LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Preview – A LEGO Love Letter

I’ve been around the block (pun intended) with the LEGO games. With that said, I was still caught woefully off-guard when Batman and Jim Gordon delved into the bowels of the infamous Iceberg Lounge, only to uncover a brightly coloured play area filled with ball pits and obstacle courses. If that took me aback, you could only imagine how floored I was when the crime-fighting duo decided that the best way to disguise themselves amongst a group of Falcone goons was to cut some serious shapes on the dancefloor.

I recently attended a preview session for LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight in Los Angeles, hosted by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, where I spent just over two hours going hands-on with the latest star-studded title from developer TT Games. Knocking the bricks off thugs in an open-world Gotham City using an overhauled combat system highlighted just how far the series has come, while Bat-Breakdancing ensured that Legacy of the Dark Knight remains unmistakably LEGO.

My preview session was divided into three levels, with the first taking place in the Iceberg Lounge – the shadowy, not at all fun and colourful club owned by Carmine Falcone. The World’s Greatest Detective and Gotham’s police commissioner are there for Falcone, but are met with the wet end of a dead fish by way of the club’s bouncers, so plastic fists start flying pretty quickly.

The most immediately noticeable and highly discussed change to the LEGO formula is the combat. Replacing the one-button-wonder of LEGO games gone by, Legacy of the Dark Knight opts for a far more engaging and active model that borrows a lot from the Batman: Arkham series. The camera zooms out to give you a lay of the land, as goons start chucking knucks, which can be countered with a well-timed press of the Triangle button.

Your average henchmen create the bulk of the force, but I encountered a good variety of foes here that made combat more dynamic. Shielded enemies, massive brutes, AOE damage dealers, and plastic gun-toting baddies all require their own approach, always keeping you firmly in the action. For those who pine for the LEGO games of yore, there’s an option to drop the difficulty back to the classic style, as well as a harder option that ratchets up the challenge.

While the pace is noticeably slower than its gritty inspiration, Legacy of the Dark Knight’s combat is a huge improvement that befits the character. Style points need to be awarded to the presentation of these brawls as well, with the defeat of the last enemy always punctuated with an over-the-top and silly takedown complete with a comic book “THWACK” or “POW.”

Brute force isn’t always the best option, with the Iceberg Lounge level also highlighting the game’s impressive stealth gameplay. Sneaking around, zipping from one vantage point to the next, and incapacitating bad guys in comically stupid fashion (like tying a Bat Balloon to their belt) was a fun way to break up the brawling. And don’t think this is a complete shift away from LEGO staples, either. Many a locked door was found in the Iceberg Lounge, but what is a measly lock to a gigantic mechanical boxing glove built from scraps found around the room? Gameplay is commendably more advanced than ever, but this is still a tongue-in-cheek LEGO title at heart, and that’s just how I like it.

The next level saw Bruce and Seline taking a night off from crime-fighting and cat-burgling to attend Haley’s Circus and witness the Flying Graysons. An interruption from Two-Face and the introduction of a ludicrously large bomb later, and Bruce is back in the cowl, joined by a young soon-to-be Robin as they attempt to thwart the coin-flipping villain.

This sequence was puzzle and platform-forward, with Batman and Robin acrobatically advancing through flaming rings, spiked obstacles, and dangerous pitfalls, using their respective gadgets and abilities to aid them. Tt Games has opted for a small, focused cast of playable characters with Legacy of the Dark Knight, and this level proved to me that it was the right choice. Using Robin’s point-to-point rope launcher in tandem with Batman’s grapnel gun and Batarangs highlighted the purposeful level design, which made for a more tailored and enjoyable experience. The more focused character kits extend into combat, as well, with each crime fighter’s abilities feeling worthwhile and fun, and less like a chore to switch away from Batman.

Our final mission for the day was a boss fight against the botanical baddy, Poison Ivy. Initially fighting face-to-face with the Dynamic Duo, before summoning a huge snapdragon, this spectacle fight felt the most like a classic LEGO encounter. Visually impressive and overrun with hilarious one-liners, the mechanics of the planet-based boss fight boiled down to dodge, wait for an opening to use a gadget, attack, rinse and repeat. I hope to see the excellent new combat system utilised more in other boss battles, but Pamela’s punch-a-rama was fun, nonetheless.

While neutralising the nature lover marked the end of my time with curated levels, I wasn’t ready to retire the cowl just yet. My remaining preview time was spent gawking at every inch of an explorable Batcave and prowling the streets of a fully open-world Gotham City.

Legacy of the Dark Knight feels like a true love letter to Batman’s vast history, with various incarnations and interpretations of the Dark Knight given a spotlight through costumes, scenarios, levels, and moments. During my brief time with the game, this reverence for Batman was most on display in the Batcave. Serving as a hub area, this vast explorable space is a haven of references and easter eggs, while also housing all 100 unlockable outfits, as well as various Batmobiles and other vehicles. This awesome area could easily have been a menu, but TT has gone the extra mile to offer Batfans an interactive museum dedicated to the Bat. Of course, it’s functional, letting you swap outfits and vehicles, select missions, and purchase new gear (by way of a certain Fourth Dimensional Imp), but it’s also a customisable space, with trinkets and doodads you earn and buy on full display, giving you another reason to collect every stud you find.

Once I convinced myself to leave the cave, I ventured out into Gotham City, determined to bring LEGO justice to LEGO criminals. Gotham, and every space in this preview session, for that matter, is beautiful, even for a grimy city filled with thugs. I glided through the skies, propelling myself forward using the grapnel gun (Arkham City-style), taking in the neon-lit and rain-soaked LEGO brick buildings, before I descended on and stopped one of the many procedural crimes in the area.

Summoning the Batman Forever Batmobile (the best one, don’t argue), I cruised around the streets at high speeds, more a threat to lampposts than criminals. I happily explored Gotham for a good half hour, drinking in the easter eggs and tiny LEGO details, all while collecting Riddler trophies, solving Cluemaster puzzles, setting high scores on combat and traversal challenges, and rescuing missing zoo animals. The number of activity icons on the map is overwhelming, and it promises to keep you busy in the open world for a long while. I just hope these quick tasks continue to entertain me for a few hours without becoming repetitive.

Celebrating the storied history of the Caped Crusader, Legacy of the Dark Knight is shaping up to be one of the most endearing and downright enjoyable love letters to Batman that we’ve seen yet. The move to a more engaging combat system and the inclusion of a fully realised open-world Gotham City feel like meaningful steps forward for the series, while goofy jokes, puzzle solving, and wacky random happenings make sure that it’s an unmistakable LEGO experience through and through.

As part of the preview event for LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, I had the opportunity to sit down with the game’s Cinematics Animation Director, Bob Scott. It was an enlightening interview about the joy of creativity, the endearing features of LEGO, and the tactile experience of making a LEGO game, which you can read HERE.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC on May 22.

Previewed on PC at a preview event hosted by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

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