Lego Batman: Legacy of the Darkish Knight is a brand new Arkham sport in all however title. It combines the fight of the Rocksteady sequence, the open world of Arkham Knight, and a shedload of TT Video games humour to create a sport that Batman followers will doubtless love.
Whereas the low degree of problem (even for a Lego sport) makes the principle missions considerably pedestrian, Gotham is nice enjoyable to discover, and the sport’s writing elicits common chuckles. The Lego video games have all the time been humorous, however for this one, TT Video games has cracked up the British humour considerably.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Darkish Knight isn’t the retelling of 1 Batman story; it’s an amalgam of all of Batman’s best hits, iterations and eras mashed collectively. It does at instances come throughout as a bit “play the hits,” however the best way TT Video games transitions characters like The Joker from his Jack Nicholson camp to Heath Ledger-era sociopathy is effectively dealt with and really tongue-in-cheek.
The sport will be performed solely in co-op, the place you’ll play as Batman plus a Bat-friend similar to Jim Gordon, Catwoman, Robin and some extra. Every of those characters can have their very own skills that allow you to traverse by easy puzzles. Thus far, so Lego sport.
What units Legacy of the Darkish Knight other than earlier Lego Batman video games is the clear affect of Rocksteady‘s seminal Batman online game sequence, Arkham. The fight is nearly precisely the identical, with combos of melee hits solely being damaged up with countering a foe by way of the triangle button.
Not solely this, however the sport additionally has a stealth system for taking down enemies that includes grappling up onto, and between, gargoyles and different perches. It feels at instances like TT Video games is saying, “Nicely, if no one else goes to make a brand new Arkham sport…”. Rocksteady is definitely credited as a co-developer on the mission, although the extent of its contribution is at the moment unknown.
Whereas this assortment of mechanics continues to be plenty of enjoyable, the convenience of the sport usually, even on its hardest setting, signifies that you’re not particularly inspired to make use of it. There’s not a lot level in slowly and methodically taking out the guards scattered round a degree whenever you’re simply as fast to punch them within the bricks.
Extra punishment for messing up stealth, or maybe extra injury delt by enemies, would enchantment to me, however I additionally acknowledge that this can be a household title at its core, and whereas it’s doing Arkham karaoke, it’s not truly an Arkham sport.
The open world of Legacy of the Darkish Knight is extraordinarily cluttered. Now, you’ll be able to see that as derogatory, and when you do, you don’t have to have interaction with it in any respect. You possibly can consider it as a flowery loading display between the 20+ish missions that make up the principle sport.
Nonetheless, when you’re a completionist, I hope you don’t have a busy summer time forward. Each island within the sport has dozens of collectables, challenges, puzzles, easter eggs and extra to gather. Once you unlock a tower in a area, it’ll mark on the map every thing you are able to do in that zone. Opening it was like a mid-2010’s Ubisoft map meme.
Lego video games are collectathons, and there’s part of me that desires to go and get all of these things, nevertheless it does really feel very barely extreme. There are participating collectables that tie to story interactions, similar to a plotline involving The Riddler (who else?).
However every neighbourhood additionally has its personal random collectable that you could smash 10 of, which appears like a guidelines for the sake of a guidelines. Having mentioned all of that, flying by Gotham, or racing across the streets in nearly any Batvehicle you’ll be able to consider, nonetheless tugs on the heartstrings of even probably the most cynical of Batman followers.
It’s not fairly as gorgeous as Arkham Knight’s rendition (which nonetheless holds up in 2026), nevertheless it’s not far off it. It’s oppressive, stuffed with neon in opposition to tall darkish buildings, and naturally, continually raining. Gotham itself is a canvas on which TT Video games has painted as many references as they probably might.
The sport’s closing two chapters, the strongest within the sport, are so stuffed with unimaginable Batman fan service and hyperspecific call-backs that I used to be smiling from ear to ear. This part of the sport additionally introduces Bane, voiced by Matt Berry. Completely impressed casting that made me want he have been the principle antagonist in not simply each chapter of this sport, however each sport typically.
After I reviewed Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, I discussed that it felt like TT Video games was taking its final bow with Star Wars, and as such, was displaying simply how a lot adoration for the franchise it had. Whereas this sport doesn’t fairly utterly exhaust the canon because the Skywalker Saga did, Lego Batman: The Legacy of the Darkish Knight feels a lot the identical.
TT Video games’ Batman credentials can’t be disputed. Nearly each swimsuit you would probably need is in right here. Villains, each icons and jobbers, get their second to shine. Batman comics, movies, TV and video games all contribute to the tableau of Batman fandom.
Is it a difficult sport? No, by no means, however I can’t fault the enjoyable I had enjoying it, and the find it irresistible clearly has for the Caped Crusader. The quantity of collectables will in all probability imply {that a} very small fraction of those that dive into this model of Gotham will 100% it, however even gamers who’re simply right here for a brick-by-brick tour of Batman’s finest bits can have a good time.
