Gloomy streets, loads of unsavory folk, and most importantly: rain. I’m in Gotham all right. Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros, is an open-world adventure game telling the story of the Caped Crusader from beginning to end, thereby leaning on action sequences, tricky puzzles, and — you know it — silly jokes.
In terms of blocky designs and top-notch animation quality, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was exactly what I expected when I played the demo for roughly 45 minutes at a hands-on preview event at Gamescom. Less expected, at least for me, was the action sequence I found myself in the midst of.
You see, my Lego game experience is predominantly based on the Lego Harry Potter series, which is incredibly tame by comparison. But instead of exploring in peace, collecting coins and solving puzzles, the second I got dropped in Gotham, local ruffians tried to kill me. And I barely got out alive, as I hadn’t discovered the roll-dodge option yet.
Don’t get me wrong, Batman definitely needs action, and this first bit of action felt pretty satisfying. Even more than the fist-fighting and ninja star-throwing (Batarangs, I assume), were the finishing moves. The camera zooms in, time slows down, and Batman delivers a glorious uppercut — that’s what you get for messing with the bat!
Once done with the first bout of rolling and slapping people, I took some time to run — or rather fly — around the city. Exploration was a delight, and I bet anyone who loves grappling hooks and paragliding (in-game, that is) would agree. The open world of Gotham is packed with collectibles, such as coins and rubber ducklings, and I believe I spotted some optional puzzles which I didn’t get the chance to try. The city looks lovely (not a word I thought I’d use to describe Gotham, but that’s the Lego effect for you), though I wouldn’t have minded a few more neon signs and an extra-shady corner or two.
Gliding can only keep a caped crusader happy for so long, though; it was time to go on a proper mission. My task: Find three teddy bears. I scanned the city, found the approximate location of the first bear, and jumped right back into action. Yeah. That was a mistake. You see, Batman doesn’t wear that edgy dark suit just to be fashionable — he’s supposed to be a stealthy fellow. And in this game, stealth is what you’ll need if you don’t want to enter a free-for-all boxing match every few minutes.
So, while hunting for the next bear, I tried a different approach, sneaking across rooftops and scanning carefully for hidden vents. I jumped an unsuspecting enemy from above, opened the truck with the teddy, solved a teddy puzzle (a matter of mixing and matching shapes) and, despite missing out on epic finishing moves, felt quite satisfied with my accomplishment.
While collecting teddies, however, I realized I’d missed out on an essential gameplay element: swapping characters! I’m told that Lego Batman features seven playable characters, including Catwoman, Robin, and Nightwing. In the demo, besides the Caped Crusader himself, I got to play as Batman’s buddy Jim Gordon. Swapping them during combat is optional, but to solve certain puzzles, you’ll need both characters’ abilities.
Leaving the open world of Gotham for a brief visit to Ace Chemicals, where red blockheads were turning my teddy’s into green gas for some reason, I got to solve many more puzzles and whack some more bad guys. Like before, stealth is definitely the way to go here. And with that, my demo playthrough came to an end.
Only one question remains, and it’s perhaps the most important one: Is Lego Batman funny? To tell you the truth, I haven’t seen enough cutscenes to assess this accurately, but Lego’s well-known brand of silliness is definitely present. Perhaps the funniest thing about Lego Batman, however, is the Bat himself. How he stays serious in the most ridiculous situations, I couldn’t tell you.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will launch sometime in 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
