LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight brings the ultimate cinematic Batman experience to video games in LEGO form. It combines stories and elements from different versions of Batman media into one game, from Tim Burton’s classics to the adaptations by Nolan and Reeves. The result is a single, cohesive experience that pulls from many different Batman stories.
The story is a remix of Batman classics, packed with throwbacks and cameos from films, comics, and TV shows. TT Games has clearly taken inspiration from every corner of Batman media. The main appeal is not just the LEGO world, but also the comedy the series is known for. Serious moments are blended with humor in a way that works as both satire of the original material and a meaningful addition to the story. It does not feel like a lazy attempt to turn the source material into a joke, but instead uses clever and witty dialogue that makes the experience memorable.
The main story is split into six chapters, each focused on different villains from the Batman universe. While the story does not always feel fully connected, dividing it into chapters works well overall, even if it takes some time to build toward its climax. As usual, the highlight is the witty writing and constant comedic relief. It is clear from playing the game that the developers and writers have a genuine love for Batman media, and that passion shines through here, making it one of the best entries in the series.
The combat system once again takes inspiration from the Arkham Batman games. It relies on counters, timed combos, and dodge-based mechanics to create combat that feels fun and fluid in both single-player and co-op. The rhythmic combat system is enjoyable, with combo chains building up into charged moves and special attacks that feel satisfying to use. The character variety is also strong, with up to seven playable characters available in single-player or co-op. Each character has unique abilities that help them stand out from the rest.
The biggest flaw with the combat is the encounter design. The game keeps throwing waves of enemies at the player, all using the same moves and AI that fails to adapt to different playstyles. Because of this, combat starts to feel repetitive after doing the same combos over and over again. The game also struggles to scale its challenge properly, even on higher difficulties, resulting in battles that are fun at first but become linear and repetitive over time.
Stealth sections appear occasionally throughout the main story, but they do not come close to the stealth design seen in the Arkham games, where strong level design made those sequences fun and satisfying. Here, they feel like a simplified version of Batman’s stealth gameplay. While some characters do have unique moves, their basic combos are too similar, making them feel almost indistinguishable apart from their appearance.
The game also features puzzles that appear during exploration and require both characters to work together to solve them. They are fairly standard LEGO-style puzzles similar to those seen in older games, usually asking a specific character to build or activate something to unlock the next area. Some of them also rely on QTEs, which are easy to complete and do not require much effort. It is clear that the game’s main appeal is aimed at kids and fans of Batman or LEGO, so this approach is not surprising.
Co-op is very easy to jump into. In levels where two characters are playable, a second player can simply connect a controller and join the game. Split-screen does cause some performance drops, at least in my experience, though the game still runs fairly smoothly overall. I also liked that the game includes both performance and graphics modes, though I would not recommend the latter on the PS5 Pro. Performance mode runs at 60 FPS and looks clean on the PS5 Pro, but once split-screen is enabled, the frame rate does feel less stable, although that could just be my observation.
Considering all the content included in the game, it can easily take over 20 to 30 hours to complete, and honestly, even the side content is quite enjoyable. The open-world sections of Gotham are fun to explore and packed with activities to keep players busy. There are collectibles such as riddle challenges, trophies, and caches scattered throughout the world, while the main story keeps the experience fresh and engaging.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight also has strong replay value. Even after completing the main story, the co-op feature adds another layer to the experience that makes replaying it worthwhile. On top of that, open-world Gotham offers plenty of side content, so if you are a trophy hunter, this is a satisfying platinum trophy to add to your collection.
This is easily my favorite LEGO Batman game, and it also ranks among the best Batman video games, just behind the Arkham trilogy. As a Batman fan, many of the gags and cameos throughout the story were genuinely fun to discover, and the witty, clever writing really elevates the entire experience. TT Games has done a great job bringing the Batman universe into a single video game. There is still plenty they could explore in a potential sequel, which I hope happens someday.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Game Information
- Price: $59.99
- Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
- Developer: TT Games
- Platform: PS5 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
