LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is not only probably the best LEGO game to date, but also a great game overall, regardless of whether you are specifically looking for a LEGO experience or not. And, most importantly, it is without a doubt the best Batman game since the release of Arkham Knight.

It also might not be the game for everyone and is almost certainly geared towards a younger audience, but it’s nevertheless a good entry point for new generations to familiarize themselves with the Caped Crusader before moving on to more serious media.

But these are small things to get annoyed about in a game that's filled with so many other small things that have been included just to make you laugh, or to surprise you, or to make you think back to a comic book story you haven't thought about in 30 years.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight deserves a spot on the shelf right next to the very best Batman games ever made. Sure, it’s a more streamlined experience tailored toward a younger audience, but in this form, I couldn’t have imagined a better return to the streets of Gotham.

In a larger sense, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is fundamentally about time and the changes that come with it. It's been more than 20 years since Lego games hit it big with Lego Star Wars, and for a while, it felt like it had lost its way and become a whirring franchise-printing machine. Legacy of the Dark Knight rights the ship by getting back to fundamentals with deeper focus, razor-sharp writing, and just the right amount of mechanical complexity. For the first time in a long time, this is a return to form for the Lego series. It's still simple, but not quite as simple, it's bursting with even more secrets, and it's another playful take on a mythology that I love. It's the most fun I've had with a Lego game since 2005, and a template for how Lego games can rebuild into something greater, piece by piece.

Not only an excellent Lego game, but also an almost perfect Batman adventure.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the Batman game the medium has been waiting eleven years for. TT Games delivers it without betraying either the franchise or those coming from the Arkham series: the narrative holds through the credits, the mechanical system grows with the player, and every hour spent in Gotham returns something tangible. Stealth remains the package's structural weak point, and the PC port carries a technical debt that a studio with these ambitions shouldn't allow itself. Everything else is Batman done right: with respect for the source, without paralyzing reverence.

The LEGO aspect also comes shining through in the dialogue and the humour. The game loves throwing in little jokes – both spoken and visual – to remind you that you shouldn’t take anything too seriously, and, as is the case in most LEGO games, it works.

This is a really great game for all Batman fans. It can be a bit rough around the edges technically, and the gameplay is a bit too basic at times, but it’s hard not to appreciate just how much the developers love the Dark Knight in all his incarnations.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is TT Games’ most ambitious LEGO title yet. Its blend of classic LEGO humor with Arkham-inspired combat and exploration works surprisingly well, backed by a massive Gotham City packed with fan service and references to Batman’s history. While some side activities become repetitive and minor technical issues remain, this is easily one of the best Batman games recently, and arguably the best LEGO game ever made by TT Games.

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.

Despite a somewhat incoherent story and a handful of technical shortcomings, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight manages to capture the spirit of Batman through endlessly charming, varied, and genuinely fun gameplay. Traveller's Tales has crafted a loving tribute to the Dark Knight's nearly ninety-year legacy, packed with references, personality, and attention to detail that fans are sure to appreciate.

LEGO Batman: The Legacy of the Dark Knight therefore perfectly achieves its goal: to serve as the culmination of everything great about Batman. It refines the gameplay of the Arkham series, packs in references to the best Batman films, and ties it all together within the playful LEGO universe. The title even affords itself the luxury of being fully playable in co-op and proves incredibly generous, featuring an open world brimming with content. This makes it the most ambitious LEGO game ever released—and perhaps even the best; dare we say it! However, this standard LEGO game formula also constitutes its biggest flaw, due to levels that are far too conventional, predictable, and repetitive—especially when playing solo. If you are a Batman fan—whether you plan to tackle the adventure in co-op or gift it to a child—it’s a resounding yes. But for those awaiting a true successor to the Batman Arkham games, this serves as a fun way to pass the time, though you’d be better off waiting to see what Rocksteady has in store for the future.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight mixes LEGO humor, Arkham-style combat, open-world Gotham, strong Bat-Family moments, and rich Batman fan service, but its easy difficulty, shallow stealth, smaller roster, and lack of online co-op hold it back.

If you miss LEGO humor and love Batman, this turned out to be a game you can enjoy playing. However, don’t forget that this is ultimately a series aimed at children, and set your expectations accordingly.

There are a couple of Arkham games better than this, but also a couple that are worse.

This isn't just another LEGO game thrown out for a quick buck. It's an ambitious, mature, and incredibly atmospheric project that brilliantly combines Gotham's dark cinematic history with the playfulness, insight, and typical humor of the Danish construction set.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a great experience overall, and will likely find a passionate audience among those who love this series, but it also won’t do much to convert people who simply don’t enjoy the silly simplicity of the genre. It is both a worthy exploration of Batman and a fantastically fun LEGO title that takes full advantage of how loaded that premise has become over the years.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is pretty much what I had hoped for from when I heard the game announced. A humorous retelling of the Dark Knight Trilogy, complete with a sizable recreation of Gotham City filled with collectibles, built-for-fun gameplay, and you can bring a friend along for the ride.

Legacy of the Dark Knight embraces the past to fashion an experience that will please existing Lego players, but offers enough novelty to entice new players to stick around through a surprisingly empathetic approach to design in a gaming landscape so often lacking in it.

At its core, it might be ‘Arkham for kids,’ with an open-world that takes the best from Arkham Knight, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, and even a smidge of GTA 4, but it’s also TT Games through and through. It’s because the studio’s personality shines through the unabashed inspirations that it all comes out on top.