Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight – the best Batman game since Arkham City
2.6.2026
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Philipp Rüegg
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a fantastic Batman game, every bit as impressive as Rocksteady’s Arkham series.
Lego games are boring. After the millionth Marvel, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings spin-off – each one nearly identical to the last – I’ve lost interest. The only exceptions were The Skywalker Saga and Horizon Adventures, which both breathed new life into the outdated gameplay. But they didn’t completely win me over either.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight proves that Lego games can be more than just generic brand exploitation. It isn’t just a loving tribute to 80 years of Batman comics, movies and TV shows – it’s a diverse open-world action game that proudly holds its own against Rocksteady’s Arkham series. Partly because exactly that British studio had a hand in it – Rocksteady’s listed as a co-developer alongside TT Games.
Batmen
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a wacky mix of various Batman classics. Unlike in The Skywalker Saga, I’m not simply watching the movies in chronological order. The story begins with training under Ra’s al Ghul and his League of Shadows, similar to Batman Begins. A short while later, I’m in the Batmobile chasing the Penguin through a gloomy Gotham City – just like in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Don’t forget about the mandatory death-defying jump through fire. However, I seem to be chasing the Penguin from Tim Burton’s Batman.
A short while later, I find myself hot on the heels of Jack Nicholson’s Joker, who’s wreaking havoc in a museum with his clown gang of thugs. The scenes work even if you’re unfamiliar with the Batman universe. But fans will get twice the enjoyment from the countless Easter eggs and references. Watching a recreation of the legendary intro from Batman: The Animated Series, I get goosebumps. Even despite Robin sneaking in with his antics. There’s always room for Lego humour.
Upon returning to Gotham City, Alfred puts a cassette into his Walkman. Accompanied by cheerful music, the camera pans across a bustling city filled with dancing police officers and grannies feeding squirrels. After a few seconds, Alfred stops the music: «wrong side». He switches from good vibes to a metal mix, and immediately dark clouds roll in. Cars crash into each other and squirrels pounce on the grannies. Welcome to Gotham City. You have to love Lego humour. It doesn’t always win me over, but most of the time its charm does the trick. This is also the case when Bruce enters his Batcave for the first time and a swarm of bats flies toward him. Seconds later, he’s covered in grey, round Lego bricks. Who would’ve thought that a Lego game would be more realistic than the movies?
A clean, uncluttered open world
After a tutorial in the snow-covered mountains of Nanda Parbat, the game opens up and I can move freely through Gotham City. I immediately notice how beautiful and detailed the world looks. With ray tracing enabled and all settings maxed out, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight becomes an absolute spectacle. Unlike in Lego: Horizon Adventures, the world isn’t made entirely of Lego bricks. Although streets, houses and most permanent structures have a plasticky look, they aren’t built using those iconic interlocking bricks. Still, there’s no shortage of Lego stuff for me to smash up, and it stays satisfying even after 15 hours.
There’s always a choice: follow the main quest, or let myself get sidetracked by various side quests. From simple heists that need stopping, to zoo animals I have to capture, to Riddler puzzles – it’s all there.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is aimed at kids too, so no segment’s particularly tricky or takes a long time to complete. I like that the map isn’t cluttered with icons, as increasingly became the case in the Arkham series. Most of the time, I glide around with my batwings, headed towards whatever I may spot. As the game progresses, new content is added at regular intervals too.
Main missions are for sure the highlight. The game lets me relive numerous movie moments in typical Lego fashion. At one point, Selina (aka Catwoman) and I are chasing the Penguin, who ends up attacking us with a giant fire-breathing rubber duck. A short while later, we stop the Joker together during a quite literally bombastic balloon parade. I join Robin in a spectacular circus show, and shortly after that, I use an ice blaster to take on Poison Ivy’s carnivorous plants. You won’t be bored for even a second.
This is also guaranteed by the Arkham-inspired combat system. It’s been simplified to fit the Lego style, but I can still string together long combos, dodge attacks, counter and use my gadgets. It doesn’t quite feel as powerful as Arkham Batman’s fists raining down on his enemies. Still, Lego Batman quite literally dismantles enemies piece by piece. Which actually feels even more brutal. On top of that, there are special attacks. Batman can unleash a swarm of bats on his enemies, and Catwoman can use her whip to fling enemies around like pinballs. I could also sneak around and take out enemies from statues – but it’s never necessary, at least not on the first of three difficulty levels.
Double the fun with co-op
Like all Lego games, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is designed for co-op play. When I play alone, I can switch back and forth between characters with the push of a button. After all, even the Dark Knight can’t do everything by himself. Both during and outside of missions, I combine various skills to solve smaller puzzles. Catwoman can crack safes, and Gordon’s foam cannon clogs gears and makes fans passable. Robin sets up ropes to cross pits and breaks down doors with his staff.
For the first few hours, I played by myself in English. The voice acting’s excellent in every way. Shai Matheson’s a worthy successor to Kevin Conroy’s legendary Batman from the Arkham series. Following the tutorial, my five-year-old grabbed the second controller. We’ve been playing in German ever since. Although I usually can’t stand dubs, I actually like the German version. After getting bored with endless Nintendo games and their unskippable speech bubbles, my son’s having double the fun he expected. On top of the universally relatable slapstick humour, there are frequent one-liners that even he can laugh at.
Co-op mode is perfectly implemented. Outside of missions, we can explore the world on our own. I can pick out a new outfit without having to pause my son’s game.
There are Lego coins to collect everywhere. From destroyed objects, in chests and especially hard-to-reach spots with purple coins, which are particularly valuable. This all helps expand the Batcave. Whether it’s by building a training area or adding a place to display my growing collection of vehicles and suits. Batman and his companions aren’t restricted to merely gliding through Gotham City – they also have their own vehicles. I regularly unlock new ways to travel. The Batmobiles are for sure my highlights. My fleet’s pretty impressive, including everything from futuristic hovercraft from the Batman Beyond animated series to the tank from the Nolan trilogy.
Same goes for the outfits. From colourful clown outfits for Gordon to Robin’s nipple costume from Batman & Robin and Batman as a samurai, there’s a fantastic selection. Outfits stay the same, even during cutscenes, which takes the humour to the next level. As the game progresses, the Batcave essentially turns into the kind of interactive museum I'd buy a season ticket for.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. A Switch version will follow in the future. I tested the PC version provided to me by Warner Bros.
In a nutshell
Batman for everyone
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a tribute to 80 years of Batman. The game brings together caped crusaders from every era, tells its own story along the way. It’s stuffed to the gills with Lego slapstick and funny one-liners that make me chuckle just as much as they do my five-year-old son. The game really shines in co-op mode. Instead of having to cover every role myself or rely on AI, teamwork’s essential. Still, the fact that I can move around the world freely and solve little puzzles while my little one cleanses the streets of villains as Batman makes it the perfect experience.
Gotham City looks absolutely stunning – and not just for Lego standards. I love speeding through the streets in my various Batmobiles and, given my driving style, briefly becoming the biggest threat to the city’s residents. And swinging across the rooftops using my wings and grappling hook is just as fun.
The missions are varied and full of references that fans will love. And younger audiences will never lose interest: there’s always a corny joke thrown in. For some reason, it usually makes me laugh the hardest too.
If you have even the slightest interest in Batman or Lego, you won’t want to miss Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.
Pro
- A heartfelt tribute to 80 years of Batman
- Varied main missions featuring iconic cutscenes
- Arkham-inspired combat system
- Beautiful and vibrant Gotham City
- Massive selection of Batmobiles and costumes
- Superbly executed co-op mode
- Plenty of fun for kids and adults
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chAs a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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