In typical Lego video game style, you and another player can explore various stages, collect Lego bricks and stamps to unlock upgrades and costumes, battle enemies with melee combat and gadgets and overcome puzzles with character-specific talents. It’s basically a classic action-platformer, but with more of a comic and cartoon twist with Lego characters. The combat development, which directs Arkham-style battles, plays with Lego style as well. I really liked that they added Adam West’s Batman era humor to make the fights feel even better.
The first task I played was a chapter focusing on Batman’s early days as a crime hero – a retelling of the Iceberg Lounge incident from 2022. Batmanarguably the darkest Batman film. Surprisingly, seeing the Lego version of the Matt Reeves film worked because it relied on the ingenuity of a masked vigilante breaking into a club to fight henchmen. Along with Batman, Commissioner Gordon joins the fray, providing hilarious moments as the two build safe Lego crack machines to break through obstacles and reach the deeper levels of the living room.
The stage felt very similar to the Lego video game experience, though Legacy of the Dark Knight going forward, drawing Batman: Arkham games. This really comes in handy between missions, allowing you to explore the open city in the Batmobile or by gliding through the skies. This was a very satisfying moment for me because it felt like a relegation to Batman: Arkham’s rampant gameplay, with moments of play where the citizens of Gotham City stare and watch as Batman and Robin run through the streets.
“Like us, our friends and colleagues at Rocksteady Studios have used some of those things in the past to create these immersive and exciting environments,” said Smith. “We’ve also taken our approach in other ways, like players who have played… and love the Arkham games. There’s a muscle memory you want to show and build upon, but we’re always trying to find a different way for Lego to make that game accessible and friendly to a wider range of players.”
Combat and exploration are still similar to the simplicity of other Lego games and admittedly, many of the encounters and open world stages were not as deep as other Batman games. Still, it’s an admirable attempt to promote the simple gameplay of Lego games.
The next mission focused on a very Lego version of The Flying Graysons circus scene from Joel Schumacher. Batman Forever. Admittedly, I have a soft spot Batman Foreverand balance of charm and wit Legacy of the Dark Knight did wonders in recreating this scene as a puzzle-platform sequence that plays well with the style of the original movie.
In addition to exploring Gotham City and taking on various missions with partners, I was surprised to see that Legacy of the Dark Knight also includes a fully explorable and customizable Batcave. Between missions, you can go back to the Batman base to purchase unlockables for your collections, add Lego decals and iconic Batman collections throughout the dungeon and even interact with different characters such as the central Batman fan, Bat-Mite.
Whether it’s Star Wars, Indiana Jones or DC Comics, TT Games has a knack for redefining classic characters and setting their stories in the Lego universe. Until now, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight continues in that direction, and the strongest effort yet to expand the scope and functions of an open-world Lego game. It really is Batman: Arkham Knight for all ages.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will be released on May 22, 2026, for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 release later.
