[REVIEW] LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Building an Iconic Legacy one Brick at a Time)

Welcome to EXPlay (Explain & Play) — the review series where we don’t care for scores. Instead, we tell it how it is with every game we get our hands on, while including lengthy gameplay so you, the reader, can form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.

In this explanatory review, we’re covering LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight by developer, TT Games:

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Nintendo Switch 2)

Developed by the infamous TT Games (Traveller’s Tales), with Warner Bros. Games as publisher, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has already released on other platforms earlier this year. Now, it’s finally the Dark Knight’s turn on Nintendo Switch 2, launching September 18, 2026.

Ever since the two IPs first collaborated in 2008 with LEGO Batman: The Videogame, three sequels and a spin-off have followed:

LEGO Batman: The Videogame (2008)

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012)

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014)

LEGO DC Super-Villains (2018)

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (2026)

Despite being the fourth main entry in the LEGO Batman series, there’s a reason it lacks a number in its title. Featuring an original story heavily inspired by the comics, films, and the Batman: Arkham series, this new adventure is a love letter to a character who has spanned 87 years, ever since Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 on March 30, 1939.

With a title like Legacy of the Dark Knight, you’d be right to assume the premise follows Bruce Wayne’s journey from happy-go-lucky son to grieving boy, angry adult, and eventually Gotham’s finest protector. The story unfolds across a prologue that blends multiple movie elements and six full chapters. But this is far more than just another brick-built superhero romp. Bruce doesn’t have to go it alone. By recruiting allies, players slowly turn Gotham into a living, breathing world of its own.

Although LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight feels heavily inspired by the Arkham games at times — and honestly, that’s a good thing — it still retains the classic LEGO humour, creativity, and charm we all enjoy. The game does an excellent job of weaving together iconic moments from the comics, films, and television into one continuous adventure. Characters like Jim Gordon, Catwoman, Robin (who later becomes Nightwing), Batgirl, and Talia al Ghul all join the action, each bringing their own unique personality and abilities.

There are plenty of Easter eggs to spot. One of our favourites is when Bruce Wayne leaves behind a business card and a random NPC looks at it, delivering dialogue straight out of a classic American Psycho scene. As with any great LEGO game, it’s not just the story missions that give this title life — it’s the city of Gotham itself. Once the full map opens up, the real heart of the game is revealed. Gotham is large, vertical, and packed with things to do.

The story missions guide you through the prologue and six chapters with linear sequences, combat arenas, stealth sections, vehicle chases, and character-specific puzzles. Outside of those missions, however, Gotham becomes a proper playground full of side activities, street crimes, Riddler-style challenges, AR Trials, and collectibles. This is where local co-op shines. If you don’t have someone to play with, that’s fine too — character switching is seamless. As long as you’ve unlocked the characters, there’s almost no puzzle you can’t solve, though some are noticeably easier with two players.

Gameplay-wise, it’s still a LEGO game at its core. You explore, use traversal skills as they become available, smash almost everything for studs, build combos, and take down enemies. Everything feels more refined and fluid this time around. Combat in particular leans into an Arkham-style freeflow system, and we absolutely love it. What makes the gameplay loop so satisfying is the dual progression system. A shared Skill Tree, fed by Skill Bricks, improves combat and exploration for every playable character.

There are also 200 WayneTech Caches scattered across Gotham that provide WayneTech chips. These can be used at any workbench to upgrade each hero’s unique gadgets, making every character more viable and fun to use. The result is combat that finally feels meaningful. The freeflow system is a lighter, more accessible take on the Arkham style — full of combos, counters, dodges, mid-combo gadgets, and a focus meter that triggers special takedowns when filled.

At no point does the game feel inaccessible. For those who want a real challenge, higher difficulties (Caped Crusader, Dark Knight, and the free Absolute mode) give veterans something to sink their teeth into, while the base experience remains welcoming for everyone else. From grappling and gliding to vaulting across rooftops and dropping into one of the 30 base-game vehicles (33 with the Deluxe packs), traversing Gotham is pure joy.

Despite a relatively small roster, the seven playable characters have real depth. Each feels distinct, and switching between them is genuinely useful rather than purely cosmetic. Customisation is another strong point — the base game includes 100 suits covering everything from Golden Age to Arkham and deep-cut comic looks. With 23 Red Bricks that let you apply colour variants and special effects, the possibilities are extensive. Other collectibles include over 100 Batcave Trophies, which turn your lair into a personal museum. It’s a masterful touch that lets every player create their own personalised Batcave rather than a generic copy-and-paste version.

On the performance side, the game runs on Unreal Engine 5 rather than TT Games’ usual proprietary engine. Dynamic resolution and reduced effects help keep the dense city and constant brick destruction playable, though high-speed Batmobile runs and heavy particle effects can still cause occasional stuttering on Nintendo Switch 2. That said, it never broke immersion for us. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a genuine and satisfying attempt to celebrate Batman’s entire history while giving the LEGO formula a meaningful evolution. It has the potential to become a real obsession if you let it.

It’s full of feel-good brick-smashing moments, dense Batman knowledge, and that rare sense of childlike joy the best LEGO games deliver. Whether you’re playing solo or with a friend in local co-op, this is one of the strongest LEGO experiences in years. And if you find yourself wanting even more once you’ve finished the main game, you might want to look at the Mayhem Collection and its new playable mode, Mayhem Mode. For our thoughts on that, check out the separate review here:

Game Specifications:

Developer: TT Games
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (Digital)
Genre: Adventure, Action
No. of Players: 1 – 2 (Single System)
Release Date: September 18, 2026
Price: $69.99
File Size: 23.7 GB
Nintendo.com Listing