For many years, I have been a Marvel fan through and through. For many comic fans, it was never necessarily one or the other because both corners had good stuff going for them, but that was not the case with films. With the hype of the MCU, I always thought Marvel would be my superhero thing. I liked DC to an extent, but I had never really fallen in love with any of the characters enough to get me to separate myself from Marvel. Then, a little film called The Batman came along, and I was enthralled by it, and then some. I have always liked Batman, mainly through loving the Arkham series and Nolan’s trilogy, but Reeves’ film was the first that made me truly love him as a character. It opened my eyes to so many interesting stories about this complex character. From Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween, and Dark Victory, which obviously inspired The Batman, to long runs like Knightfall, I have eaten it up, and I would confidently say that, as a result, Batman has become my favourite superhero. That is not exactly pushing the boat out or a revolutionary thing for someone to say, but it is a character with so much lore, so many unbelievable stories, and so many brilliant interpretations, and that has made me love him. When I heard that Legacy of the Dark Knight (LotDK) was coming, it felt like perfect timing for me, as someone on a Batman grind and rapidly falling in love with the character. I used to play the older Lego Batman games with my sister, and even for their simplicity, they still hold up well today. Knowing that Rocksteady, creators of the Batman Arkham series, were helping Traveller’s Tales with this one, it became clear this was going to be more than just a Lego game. With excellent and moreish combat, a simple and fun open world, and a story that celebrates Batman’s pop culture domination for decades, LotDK is great fun and a must play for any Batman fans.

Lego Batman: LotDK puts you in the shoes of Gotham’s Dark Knight, in a celebration of his career across films, games, and comics. From training to become more than a man with Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Shadows, to forging friendships with the likes of Jim Gordon and multiple members of the Bat-Family, you can guarantee this game will reference at least one Batman thing you love. The story blends all the films and eras into one big narrative, establishing a single continuity across them. For example, it starts off with Batman Begins in the prologue, but then the next chapter is all themed around The Batman. It is a very clever way of doing things, as it manages to gather all the multiple reboots into one story that makes more sense, turning them all into one big career. Each chapter is dedicated to a point in Batman’s career, be that his first night taking on Gotham’s criminals, or the first time he meets Robin, specifically Dick Grayson, in Haly’s Circus. Surprisingly, for a Lego game, it is actually well written, with genuine character arcs and good plots that showcase different elements of Batman’s nature. Be that his father-like dynamic with Robin, his on and off romance with Catwoman, or his mutual-respect built friendship with Jim Gordon, it covers all dimensions of what makes the character interesting and does it in a satisfying and streamlined way. It has to be appreciated that with a character that has this many representations in all sorts of media, it feels like not much has been missed out. This means likely everybody who plays it will find a nod to their favourite Batman thing, even if it’s just as simple as a dumb meme. A guy mistakenly names Joker as Jonkler, Joker laughing at Batman when he says ‘Officer Boles’ (Balls) like in Batman: Arkham Asylum; there are so many small references that show those making this game just get it. It is that undying passion for the character that is infectious throughout the game, and they have done an excellent job at covering all bases.

Gameplay has never been the most advanced thing ever in Lego games, but this might be the most diverse and polished example yet. It takes a similar design approach to the older games, with certain characters having specific abilities that can accomplish different tasks. There are seven different characters to play as, probably the least for any Lego game, but they all have their uses. Jim Gordon has a sticky gel-like gun that can stop cogs from turning in machines, Catwoman can call a cat to go through ventilation shafts; they all have their uses and are used intelligently in the level design. You still have your classic build mechanic, too, making the strangest and most convoluted contraptions possibly to accomplish simple tasks, which is all part of the charm of the Lego games. None of the levels are particularly long, but they are basically feature-length compared to the little minigame-like levels in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. The decision to make the levels at least a bit longer after that was a welcome one, as none of the levels in that game felt very worthwhile. Everything is pretty much all you would come to expect from a Lego game, with all the polish that comes with it, but the combat has had a massive overhaul here. As I mentioned, Rocksteady was credited as helping out with this game, and the combat makes that very clear. It is essentially just the classic Arkham combat that everybody knows and loves, but with some charming Lego silliness mixed in. You build your combo up, throw some batarangs, put the beatdown on foes, all to be topped off with silly Lego finishing moves, like clapping some cymbals on an enemy’s head or just putting them in a bin. Each hit flashes all the comic onomatopoeias on screen, and it is immensely satisfying to clean through a room of enemies. There are even some combat upgrades to unlock, such as throwing an enemy on the ground as you dodge over them, and this, combined with new enemy varieties, makes for a well-thought-out combat sandbox that smashes expectations of a Lego game.

The open world and collectables of LotDK will be most of what you are doing after the main story is finished, and luckily, there is a fair amount for you to stick your teeth into. Generally, after each chapter in the game, there will be some sort of new open-world activity for you to do. Whether that be the multiple escaped zoo animals that have broken out thanks to the Penguin, or the overgrown plant monsters that Poison Ivy has released, multiple activities require your attention. Arkham fans will be either excited or distraught that The Riddler also has many puzzle boxes that need collecting, which are very reminiscent of that series’ infamous Riddler trophies. All these activities are quite fun to do, once again using the abilities of all your playable characters in puzzles that will rack your brain. An annoying thing in the open world is the fact that one of your two characters has to be Batman at all times, meaning every time you want to switch to the right character for the job, you must go into the menu and select them, rather than just being able to switch to them with a button press. What’s more is that this is also the case when playing two-player. I played through most of the game with my girlfriend, and I am reluctant to return and do the open-world stuff with her because the likelihood is, I, as Batman, will be locked out of many of the puzzles. It may seem like a small problem, but it is quite frustrating for those trying to play the whole thing with someone, which may likely be the case for parents playing with their child, for example. Besides that, the open world has plenty to do, with the aforementioned activities, small side quests, and plenty of secrets and collectables to get. The amount of new suits to get is astonishing, pulling from all corners of Batman media, and it shows a lot of love. The Batcave also acts as a little hub world that you can customise with trophies and showcase all the brilliant suits and vehicles you own. It is not the most overhauled area in terms of content, but it is a nice touch.

Fundamentally, if you are a Batman fan or just a fan of the Lego games, this is definitely one for you. Seeing all the passion poured into this iconic character is really special, but the manner in which it does so is perhaps its most spectacular feat. It would be so easy to just make some greatest hits sequences from Batman films and games, with no real connection between them. But instead, weaving a story that brings all of these films, comics, and games together in a cohesive way is pure genius, and I do not think they could have done any better in that regard. Its combat is well-made and is a definite upgrade from Lego’s typical mindless punching in their games. Most of Lego’s typical game design is still here, and if that is your thing, then you will likely enjoy that. I would have probably wanted to see a bit more innovation level design-wise, but what’s here is solid and will certainly do the job for many. This is an all-around, solidly made game, and the fact that it is such a brilliant celebration of Batman is the cherry on top. If you are not into Batman, give this a miss because it probably is not for you. But if you have any sort of relationship with the character, you cannot go far wrong here.