LEGO Batman - The Dark Knight of LEGO Gotham

If you haven't grown tired of this simple gameplay yet, then LEGO Batman will be interesting. But for those who crave something new, you'll have to tighten your belt while waiting for another platformer. The creative spark has left Travelers Tales; the studio has turned into a workshop for producing monotonous LEGO games.

Today, no one is surprised by game adaptations of popular films. Unfortunately, most such projects rarely turn out to be truly good. Take, for example, Travelers Tales, which pleasantly surprised with its parody arcade games LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Indiana Jones. Gentle mockery of classic plots and stylization in the recognizable style of children's construction sets ensured the LEGO series a bright future — with new franchises. One of the first to join the ranks of toy figures was the Dark Knight of Gotham City — Batman.

Previous LEGO series games were primarily interesting due to their sparkling parodies of well-known plots from classic films performed by plastic characters. In LEGO Batman, unfortunately, this is not observed, as the authors decided not to limit themselves to Hollywood productions, but immediately took on comics.


More than a dozen motley villains from the Bat-universe escaped from Arkham Asylum and, dividing into three teams, began to wreak havoc. Of course, the guardian of Gotham could not simply watch the chaos unfolding on the streets of his hometown. During their adventures, the characters grimace, giggle, and mumble something inarticulate. Robin portrays a kind of “cool guy.” Batman is the ideal hero, deftly resolving any situation. The other characters also turned out to be likable and easily recognizable, but the humor is unsophisticated, the scenes played out are simple, and the modest set of jokes quickly runs out, leading to self-repetition.

On the other hand, the gameplay mechanics have not changed at all. It's still the same mix of platforming jumps, simple puzzles, a two-button combat system, and collecting local currency. The camera still shows what's happening on the screen exclusively “from the side,” which causes minor problems with the platforming component. The AI-controlled companion is present on the battlefield more for background and is unable to provide adequate assistance. Therefore, cooperative play is highly encouraged.

 
But there were still innovations. Now, not only good guys but also their antagonists play the main roles. Moreover, in LEGO Batman, unlike its predecessors, there are as many as six chapters. In three of them, Batman and Robin bring law and order to the city, while in the others, the bad guys come under the player's control, and there is an opportunity to wreak havoc. There are even missions entirely dedicated to various vehicles: from a submarine to an airplane (Batmobile included), which turned out to be very dynamic and added even more variety.

Positive and negative characters differ not only in their intentions. Batman and Robin use various engineering achievements to fight crime. Each, in addition to their basic suit, has four types of specialized clothing at their disposal. For example, one outfit allows the “bat” to safely handle hot LEGO parts, another is equipped with a glider to overcome large chasms, a third provides remote-controlled bombs, and a fourth has a built-in ultrasonic gun that shatters glass. Robin, in turn, can swim underwater, operate special terminals, and walk on iron walls using magnetic suction cups. The bad guys, as before, rely on numbers. The Riddler can control people's minds, the Joker has an electric shock button on his palm, and the Penguin has explosive toys hidden in his hat. Among the other representatives of evil forces, some can jump higher than others, for some, acid spilled on the floor is no obstacle, some throw trucks in different directions or possess another, no less useful specialty.


All the above techniques will have to be applied not only to run through the storyline. After all, dozens of levels hide an incredible number of secrets and hidden rooms, access to which is only available to certain individuals. As a result, LEGO Batman turned out to be much longer than its predecessors. The story presents a look at the same event from different sides of the law, but the locations for heroes and villains coincide only in a few rooms. There are also two bases: Batman's cave and the asylum. In these lairs, you can engage in useful activities: admire found trophies, assemble a unique LEGO character, spend accumulated studs on buying all sorts of things, including information about the universe (did you know that “Wayne Tower” was built in 1939 and is the tallest building in Gotham?).

Diagnosis

The latest installment of the LEGO series turned out to be very ambiguous. Instead of the signature mockery of famous films, there is only unsophisticated humor about comic book heroes. But, on the other hand, the number of levels and secrets has doubled. Therefore, if you haven't grown tired of this simple gameplay yet, then LEGO Batman will be interesting. But for those who crave something new, you'll have to tighten your belt while waiting for another platformer. The creative spark has left Travelers Tales; the studio has turned into a workshop for producing monotonous LEGO games.

Pro:

• Many characters from the Batman universe rendered in a funny LEGO style
• Ability to play as both heroes and villains
• Twice as many levels and secrets as in previous installments
• Co-op play option

Contra:

• Instead of signature parody - unsophisticated humor
• Minimum changes compared to previous installments
• Unresolved issues from previous installments (camera, AI companion, simple puzzles)