgirl's Hackarang to override security or Jim Gordon’s foam sprayer to stop machinery—adding immense replayability to the map. I must admit, it was a little frustrating early on to find one of the Riddler’s puzzles but not able to solve because I hadn’t unlocked the required sidekick.
Collecting, Upgrading, and the Ultimate Batcave
If there is one thing TT Games knows how to execute flawlessly, it is giving players a reason to explore every nook and cranny. Legacy of the Dark Knight is absolutely bursting with collectibles, and taking the time to seek them out pays off exponentially. The progression loop feels incredibly rewarding. Gold Bricks, for instance, are awarded for completing missions. These bricks are used to systematically advance Batman's expanded skill tree. As well as that, finding WayneTech Caches grant items that can be used to upgrade Batman and his allies' equipment. And of course there are the usual LEGO Studs. The classic franchise currency is used to upgrade the legendary Batcave hub, customize it with LEGO furnishings (like a personal gym), and purchase new vehicles and costumes. These are purely cosmetic and don’t aid you in gameplay, but it is fun to dress Batman and his allies up in whichever era costume you desire.
The Batcave itself serves as a wonderful, evolving center of operations. Returning to it underneath Wayne Manor to review case files on the Batcomputer, display earned trophies, and tweak your gear injects an excellent sense of downtime between chaotic missions.
The Repetitive Punch
Despite these additions and the unique gadgets each character possesses, the core brawling can feel distinctly repetitive over extended play sessions. When clearing out standard street crimes or pushing through waves of henchmen before a big boss fight against the Joker, Bane, or Red Hood, you will frequently find yourself falling back on basic button-mashing strings. Thankfully, the puzzle variety, stellar accessibility options (found in the sub-menus), and customizable UI help offset the combat fatigue, but a bit more depth in the encounter design would have pushed this score even higher.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a triumphant celebration of Gotham's protector. By wedding a massive, vertically-gifted open world with an incredibly dense progression system and an absolute treasure trove of DC nostalgia, TT Games has delivered an experience that caters beautifully to gamers of all generations. Minor combat repetition aside, the hilarious script, superb vehicle selection, and stellar couch co-op make this an absolute must-play. Put on the cowl—Gotham has never looked better in plastic.
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8.8
fun score
Pros
Hilarious story and dialogue, plenty of collectibles
Cons
Combat can feel repetitive, Robin becomes virtually obsolete once you gain Nightwing