“LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” Takes the Caped Crusader to New Heights

While Traveller’s Tales may have built its LEGO games on the backbone of Star Wars, its LEGO Batman series is arguably just as large. Across three mainline games and a villain-based spin-off, the studio has taken players on a wonderful journey through the DC Universe, with each game bigger than the last. Now, fresh on the heels of the massive LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Traveller’s Tales is set to do it once again with LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. And this time, things look to be very different.

Warner Bros. Games

With the exception of LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, the Traveller’s Tales superhero-based titles have always told an original story filled with references to what has come before. This time, Legacy of the Dark Knight aims to deliver the definitive Batman experience by combining all the stories that fans have seen over the years. This means that players will experience the likes of Batman Returns, The Dark Knight, The Batman, the Arkham games, and pretty much every other Batman-related story combined into one cohesive narrative. That may seem like an impossibly daunting task, but I’m pleased to say the game delivers just that.

Traveller’s Tales has been able to weave all of those stories together into a very satisfying experience that will surely excite any Batman and DC Comics fan. It is filled to the brim with recognizable moments, countless references to both superheroes and popular culture, hilarious jokes, and everything else that fans of the LEGO games have fallen in love with over the years. Players can finish that story in about 12 hours, but just like with every previous LEGO game, there are loads of collectibles and things to do well after the credits roll. Plus, it sounds like the studio has plans to expand it even further with upcoming DLC.

Warner Bros. Games

While the story is a great departure from what has come before, the real changes come in the gameplay. Since the first LEGO Star Wars, Traveller’s Tales has mostly used the same tried-and-true formula for all of its LEGO games, with a few changes here and there. With this title, the studio has completely reinvented what it means to be a LEGO game. The core combat has been replaced with a more Batman: Arkham–like system, the mission and story structure has been redone, the collectibles have been overhauled, a new skill system has been introduced, and so much about the LEGO formula has been changed for the better.

Longtime LEGO game fans may be a bit wary of some of these changes. First, the character roster has been significantly reduced, to just seven characters. This is a major departure from what we saw with The Skywalker Saga, but it may actually be for the better. Now, each character is actually a part of the story and serves a purpose rather than just existing for players to fill out their roster. Additionally, the studio has added collectible suits for each character, so while you may not have as many characters to play, there are 100 different suits and outfits to collect and switch between. And that’s not even mentioning the countless Batmobiles you can get behind the wheel of.

Warner Bros. Games

Another major change that may be at odds with longtime LEGO fans is the removal of level Minikits in favor of new collectibles. Minikits do still exist within the Batcave, but they are no longer hidden in levels like they have been forever. Instead, players will have to find five WayneTech caches, five level-specific Batcave trophies, and one red brick in each level. The WayneTech caches let you upgrade characters with new skills, the Batcave trophies give you new items you can place around the Batcave, and the red bricks are those fun extras players know and love from previous LEGO games. Although it may be hard to let go of the classic Minikits, the replacement collectibles are luckily similar.

So while this title may heavily deviate from what fans have come to expect from the series over the years, the innovations that Traveller’s Tales has introduced with this title more than make up for it. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight not only delivers another fun-filled LEGO adventure but also feels like the quintessential Batman journey. There really isn’t another game that lets players experience Batman’s entire story from across all of his stories, and because of that, it is well worth a look for any fan of the character.