LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the fourth entry in the LEGO Batman gaming franchise. Each new addition to this series has given players a goofy brick-based reenactment of Batman’s fist-swinging and clue-detecting battles against the forces of evil.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame kicked things off in 2008 with Batman and Robin taking on the likes of the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler. 2012’s LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes expanded Batman’s compatriots to include the Justice League. And LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham broadened our blocky, snap-together view to the entire DC universe—including the Justice League, the Legion of Doom, the Lantern Corps and the cosmic villain Brainiac.
So, where can LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight possibly go from there? Why, back to Gotham City, of course.
This new game focuses totally on the Caped Crusader’s decades of action in the dank, dark metropolis of Gotham. It shows us the evolution of his various sidekicks and Gotham’s rogue gallery of baddies. And it gives fans a little extra: Legacy of the Dark Knight incorporates much of the free-flow combat, stealth mechanics and open-world traversal of Gotham from the much-acclaimed Batman: Arkham games, developed by Rocksteady Studios.
But don’t worry: Those Batman: Arkham gameplay additions may make you ask, “Why so serious?” But it’s not.
This overview of Batman’s mythology is every bit as silly and easter-egg riddled as you might expect a LEGO title to be. In fact, Legacy of the Dark Knight takes its story cues from all of the past Batman movies, wrapping the whole plasticized shebang into a single narrative with new twists and turns, new LEGO puzzles to piece together and a suitably original and zany battle conclusion.
In each chapter of the tale, gamers can play solo or team up with a friend as Batman or others give battle with a companion by their side. Sometimes Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul team up on center stage. In other instances, it’ll be Batman and Batgirl, or perhaps Batgirl and Nightwing.
The heroic spotlight shifts repeatedly as does the lineup of villains—including the likes of Ra’s al Ghul, the Joker (in both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger form), Two Face, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Grundy … the gallery stretches on and on. (Hey, even the Condiment King shows up.)
As mentioned, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight can be played in single-player mode or in a two-player, split-screen co-op. But the co-op interaction can only be played locally on the same console.
The gameplay focuses on two heroes—from a list including Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman and Commissioner Gordon—working together to save the people of Gotham from criminal forces.
There are small but positive messages in the game story about appreciating the people around you and the value of taking time to tell them how important their help is (even if you’re Batman).
The game is colorful and fun, and often fairly silly. …
That said, the storyline does involve many situations where people are threatened by gas attacks, fires, gunfire, icy blasts, massive bombs and other potentially deadly devices.
And, as mentioned, this LEGO game does steer gameplay toward a more adult audience at times with its attack-and-counter game mechanics that feel reminiscent of the Batman: Arkham games. For the first time in a LEGO game, Legacy of the Dark Knight includes a menu option for three different difficulty choices. That’s not to suggest that kids can’t navigate the battles here, but there is a higher level of challenge in battles against large crowds of blocky henchmen.
It should also be noted that because the game pulls characters from all of Batman’s lore, younger players may become interested in the movies those characters hail from—some of which may not be suitable.
There’s also quite a bit of potty humor in the gaming mix. LEGO titles have always tended to spoof their source materials, but this go-round the humor feels less aimed at quick quips than it does at poop jokes, some gas-passing visuals and slapstick, splatting bits of bird and bat poo and other messy goop. We see blocky representations of “bat underwear.”
There’s no foul language in this E10+ game, but characters do sometimes call out things like “sheesh,” “shut up” and unfinished exclamations such as “holy —.” Someone tells Batman, “For the world’s greatest detective, you really suck at relationships!” We see a baddie lounging with some blocky plastic swimsuit girls.
Yet again, a LEGO take on the history and legacy of Batman is a plastic-block good time. Purists may grumble that Batman comes off as a bit too goofy, and moms may wonder over the necessity of all the potty humor. But even villainy and destruction feel a bit less dark when they’re dressed up in colorful plastic.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
