One of 2025’s biggest surprise reveals, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was playable at the DC Comics’ booth at NYCC 2025! Having one of the longest lines, many were eager to go hands-on with the Dark Knight’s latest open-world adventure.
After playing the ten or so minute demo, here are my impressions on Traveler’s Tales’ most ambitious LEGO project yet.
Familiar Arkham Halls – Premise of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Taking a different approach to prior LEGO titles, this latest LEGO Batman project retells the origins of Bruce Wayne as he becomes Batman. While it will loosely pull from the most iconic moments across the Dark Knight’s career across all media, the game will tell a linear story.
The biggest surprise is how it forgoes the tried-and-true LEGO formula that prior LEGO DC projects used. Legacy of the Dark Knight utilizes many elements and mechanics seen in Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham titles. And after my hands-on with the title, the implementation of said elements greatly impresses.
Time to Suit Up – Demo Impressions
The demo began with Batman and Jim Gordon setting out to stop crime across Gotham. Rather than having story missions to complete or set goals, players are free to explore.
My muscle memory of playing the Arkham games helped, as the game controls are similar to those titles. Batman punches with Square, can counter with Triangle, and uses gadgets with the bumpers. In addition, you can slide underneath enemies with the Circle button.
The combat system felt awesome with this control scheme, and the game includes three difficulty options for accessibility.
The Stealth Takedown – The Small Details
When I say this felt like a proper Batman Arkham game, I mean it. The grapple launcher, gliding around Gotham like it’s your domain, solving Riddler puzzles, and even being able to summon the Batmobile to get around faster. It all feels like Travelers’ Tales looked at Rocksteady’s work and effortlessly adapted it into the LEGO world.
My favorite moment during my limited demo session was overhearing the mooks talking with one another. I always hung around when they started talking in Arkham City, so seeing that brought into Legacy of the Dark Knight was a nice touch.
A Gold Brick – Presentation/Performance
The demo was running on what I assume to be PlayStation 5 consoles (as I was using the DualSense to control the game). It looked stunning and ran at a silky smooth 60 FPS. Considering the title has no firm release date yet, the game running well is encouraging.
Regarding the game’s overall presentation, I loved the smooth animation work for Batman’s combat moves. It retains the iconic LEGO humor, with small details like the Adam West Batman-inspired ‘BAM’ and ‘POW’, combined with the more cinematic Batman Arkham finishers, adding additional personality to the game.
Closing Thoughts on LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
While I wish I had more hands-on time with the game to experience more of the open world, like solving the Riddler Puzzle I came across or trying out the Batmobile, I still walked away excited.
It feels like the Batman Arkham experience that many longed for following Batman Arkham Knight. Stay tuned for future updates on LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, releasing on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
And keep an eye out for Lords of Gaming’s NYCC 2025 coverage!
