Batman has received endless adaptations in multiple media, and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight tries to pay homage to as many of these as possible. After getting hands-on with a one-hour demo at New York Comic-Con (NYCC), it's clear that TT Games plans for its next major title not just to be an evolution of the LEGO game format, but also a new type of Batman story.
TT Games is well known for crafting some of the most beloved LEGO games based on popular titles, including LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, and LEGO Indiana Jones. Most recently, TT Games published LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which marked the studio's transition into more open-world-style LEGO games.
Now, TT has turned its attention to one of Warner Bros.'s most iconic IPs, producing LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a game that will mark a record-breaking gap in the studio's history. However, the wait appears to be worth it, as even the short demo left a desire for more.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is Arkham Lite
When you first dive into LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, the first thing that is clear is how different this game plays from previous LEGO installments.
In its attempt to incorporate as many different Batman stories as possible, TT has also looked to past Batman games, drawing heavily from Rocksteady's Batman Arkham series. The result is an ambitious open-world with TT building on all the lessons learned from LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
The NYCC demo involved a short free-play session in this open world, during which we were free to explore every brick and cranny. The crime-ridden streets of Gotham City are faithfully rendered in LEGO form, and the world is rife with things to find, like crimes in progress, Wayne treasure chests, and Riddler puzzles, that entice you into exploration.
It was hard to get an idea of how expansive this LEGO-ified version of Gotham City will be, as not all areas were explorable in this demo. However, even on a quick fly-around, the world felt large and rich without feeling too overwhelming.
To maneuver through the world, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight offers many tools that will feel familiar to Batman Arkham fans. Players can utilize grapple, boost, and glide moves to soar high over the city as Batman (or a comparable ability for any of the secondary characters). The Batmobile (which will be available in several iconic LEGO styles) is also summonable at will and feels satisfying to drive and zip around the city.
Combat and stealth are also heavily inspired by Rocksteady's games. Grappling to vantage points, scouting with detective vision, and sneaking up on enemies are encouraged. Although the enemy alert system was less forgiving in this game and it often resulted in stealth encounters devolving into combat without much warning.
LEGO Batman: The Legacy of the Dark Knight does its best to emulate the free-flow combat style of the Arkham games. The familiar flurry of punches, counters, dodges, and finishing moves makes for engaging combat, even if it doesn't feel as agile as what Arkham fans may be used to. This system is much more lenient on players, signposting exactly which buttons should be pressed during combat, rather than the multicolored counter icons used in the Arkham series.
LEGO Batman: The Legacy of the Dark Knight isn't trying to be an Arkham successor, but it does an excellent job at picking and choosing the elements of those games that are best adapted into the LEGO format, resulting in something that feels like a lite version of those games.
A Batman Tale With a Twist
In the second portion of the demo, we completed a 30-minute story mission involving Batman and his companion, Commissioner Gordon, infiltrating ACE Chemicals. It's worth noting that LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight can be played entirely co-operatively with a second player, but even when playing alone, the player can switch between two characters at will.
This co-operative approach is a core tenet of the LEGO games, and was particularly important for solving puzzles in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.
Each of the supporting characters in the game has abilities that are equivalent to Batman's, plus unique powers. Commissioner Gordon was equipped with a glider that allowed him to fly alongside Batman, but his foam gun was required in conjunction with Batman's batarangs to solve many of the puzzles in the level.
For the most part, this swapping mechanic operates seamlessly. However, there were a few frustrating instances where the secondary character was not in an ideal position at the time of a switch, resulting in them being spotted by enemies or falling mid-movement when it was their turn in the spotlight.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight's trailer confirmed that the game would combine many iconic Batman moments and characters from all corners of the DC hero's history into a new, original story. In the demo, this was seen in action as Jack Nicholson's iconic "Do you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight" moment from the 1989 film was re-created with a slight twist on the mythology.
LEGO games have become known for their alternate takes on classic tales fans are familiar with, often with a humorous quip or two. This definitely continues in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. While it's not an exact one-to-one, these slight flourishes on the source material make them all the more fun to re-experience in this format.
The LEGO Piece Completes the Puzzle
While LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight wears its influences proudly on its sleeve, it's still a LEGO game at heart.
Cutscenes are infused with a LEGO sense of humor, and combat encounters keep things family-friendly by having enemies burst into piles of bricks. TT and LEGO have done an excellent job of rendering the many different Batman influences into brick form, whether they be Batsuits (several of which have already been revealed), DC characters, or particular tones and aesthetics.
The additions of open-world traversal and free-flow combat make LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight feel different from any LEGO game before it. But it still maintains its LEGO charm through familiar core mechanics like building new items to complete puzzles and collecting LEGO studs as currency.
Like the title suggests, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight pays tribute to Batman's rich history. The game does this by drawing on not only the comics, TV shows, and films but also the gameplay of previous Batman games.
The tone and style of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight are certainly more accessible than the Arkham titles and feel like an easy entry point for younger players. However, the innate care and detail that have gone into constructing this game as a love letter to all things the Dark Knight make it a must-play for fans of any age.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will be released in 2026.
