| LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Overview
What is LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight?
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a new action-adventure game from TT Games. As the fifth installment in the series, it shifts focus to celebrate Batman's entire history, from comics to film.
The game features an open-world Gotham City where players follow Bruce Wayne's journey to becoming Batman, fighting classic villains like the Joker and Poison Ivy. A key new feature is a crime-fighting combat system
with stealth takedowns and gadget use, inspired by the Batman: Arkham series.
Players can navigate the world with vehicles, explore a customizable Batcave, and play as a small roster of seven Bat Family
characters. The game also introduces difficulty levels, a first for the series.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is set to release this May 22, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight features:
⚫︎ Original Retelling of Batman’s Origin Story
⚫︎ 6 Playable Characters
⚫︎ Open-World Exploration
⚫︎ Arkham-Style Combat
⚫︎ Local Co-op
⚫︎ Cosmetics and Various Collectibles
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight’s gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Epic |
 Switch 2 |
|||||||
 PS |
 Xbox |
||||||||
| $69.99 | |||||||||
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Review: The Perfect Bat-fan Game
The Most Ambitious LEGO Game Yet
Over the years, LEGO games have earned a reputation as titles that are fun for everyone, regardless of the series. It’s a series of games that have been able to create a unique multiplayer experience using popular IPs from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and even Marvel. It’s one of the brands of video games that you can count on with consistency, and that’s actually quite hard to find nowadays.
This also goes to the LEGO Batman series, which has become popular enough to be one of the poster boys of the franchise, so it’s expected that The World’s Greatest Detective would eventually get a fourth video game. But something’s different this time around, and it’s definitely much better than anyone could have imagined.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is, by all rights, the perfect game for any fan of the Caped Crusader. It’s a great retelling of his origin story, but it also sprinkles in references to other Batman-related media, from comic books to TV shows and even movies. Not only that, they even modeled the gameplay after the well-beloved Arkham series, which was also based on the hero himself, with that added LEGO twist and humor.
It’s undoubtedly a love letter to both the character’s story and the gameplay that has been sorely missed all these years, with that added LEGO twist to it, and it’s a title that we definitely needed.
The Accurate, Yet Comedic Retelling of Gotham’s Cast
Batman is one of those heroes I’ve always had an affinity for, mainly because he isn’t a superhero with godlike powers. I find him relatable—not because I aspire to fight crime with peak physical conditioning or genius intellect, but because of his resilience in the face of adversity. He’s an icon who constantly reminds me that there’s always something worth fighting for, even when you’re in a dark place. While I’m sure he’s a character many people can relate to at different points in their lives, there’s something about him that continues to resonate even after all these years, despite the countless reruns, retcons, and reinterpretations of his character.
Similarly, his origin story is something we’re all too familiar with. His parents are shot in front of him in Gotham’s Crime Alley, where he vows to wage a one-man war against all criminals and bring them to justice. We’ve been there before, and we’ve probably seen his parents die a few too many times already. But what makes it different this time is how it incorporates classic LEGO humor into the story and weaves in all the other major players in Gotham.
It’s not just Bruce Wayne’s origin story. You also see the beginning of how each character becomes their eventual self. From Jim Gordon’s start as a police officer to Joker’s full transformation, it’s a full retelling of each character’s progression, and it manages to neatly organize it in one full game.
The LEGO humor is also on point; even when I thought I was too old for the game, a couple of scenes and sequences made me laugh. The dance-off in Falcone’s nightclub in Chapter 1 was one of those memorable sequences. The whole thing seems expected, I mean, it’s a nightclub, and it’s a LEGO game, it’s obvious, right? But the whole sequence completely caught me off guard because of its timing and the fact that it randomly turns into a quick-time event, and ends with the perfect Dirty Dancing reference.
Another scene was how they created Two-Face’s origin story. They made it so that it wasn’t a villain responsible for the damage to his face, but rather a series of unfortunate events of characters who want to “help.” It actually had me belly-laughing because everything seemed to line up and get worse and worse as it went on.
In terms of the overall narrative, it can feel scattered, as chapters are split into specific arcs. It’s not as if they don’t tackle previous plot points and build on them, but the whole progression is structured as five contained episodes leading up to a season finale. Yes, it does come full circle at the end, but with all the moving pieces pushed right at the end, it all feels a little rushed.
Don’t get me wrong, though, I definitely enjoyed the story. It makes great use of its characters and even manages to make each of them have their own time in the spotlight. Did I want to have more scenes with Joker and/or Bane? Definitely. But with the many villains and characters there are in the franchise, they were able to cram them all in, and that’s a commendable feat.
References On Top of References
In relation to the story, they’re also able to add in various serious scenes and lighten them up, yet still capture the spirit of what it references. For instance, the introduction of Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne ended with the former being fired from the circus rather than being orphaned, as in the original. It’s a really good way to illustrate how the game twists the original story in a positive way, without being dismissive or ignorant of how it actually happened.
On that same topic, it’s also worth applauding that it’s chock-full of references to various Batman media. From the Batman Animated Series transitions with Robin to Heath Ledger’s rendition of Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), the car chase scene with Penguin in The Batman (2022), and even the many Arkham video game sequences. Also, ending the game with Seal’s Kiss From a Rose, like in Batman Forever (1995)? Absolutely perfect.
It is, by far, the most fan service I’ve ever seen for any Batman game. Calling it a “love letter” might even be an understatement; you can immediately tell just how much love that was poured into it, and it’s clear that this is a game created by fans, for the fans. It’s also remarkable just how much the game fits everything in, especially since it resonated with someone who’s not a diehard fan of the timeless vigilante.
Engaging Arkham-Style Combat
For those who’ve played either a LEGO game or an Arkham game before, you could probably tell what makes them so memorable. For the former, it could be the number of collectible items, the multitude of characters to play as, and the puzzle-solving, while for the latter, it could be the engaging and satisfying combat that almost turns it into a rhythm game. Now imagine those aspects into a single game, and this is what you get: a beautiful blend of two franchises in one.
Let’s first talk about the Arkham side of things, specifically its combat and exploration. Combat is fast, fluid, and engaging, with on-the-fly decision-making based on enemy types. It quite literally has everything you expect out of a game that’s modeled after Arkham’s combat mechanics.
Also, I like the fact that each playable character has unique gadget abilities that you can utilize for combat. An example of this would be Catwoman using her whip to make enemies spin towards environmental hazards, and, if upgraded, towards other enemies. It’s not a defining mechanic of the combat, but it adds some depth to it beyond the universal ways of dealing with different enemies.
That said, I do have a few complaints about the combat. The lack of a varied moveset for each character and the number of forced tutorials are immediately noticeable. While I understand that the latter is because the game is made for younger audiences, the former could’ve added more visual variety into the mix, especially since you don’t really believe Catwoman and Jim Gordon fighting bad guys with the same moves. It does improve a bit with Nightwing specifically, but I do wish that were the case for everyone.
Next, the game definitely lacks punch in terms of its stealth segments. There wasn’t really a point in the game where you needed to use stealth instead of just jumping in and punching bad guys. To be more specific, there are no enemies that address sneak attacks, making it an extremely strong way to play, albeit a bit boring.
So it’s good that the combat turned out to be as engaging as it is, since the stealth didn’t really hit that same level of satisfaction. In fact, it felt limited, even with each character having unique tools to use; there wasn’t enough enemy variety to hit the same highs as racking up a combo counter of upwards of 100 and timing counters and takedowns to avoid damage.
Enjoyable Exploration, Massive Collectathon
On the topic of exploration, it’s also a definitive highlight of the game. Movement, in general, feels satisfying to the point where I might even say that moving around, whether by vehicle or by foot, feels more satisfying than the actual Arkham games. Similar to my issue with its combat, the only real gripe is that all the characters have similar movement mechanics, which makes every character feel like Batman. Now, if that was the intent, then they definitely succeeded.
The LEGO side of things is actually where the game shines the most. Puzzles make perfect use of multiple characters as well, as explained earlier, where each character has their own unique gadgets. While they’re not entirely complicated or thought-provoking, some of them aren’t easy enough that you just put two and two together. More specifically, some of Riddler and Cluemaster’s riddles and puzzles had me stop and think a bit more than I would like to admit.
After Chapter 4, the game really opens up for exploration and collection. You’re now free to collect and find every side objective to your heart’s content, and the best part is that it never feels boring to do so. Switching between and using characters to solve puzzles has always been a LEGO staple, and even with the limited cast, the open-world collectathon makes for a daunting yet enjoyable experience throughout.
I’ll be the first to admit that collectathons aren’t exactly something I enjoy doing, let alone sweeping these for 100% completion, but somehow the massive amount of things to do became less of a chore and more of something that I wanted to tackle as I kept playing the game.
All in all, the gameplay loop successfully combines the aspects that make a LEGO game memorable and the elements that make an Arkham game enjoyable. I can even go out on a limb and say it’s up there among the Arkham series when asked if it’s one of the better Batman games out there.
Is LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Worth It?
Definitely Worth the $70!
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is what I consider to be one of the best LEGO games of all time, while being one of the better Batman games at the same time. The story, and how it can stack references on top of references, as well as how it retells the original with that lighthearted twist, is simply a treat in itself.
And let’s not forget the actual gameplay. It's able to blend two gameplay loops in a way that works perfectly for how the game is expected to be. Each element of its gameplay serves each other well, albeit with a few flaws that are noticeable but don’t impact the overall experience too much.
It’s an easy recommendation for any fan of the Dark Knight, or anyone looking for a split-screen co-op game, for that matter, as the sheer amount of content makes the hefty $70 price tag worth the investment. It’s an experience that definitely matched the ambitious intent behind its design, and it shows all throughout.
FAQ
How Many Chapters Are in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight?
There are six chapters in total.
Who Voices Batman in LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight?
Batman is voiced by Shai Matheson, who has also voiced him in the previous iterations of the game.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Related Guides
| LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Walkthrough & Guides Wiki | |
|---|---|
 LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight |
|
| LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Wiki Content | |
 Story Walkthrough |
 Characters |
 Suits and Costumes |
 Vehicles |
 Interactive Map |
 Red Bricks |
 Puzzles and Challenges |
 Batcave Props |
 Tips and Tricks |
 Achievements |
 News and Game Info |
 Review |
Game8 Reviews
